If you have listened to the teaching of Pastor Raul Ries, you know he teaches through the Bible. He takes the congregation through the Bible; book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. A few years ago, we were blessed to go through the Book of Deuteronomy as a daily devotion. Studying this book, day by day, verse by verse, really opened my eyes to the great love God has for every one of us. In His great love, He has given us His Word and called each of us to live righteously.
If you have never read the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, start with Deuteronomy. In this book, Moses took the children of Israel through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers before presenting them with this challenge in Deuteronomy 30:19-20:
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; …
These verses have been etched in my brain and in my heart. After God revealed everything to His people—the blessings and cursings—He told them, “Choose life.” Think about those words, “Choose life.” We have to make a choice in this life. We can choose to walk with the Lord in righteousness, or walk in the world in unrighteousness.
Whichever choice we make, it is not a blind choice. He has given us His Word and He has given the warnings. He has revealed the blessings and the cursings. He even told them the sin they would pursue. He opened the book and gave us all the knowledge we would need in order to choose wisely and choose life.
The most amazing thing about God is His great love, grace and mercy. He always gives us another chance. Right up until the time we take our last breathe, we have the opportunity to choose life. He will accept us in all our sin and filth; all we have to do is choose Him—choose life.
As the New Year begins, I pray every person would examine their life and determine whether you have chosen life. Have you answered the call to righteousness? If you do not know or you are on the fence, I would encourage you to pick up Pastor Raul’s devotional, Obedience: Waking Up to God, and go through the Book of Deuteronomy. Once you experience the tremendous love God has for His people, you will desire to make a choice.
I pray you would choose God, because He is your life and the length of your days!
~Staff Writer
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