Choosing life or death (Deut 30:15-18)

The compelling promise of life

15 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 16 For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.


17 “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. (Deut 30:15-18)



The Pro-life movement in the US is a social and political movement which opposes elective abortion and advocates the choice of choosing life over death even while a child is in a mother's womb. The advocates generally argue that human life begins at conception and that the human fetus is a person and therefore has the right to life.* 

An article penned January 2013 in D Magazine, "The New Face of Pro-Life Movement" , carries a quote from David Pomerantz a young 23 year old, whose personal story causes him to fight for Life on the streets of Dallas by offering life-options for mothers considering death for their unborn.

To David choosing life is not only about that one life one saves but its implications, affect humanity for eternity. In his own words he says, "I don't just see a baby, I see a line of humanity we're saving that could exist for eternity"

David Pomerantz—seeing life through the eyes of eternity


Young David, joins the cast of others in this movement as they— with passion and sacrifice, fight for the life of the unborn. Sometimes by offering free Ultrasound to women considering an abortion, sex education at schools, providing resources for the mother to elevate the cost of the unannounced pregnancy and some even offer mothers to-be, adoption options. All this trouble just to save one life, is it worth it? 


God seems to chime in with an answer as we look at another life or death offer which He makes to His people Israel, through Moses in Deuteronomy 30. There are only two choices Life or Death and in a rather obvious plea, God beckons Israel to choose life. 

Choosing life in God


Choosing life is synonymous to a humble heart before God, seeking to follow Him, professing love and devotion to Him by living out this reality in everything. A Pro-life choice in God's economy simply means an election to live out God's standard on earth—loving even the hard-to-love people and being able to stand firm in hope even against all hope. With this choice, God promises to shower Israel with blessings of fruitfulness in the promised land. (Vs 15-16)


However if the ways of God escape the lifestyle and culture of Israel, death is inevitable. Death comes with judgement and discipline from their God, it brings a life of captivity and that of destruction, affecting several generations to come (Vs 17). 

So what will Israel choose to do? The answer will be unveiled in weeks to come.


For right now, some gnawing questions still stares us in the face— "has God also given me a life or death decision to make?, what choice does my life reveal? Does my life scream "I choose Life" like David Pomerantz and his buddies in the Pro-life movement? Or has my desire to live my life under my own terms secured a destiny of death and destruction?

Is my life filled with the worship of the god of this age—the ultimate dependance on technology and Science to cure even the longings of my soul—the thirst for significance and human relationship? Does the desire for money, power or even beauty seem to flood my thoughts—seem to control my relationships—seem to dictate my drive? Does the advancement of my own people give me a sense of security to face tomorrow, or does the increasing pain of my world keep me up at night with a sense of nostalgia? Have our modern gods failed us—bringing with them the smell of death?


It would not be presumptuous to say that God extends this life and death decision to you and I today—not only to Israel. I believe, right now in our current reality, God is not only offering us the same options, but He is going through giant strides to encourage us to make the choice that will guarantee eternal life for our soul and wade off the inevitable course of death brought about by the gods of this age.

Life found in faith

God's strides unwrap a love gift, sent to us over 2000 years ago in the person of Jesus Christ—offering a most enticing package, 


“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also".



This Life stride is bundled up as faith in Jesus Christ, parceled in this confession


" And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life,and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life". (1 John 5:11-12).

The unfathomable beauty and design of nature, screams the power of God

God continues His giant strides by parading His divine life through all He has created so that we may take notice and choose Him as king over our lives—having recognized the beauty of His love for us.

"For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God". (Rom 1:20)

The journey of death 


Death with a lesser stride is offered to us as well—with no sweet promises, I may add, only with the hope of living a life alienated from God destined for hopelessness and eternal suffering. 


