Choose life
One afternoon at a prestigious university the faculty gathered for their weekly meeting. A professor of archaeology brought with him a lamp recently unearthed in the Middle East. It was reported to contain a genie who, when the lamp was rubbed would appear and grant one wish. The dean, not wanting to miss a chance for advancement, grabbed the lamp and stroked it.
Suddenly the genie appeared, and made the Dean an offer, a choice of three rewards: wealth, wisdom, or beauty. Without hesitating, the Dean selected wisdom... "Done!" said the genie who disappeared in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. All heads turned towards the dean, who sat surrounded by a faint halo of light. Eventually, one of his colleagues, wanting to hear a jewel of wisdom whispered, "Say something. What wise insight do you now have?" The Dean sighed and said, "I should have taken the money."
Making the right choice is not always as easy as we think it is, and yet we are faced with choices daily. Some may seem petty, others more crucial. In the passage from the Book of Deuteronomy (30:11-15) Moses puts a choice to the Israelites. Whilst that choice was given over 3,500 years ago, the choice remains the same for us today. Choose life or choose death…
The Israelites were ready to enter the Promised Land – but Moses knew that his life was approaching the end, and that it would be Joshua and not him that took the people there. And so Moses was giving the people a kind of final team talk – He said that they must obey the commandments of God, and that by doing that the Lord’s constant care for them would be apparent – he went on to explain, at the beginning of the passage we heard, that this was not a difficult choice to make – God had not hidden his promises in heaven or at sea – his words and his promises were very close to them… and they are very close to us…
And then Moses described the decision of the people over whether to obey the commandments of God, or not, as a decision between life and prosperity or death and adversity. The terms for prosperity and adversity are the basic Hebrew words for good and evil. To choose life is to choose the greatest good. To make a mistake here is not just unfortunate, it is devastating.
There can be no more important choice – there wasn’t then for the Israelites and there isn’t today for us... The answer does seem an obvious one – life and prosperity always seems a lot better than death and adversity, and yet so many people choose that – many without even recognising it.
During WW II, Winston Churchill was forced to make a painful choice. The British secret service had broken the Nazi code and informed Churchill the Germans were going to bomb Coventry. He had two alternatives: the first was to evacuate the citizens and save hundreds of lives at the expense of indicating to the Germans that the code was broken; or the second was to take no action, which would kill hundreds but keep the information flowing and possibly save many more lives. Churchill chose the second course.
The choice of sacrifice was deemed necessary. And it is the sacrifice of Jesus that has made this choice possible for us. The sad fact is that whilst we are all offered that choice some are living as if they don’t know it… Somebody wrote that the tragedy of life is not that it ends too soon, but that we wait too long to begin it.
When Moses put this choice before the people, he wasn’t talking about some distant promise of salvation – he was talking about people choosing life now - life with God. And that life means a life in fellowship with him, seeking to do his work and follow his guidance and wisdom.
Many people are rejecting life when they reject God, but many more are rejecting God because they haven’t the time or the inclination to even think about him – they ‘re tied up with so many things, whether it be work or leisure or anything else that distracts them.
To choose life means to make a number of choices. Firstly to trust Jesus. It seems a basic thing to say, and it really is. Many people think that the best Christians are somehow the people who know the most, who are the most qualified, perhaps the highest up in the ministry, and so on. That’s rarely true ! A Christian is simply someone who truly trusts the promises of Jesus through good times and through bad.
A while ago someone sent me an e mail describing the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage. His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. The youth is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each boy must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts are, after all, all around him. Maybe even some other person might do him harm.
Sometimes the wind would blow the grass and earth, but the boy had to sit, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone, and that is what we know, if we trust Jesus. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, Sitting on the stump beside us, and when trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him. Trusting in Jesus is the most important thing that we can do, and we can be assured that he is there for us every moment of every day.
The second choice we make as we seek to choose life over death is to choose to follow the way of Jesus. To do that we must immerse ourselves in his work, of prayer and Bible study, but also of action as we seek to follow his example of seeking out the lost, caring for the lonely and sick, and the victims of conflict and injustice – those unable to help themselves.
Jesus sought no reward for a life of service and dedication – he was motivated only by love and compassion, and with love and compassion we, as his Church today, must go out into our communities and further afield to ensure that the principles Jesus stood for are principles that are being heard today.
Choosing life is an obvious option, but some reject it, because it’s not always the immediately easiest option… but with God on our side, all things are possible, and we can be bold as we seek to do his work.
Finally we can enjoy his fellowship. Trusting may be the first part of discipleship and work and service an essential follow up, but God also intends us to enjoy his company, and to enjoy the wonderful gifts he has prepared for us. In prayer and in the bible we have treasures which we all too often ignore.
To truly get to know a person we have to work at it, and the reality is no different as we seek to build a relationship with God. And so we must see prayer and the bible as gifts of God and ways of getting closer to him, and the same is true of fellowship with one another. In listening and spending time with others, we are learning, whether we always like it or not !
