Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
15 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall certainly perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him, for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
Devotional Thought:
There are many ways we can read this passage; I want to highlight two—ultimatum or invitation. The former is transactional, and the latter is relational. The former is based in fear, and the latter in love. Which way will you choose to look at this? Which way aligns with what you know about who God is and how God interacts with humanity throughout history? While many people believe God is angry, vengeful, and distant, those within the Wesleyan stream have always held to the core belief that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), and that God’s actions toward all creation are grounded in and spring forth from this love. God invites us into a genuine relationship that requires us to continually make choices that bring life and blessings into our world rather than death and curses. The choices we make in our relationship with God and others are either placing us on a path toward God or away from God. While the choice of love may not always be easy and the path toward God may not always be smooth and straight, God walks this path with us, providing strength for the journey. Everlasting life begins now for those who walk this journey of love with God. Choose life and blessing today, and you, as well as those around you, will ‘taste and see the Lord is good’ (Psalm 34:8).
Prayer:
Gracious and loving God, help us to accept the invitation of love to which you continually invite us. As we move into this week, help us to make choices that bring love and blessings into this world. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Dr. Rob Fringer, NTC Principal