By Steve Hearts
Lately I’ve been meditating on Deuteronomy 30:19, where God says, “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.”
Of course, I realize that this is an Old Testament scripture, and that when Jesus came, He took on the curse for us all on the cross. Paul says in Galatians 3:13, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’).”
Nevertheless, Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” It’s important to understand that while Jesus broke the hold of Satan’s power through His finished work on the cross, Satan or “the thief” has not been removed from the world yet. He still walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (See 1 Peter 5:8.) Therefore, the option to choose between the abundant life that Jesus came to give us and the death and destruction of the enemy of our souls is still on the table.
In this article, I want to share a few examples of what the choice between life and death has meant for me over the years and what it still means to me today.
I’ll start with the power of my words. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” I believe this means that however I choose to use my tongue, be it for life or death, to build people up or to tear them down, I will end up reaping the fruits of my choice, and so will others. This is a sobering warning that motivates me to request and receive God’s help with choosing to use my tongue as an instrument of life, love, and encouragement daily.
I certainly haven’t been perfect in this area, but through my mistakes, I have learned many lessons. For example, as a musician who has directed a few singing groups and bands, I learned a lot about being careful with my words, especially when offering constructive criticism to those I was working with. While I was always well intentioned when giving this type of input, and I wanted to motivate people to improve their performance, I was sometimes too blunt in my delivery. I spoke with little to no tact. Therefore, my constructive criticism stung, causing a couple of people to get very discouraged, so that for a while they no longer wanted to do music with me. Thankfully, in both cases, I was able to apologize to them and set things right, restoring their confidence and bolstering their desire to continue. But the lesson about the power of my words has stayed with me ever since. The Lord is continuing to teach me to speak the truth in love every day. (See Ephesians 4:15.)
I’ve also been making a greater effort not to gossip about people or speak negatively about them behind their backs, as in doing so, I am using my tongue for death instead of life. It’s also important that I speak the truth of God’s promises over my own life, instead of negativity and pessimism. Jesus says in Mark 11:24, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
Choosing life can also mean choosing to forgive those who have wronged me instead of holding grudges against them. This is seldom an easy choice, but God’s Word says we ought to forgive one another even as God in Christ has forgiven us. (See Ephesians 4:32.) The other alternative, the path of bitterness and resentment, is a path of death and destruction that causes me and others to become defiled. (See Hebrews 12:15.)
Choosing life can also mean being willing to persevere with things I may have initially failed or fallen short in, rather than simply accepting defeat and telling myself I’ll never get things right. I believe that part of the complete, abundant life Jesus came to give us is the ability to reach our full potential and be all that God called us to be. Occasional failure is part of the process of growing and learning, but allowing myself to be held back by failure will hinder me from achieving this goal. By God’s grace, I’m learning to face failure, learn from it, and move on to further growth and victory.
Choosing life can also mean choosing to keep my focus on Jesus, His faithfulness, and His promises, even when it seems like things can’t get any darker. For example, just yesterday I received the sad news that a good friend of mine had succumbed to cancer. I was momentarily stricken with grief and sadness, but after a while, I made the decision to encourage myself in the Lord as David did. (See 1 Samuel 30:6.) After all, I knew my friend was saved, and that she is now far better off than those of us who are still here on earth. So, I shifted my focus from the sense of grief and loss in my soul to the divine, comforting presence of the Holy Spirit, and I quickly found the peace and comfort I needed.
While it is true that we will experience beautiful things and perfect love in heaven, I also know that Jesus did not come to give us life only in the world to come. He has plenty of good things for us here and now as well. Paul tells us, “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
