Choose the Way of Life

"Now you shall say to this people, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death."

Jeremiah 21:8

When God's people in Jerusalem considered the prospects of fending off king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his army, they hoped for God's miraculous intervention.  Though they had strayed from Him, they wondered if He might do for them as He did in times past, to turn back their enemies and deliver them.  In the passage of Jeremiah 21 God responded there was no chance He would do this, for He had already determined it would fall for the grave sins committed there by His people.  Though the city would be destroyed, He still offered them the way of life and the way of death and allowed them to freely choose between them.

The prophet continued to speak the word of the LORD in Jeremiah 21:9:  "He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him."  If people wanted to live, they needed to trust God to leave the stronghold of Jerusalem and defect to the Chaldeans who would lay siege to the city.  But if they tried to defend themselves by remaining in the city, they would certainly die by way of sword, famine and pestilence.  Faith in God marked by obedience to God, not in the pity of their enemies, was the way of life.  This was the narrow way of life few people who lived in Jerusalem chose.  Unbelief led to their demise they could not escape.

This was not the first time God put the way of life and the way of death before His people.  Moses said in Deuteronomy 30:15-16, "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, ¹⁶ in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess."  The way of life was to love God and walk in His ways, and God promised to bless them.  The way of life is both practical and spiritual.  The ironic thing is God's people, when on the cusp of entering Canaan, refused to enter due to unbelief and died in the wilderness.  Only Caleb and Joshua from that generation entered the promised land to receive their inheritance, an abundant life provided by God for those who trust Him.

How fitting it is that Jesus, being God made flesh, claimed to be the Way, the Truth and the Life.  

Luke 9:23-24 records the words of Jesus Christ to all:  "Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. ²⁴ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it."  This fits perfectly with the principle of life and death held forth in Jeremiah and Deuteronomy:  to try to save our lives will result in our eventual deaths, but losing our life for Christ's sake by being born again by faith in Him brings eternal salvation.  By Christ's death and resurrection He has consecrated a new and living way to draw near to God through faith in Jesus.  Faith in Jesus is the narrow way that leads to abundant, eternal life few find.  What grace God has shown us, that the way of life has been revealed to all.  The wise can choose this path because Jesus has become wisdom for us.

God Hears and Answers

Those who pray can attest to God's answers.  Just today I prayed God would help me deliver a message at church and He strengthened me to do so, and even directed the worship team to play songs that perfectly complemented the message.  It is wonderful to know God has even these small details in hand that magnify His generosity and greatness to those who believe.

This week I was reminded of a prayer God answered a long time ago in year 8 when I attended Emerald Junior High.  For the previous three years I had been homeschooled, and I felt a bit out of place joining people who had already experienced a year of junior high.  I was the only one I saw wearing pants and a shirt with buttons and collar, quite the contrast of other who wore shorts with much cooler t-shirts emblazoned with popular surf brands.

My prayer was a simple one:  that God would give me a friend.  I had not sat down in my home room seat long before God answered my prayer.  The fellow in front of me turned around with a smile and introduced himself, and extended his hand in a friendly greeting.  It turned out Derek was also new at school, having recently moved from Minnesota.  He was quite the sports enthusiast (as was I) and we hit it off immediately.  While I did make other friends over the course of the year in my various classes, Derek was undoubtedly my best friend at school that year--an answer to my prayer I doubt he was aware of.  I am most thankful to God for His provision and help, and I'm thankful to Derek for his kindness to me.

Derek and I parted the following year because we lived in different school districts, but God has continued with me to this day by His grace.  It is wonderful Jesus, the God who created all things, called His disciples friends.  This is a personal connection alluded to in Deuteronomy 32:8-9:  "When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. ⁹ For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance."  The LORD's portion is His people, and those who have received the Gospel by believing in Jesus Christ are adopted into the kingdom of God, not merely as friends but as sons.  John 1:11-12 reads, "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name..."  This is more than we could have ever thought or asked for, all made possible by our Saviour Jesus who loves us.

Of all the things God chose to make His inheritance, He chose sinners who are born again by the power of the Gospel.  How great is the love of God for His children!  He hears our prayers and answers, graciously meeting our needs for salvation, providing a great friend for a year, or a beautiful song after a sermon.  Isn't the LORD good to us, beyond what we could have ever asked or thought?