And then there are the gifts of creation. So many things have damaged the world – some we can explain, others perhaps not so easily, but the fact is that our world contains incredible beauty, it contains enough resources for everyone everywhere, and God has given people the wisdom to know what is right and wrong…
In choosing life, we are choosing peace within ourselves, peace with God and expressing our wish to be a part of building a better world for all… Choose life and prosperity or choose death and adversity… May we make the right choice ! AMEN
Suddenly the genie appeared, and made the Dean an offer, a choice of three rewards: wealth, wisdom, or beauty. Without hesitating, the Dean selected wisdom... "Done!" said the genie who disappeared in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. All heads turned towards the dean, who sat surrounded by a faint halo of light. Eventually, one of his colleagues, wanting to hear a jewel of wisdom whispered, "Say something. What wise insight do you now have?" The Dean sighed and said, "I should have taken the money."
Making the right choice is not always as easy as we think it is, and yet we are faced with choices daily. Some may seem petty, others more crucial. In the passage from the Book of Deuteronomy (30:11-15) Moses puts a choice to the Israelites. Whilst that choice was given over 3,500 years ago, the choice remains the same for us today. Choose life or choose death…
The Israelites were ready to enter the Promised Land – but Moses knew that his life was approaching the end, and that it would be Joshua and not him that took the people there. And so Moses was giving the people a kind of final team talk – He said that they must obey the commandments of God, and that by doing that the Lord’s constant care for them would be apparent – he went on to explain, at the beginning of the passage we heard, that this was not a difficult choice to make – God had not hidden his promises in heaven or at sea – his words and his promises were very close to them… and they are very close to us…
And then Moses described the decision of the people over whether to obey the commandments of God, or not, as a decision between life and prosperity or death and adversity. The terms for prosperity and adversity are the basic Hebrew words for good and evil. To choose life is to choose the greatest good. To make a mistake here is not just unfortunate, it is devastating.
There can be no more important choice – there wasn’t then for the Israelites and there isn’t today for us... The answer does seem an obvious one – life and prosperity always seems a lot better than death and adversity, and yet so many people choose that – many without even recognising it.
During WW II, Winston Churchill was forced to make a painful choice. The British secret service had broken the Nazi code and informed Churchill the Germans were going to bomb Coventry. He had two alternatives: the first was to evacuate the citizens and save hundreds of lives at the expense of indicating to the Germans that the code was broken; or the second was to take no action, which would kill hundreds but keep the information flowing and possibly save many more lives. Churchill chose the second course.
The choice of sacrifice was deemed necessary. And it is the sacrifice of Jesus that has made this choice possible for us. The sad fact is that whilst we are all offered that choice some are living as if they don’t know it… Somebody wrote that the tragedy of life is not that it ends too soon, but that we wait too long to begin it.
When Moses put this choice before the people, he wasn’t talking about some distant promise of salvation – he was talking about people choosing life now - life with God. And that life means a life in fellowship with him, seeking to do his work and follow his guidance and wisdom.
Many people are rejecting life when they reject God, but many more are rejecting God because they haven’t the time or the inclination to even think about him – they ‘re tied up with so many things, whether it be work or leisure or anything else that distracts them.
To choose life means to make a number of choices. Firstly to trust Jesus. It seems a basic thing to say, and it really is. Many people think that the best Christians are somehow the people who know the most, who are the most qualified, perhaps the highest up in the ministry, and so on. That’s rarely true ! A Christian is simply someone who truly trusts the promises of Jesus through good times and through bad.
A while ago someone sent me an e mail describing the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage. His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. The youth is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each boy must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts are, after all, all around him. Maybe even some other person might do him harm.
Sometimes the wind would blow the grass and earth, but the boy had to sit, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone, and that is what we know, if we trust Jesus. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, Sitting on the stump beside us, and when trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him. Trusting in Jesus is the most important thing that we can do, and we can be assured that he is there for us every moment of every day.
The second choice we make as we seek to choose life over death is to choose to follow the way of Jesus. To do that we must immerse ourselves in his work, of prayer and Bible study, but also of action as we seek to follow his example of seeking out the lost, caring for the lonely and sick, and the victims of conflict and injustice – those unable to help themselves.
Jesus sought no reward for a life of service and dedication – he was motivated only by love and compassion, and with love and compassion we, as his Church today, must go out into our communities and further afield to ensure that the principles Jesus stood for are principles that are being heard today.
Choosing life is an obvious option, but some reject it, because it’s not always the immediately easiest option… but with God on our side, all things are possible, and we can be bold as we seek to do his work.
Finally we can enjoy his fellowship. Trusting may be the first part of discipleship and work and service an essential follow up, but God also intends us to enjoy his company, and to enjoy the wonderful gifts he has prepared for us. In prayer and in the bible we have treasures which we all too often ignore.
To truly get to know a person we have to work at it, and the reality is no different as we seek to build a relationship with God. And so we must see prayer and the bible as gifts of God and ways of getting closer to him, and the same is true of fellowship with one another. In listening and spending time with others, we are learning, whether we always like it or not !
And then there are the gifts of creation. So many things have damaged the world – some we can explain, others perhaps not so easily, but the fact is that our world contains incredible beauty, it contains enough resources for everyone everywhere, and God has given people the wisdom to know what is right and wrong…
In choosing life, we are choosing peace within ourselves, peace with God and expressing our wish to be a part of building a better world for all… Choose life and prosperity or choose death and adversity… May we make the right choice ! AMEN
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