"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Rev 21:8)


"He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. (Rom 2:6-8)



God offers death out of the obligation that true love calls for one to exercise their ability to choose. Even with this offer God is hoping that life's compelling promises would cause us to elect Him as our only love, God and king. His ultimate desire is that we will all choose life rather than settle for the horrors of death, evident in this statement,

"This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus". (1 Tim 2:3-5)

The choice of death as life is seen in the distance


God fights even harder than those in the Pro-life movement, because the implications of His offer carries even bigger consequences, however not big enough it seems, to prevent us from the privilege—or one could say the curse, of making a choice between Life or death. 

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. (Deut 10:19-20)

So together with all of God's people past and present, I echo in prayer "choose life", by putting your faith in Jesus Christ—living daily in the assurance of life in Him, because therein lies true eternal comfort for the soul. (Rom 10:9-11)

O God, whose will conquers All,

There is no comfort in anything apart from enjoying you and being engaged in your service.

You are All in all, infinitely wise, making no mistakes, as I am in danger of doing.

I rejoice to think that all things are at your disposal and I delight to leave them there.

So my prayer turns into praise, adoring and blessing You for this new life I have received from Your hand. Amen 

(Adapted from the prayer of The Valley of Vision, "God the All")

*The Pro-life Movement

Giving, the Paradox to Riches (Deut 15:7-10)

Giving the paradox to riches

7 “But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need…If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

The Christian faith is full of paradoxes; some say it is the backward wisdom of God. A.W. Tozer displayed this truth beautifully when he said,

A real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for one whom he has never seen;

Talks familiarly every day to someone he cannot see;

Expects to go to heaven on the virtue of another;

Empties himself in order to be full;

Admits he is wrong so he can be declared right;

Goes down in order to get up;

Is strongest when he is weakest;

Richest when he is poorest; and happiest when he feels the worst. He dies so he can live; forsakes in order to have;

Gives away so he can keep;

He fears God but is not afraid of Him

Sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passes knowledge.

Our text zooms in on the paradox of riches, realized when one gives generously to those in need. God through Moses reminds His people about the kind of heart to display for the poor and those in need.

The reminder is simple, “be generous and lend them whatever they need”—this is the practice for all who God calls His own. They are  a people reflecting generous hearts, giving to those in need, because they serve a God who has freely given them all they ever needed (Lam 3:23, Ps 89:1).

We too who hail the Christian identity, stand reminded to shine the grace of generosity to all. Not only with our money but with whatever others need from us (vs 8). We are employed to give of our time to those who need the comfort of our presence; to partage our ideas to those who might need a hand up instead of a handout. We are employed to share our stories with those who may glean inspiration from them. Thinking also of giving generously, the greatest gift we have ever received, which is salvation—eternal life through faith in Christ (Rom 6:23).

If we fail to extend this generous hand to the poor—even the poor in spirit, God says it is sin (Vs 8). This failure exposes our distrust in God’s ability to provide all that we need (Gen 22:14). We underestimate His ability to bless us because of our generosity (Vs 10). We miss the opportunity to be light in our world, and to show God’s character of compassion to those who need it most. Most of all we miss the privilege of joining the angels in their holy party as one of God's prodigal children find their way home (Luke 15:7).

Being generous with our finances, our expertise and our time, takes faith—faith in the one we seek to obey. It takes courage, because sometimes such generosity demands an expensive sacrifice, a sacrifice costing even our lives. Selfless giving will take perseverance in times when you grow weary of always being the giver (Gal 6:9). 

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith—Gal 6:9-10

All in all, a generous heart requires God’s grace working in and through us—“For it is God who causes us both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil 2:13). So praying for an endowment of the grace of generosity is wise for us all.

In light of all this, keep giving, for in this lies great blessings of riches—material and immaterial. As the scriptures say, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”, this paradox of the Christian faith always proves true.

As the missionary Jim Elliot once said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot loose". So make someone smile this week, as you intentionally extend a hand and a heart of generous giving, because herein burst true comfort for the soul—for the giver and receiver. 

"Tell those who are rich not to be proud and not to trust in their money which will soon be gone.  Tell them to use their money to do good. They should... give happily to those in need, always ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven — it is the only safe investment for eternity!" 1 Tim. 6:17-19

Until next time, Read, Share and be Comforted.