The Choice - The Crosswalk Devotional - October 7

PLUS...15 Bible Verses on Forgiveness [Crosswalk.com Logo]( The Crosswalk Devotional [Devotionals]( [Newsletters]( [e-Cards]( [The Crosswalk Devotional]( The Choice By Michael A. Milton, PhD “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 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. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 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; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." - [Deuteronomy 30:15-20, NKJV.]( Human beings are not trapped by divinely imposed fatalism. This is one of the regrettable marks of some world religions. Some even confuse the Christian doctrines of election, [predestination]( the sovereignty of God, and the secret councils of God with fatalism. However, the Bible never advances this dogma of human robots being unable to make a change. Instead, God ordains not only the ends, but he ordains the means. God cannot be God unless He is sovereign. Yet, He is not the Lord revealed in creation and the Bible unless He permits human moral agency. Thus, Moses can say to the people, “Choose on this day whether to know God’s blessing or His displeasure. It is true, as Martin Luther responded to Erasmus, that our wills are in bondage until they are released by God through faith in Jesus Christ. However, when we receive Jesus Christ, our wills are liberated, as Augustine taught, “to sin or not to sin.” Therefore, God calls us to receive God’s gift of the way, the truth, and the life. To deny this invitation to our Creator’s way is to default go sorrow. To choose God's way is to choose human flourishing. There can be no greater curse one places upon oneself than to disregard this Creator. Therefore, Moses calls the people to the reminder that if they turn away from God and choose the ways of the world so prevalent in the people groups around them, they will be choosing the judgment that comes upon the world. We must be careful to add that it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that one is saved. God saved the people from the bondage of Egypt. They could not do it themselves. God gave them a leader, a foreshadowing of a Redeemer, in the person of Moses. God worked miracles to liberate them from bondage and lead them through the wilderness. Yet, God calls them in their redeemed state — redeemed from Egyptian bondage — to a new way of life. So, it is with us. God saves us, and then God calls us to follow him. He calls us to be imitators of Christ and walk in his ways ([Ephesians 5](. To do so avoids the inevitability of crushing consequences of disobedience and leads to a life of joy. [CONTINUE READING →]( You May Also Like: [15 Bible Verses on Forgiveness]( Jared Olivetti When we really dig into Scripture’s teaching on forgiveness, we find that it stretches and challenges us, forcing us into the uncomfortable territory of being more like Jesus. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Thanksgiving Games for All Ages]( Cathy Baker One person will see the story and ask the others to fill in the blanks with a verb, adjective, noun, etc. Once all the blanks are filled, the story is read aloud by the reader. Prepare for lots of laughter as you read a story about Thanksgiving Day. [CONTINUE READING →]( [11 Christian Celebrities You Should Know]( ChristianHeadlines.com Staff Despite perhaps being in the minority, celebrity Christians are out there and many are not afraid to be vocal about their faith. [CONTINUE READING →](                       Bible Trivia Question of the Day                                       Whose face appeared as if `it had been the face of an angel`? A. Stephen`s B. Jesus` C. Peter`s D. Philip`s [ANSWER THE QUESTION →]( [Crosswalk.com Logo]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Email Preference Center]( | [View in Browser]( © 2022 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Crosswalk.com - The Devotional. [Link](