Mortified for Love

Year ago I remember a conversation I had with teens as a youth pastor.  One of them told of an outspoken girl at school who had embraced a vegan lifestyle who, when she thought she might have eaten meat or dairy products accidentally, became physically ill.  One after another the fellows piled on with a chuckle and light-hearted mockery of someone who had different values or practices they did not understand or agree with.  To me this presented an opportunity to go beyond the surface of how or why people have strong differences when it comes to diet and aim for the heart.  There was a lot those boys could learn from the genuine conviction of that girl that put us all to shame.

I pointed out how their story revealed a person who lived according to their beliefs so strongly she became sick thinking she had ingested an animal product:  which one among them had become sick due to conviction of their own transgression and sin before God?  Did they have any remorse or brokenness due to their penchant for pornography, cursing and lack of love?  The self-control and discipline of this girl I never met was a shining example of how seriously the flesh can take religious activity:  how much more devoted and empowered can Christians be by the power of the Holy Spirit who resides in us?  What determination we can have to walk in godliness, for we who were dead in sins have been made alive by faith in Christ!  As far as I was concerned, the girl who actually lived according to what she believed was right was far more deserving of commendation than condemnation.

There was something real, raw and refreshing as I considered the girl, weeping over accidentally eating an ingredient that evaded her watchful eye.  Many Christians are aware we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and our forgiveness and salvation is received as a free gift.  This knowledge can lift us up in spiritual pride, judging others and self-righteousness can blind us to the sinfulness of our flesh, wicked thoughts entertained in our minds and lusts in our hearts.  Instead of being a daily practice, repentance is the thing we did at the first as a prerequisite for salvation, as if we have paid our dues and can now live as we please rather than seeking God and doing what fully pleases Him.  It is sad when people are loaded with guilt or shame for eating what God has provided for their nourishment, but it is far more tragic when Christians lack any determination to avoid sin and lack conviction to repent of it.

God has not saved us to keep the Law of Moses but to go beyond it, to walk in love and obedience to Him.  The Law reveals our sin and need of atonement, and like a tutor it is has taken us by the hand and led us to Jesus Christ for forgiveness, redemption and salvation.  The tutor still has great wisdom from God for us but in Christ is the substance.  Colossians 2:16-17 says, "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, ¹⁷ which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ."  Paul drove home the point of putting off the old man with his lusts, putting on the new man which is created in righteousness and setting our mind on things above.  After we mortify (put to death) the sins of the flesh Colossians 3:14 says, "But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection."  Better than the letter of Law, the love of Christ is our guide to do justly, to love mercy and walk humbly with Him and one another.

The Gracious Accident

As I tried to manoeuvre all the tools I was carrying into my car, I groaned inwardly as I watched my stud finder clatter to the ground.  Almost in slow motion the plastic cover for the batteries popped off and the batteries released from the housing and rolled away.  I wondered if the device would be broken and hated the thought of needing to purchase another one due to my clumsiness.  It was the most expensive stud finder I ever bought, and the quality of the instrument justified the price.

When I reached down to retrieve the batteries and the finder, I noticed one of the batteries had been heavily corroded.  A stud finder is something I don't use all the time, and leaving batteries inside devices can lead to leakage.  Because the finder worked fine I never thought to open up the case an examine the batteries.  There I was, concerned I had potentially damaged the finder because I dropped it, while all the time it was insidiously being destroyed from within as it sat there in my garage in a safe place.  I am glad to report after removing the corrosion with a wire brush all is working as it should with new batteries.

It is interesting how positive end results can change our perspective of accidents or unexpected problems that trouble us.  A fall and superficial scratch on a stud finder led to the discovery of leaking batteries that ultimately saved the device from being ruined permanently.  In the end I was glad it happened because it provided insight into damage caused by unseen neglect.  Had I discovered the corrosion when it was too late because the stud-finder no longer worked, I would never have thought:  "I wish I had only dropped this stud-finder accidentally at some point so I would have seen the corrosion before it was too late!"  The stud-finder incident is at its core a lesson that reveals the grace of God to redeem something that was troubling at first for good in the end.

God is faithful to be gracious and merciful to all whether we recognise it or not.  His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, and we can be confident in His redemptive power is at work in all situations--whether we recognise it or not.  Instead of beating ourselves up over our failures, accidents we were involved with, or mistakes that have been made, let us believe we will see the goodness of God in the land of the living.  Looking to God and walking in His grace also applies when we see others as responsible for the problem, like if the stud-finder was dropped by someone else and broken on impact beyond repair.  Isn't God able to redeem that too for His good purposes?  This is confirmed beyond doubt (though we often doubt) in Jeremiah 32:27:  "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?"  Since it is not hard for God to redeem, we ought to always trust in our Redeemer of our souls.