Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading 
Deuteronomy 30:15–20

See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 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. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 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, 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. (NRSV)

Reflection

It seems like an easy choice, doesn’t it? Faced with a choice between life and prosperity versus death and adversity, I think it’s safe to say that virtually every person would choose the former. In reality, though, the choices we make each day are rarely that straightforward. I think all of us want to love, obey, and hold fast to God in all that we do—but it feels exceedingly rare to encounter opportunities to clearly reflect that commitment. Instead, our lives are most often shaped by hundreds of seemingly insignificant choices we make—choices that are certainly not life and death but nonetheless still form patterns and habits in our daily living.

I’ve thought a lot about forming patterns and habits as my wife and I find ourselves exhorting our children to “make good choices”—a phrase I’ll admit typically means encouraging them to do whatever it is we’ve told them to do. Ultimately, though, our hope for them is more than rote obedience of whatever their parents think is right in that moment. It is being mindful of the ways their words and actions—even small ones—affect them and those around them.

Ultimately I wonder if that is God’s true hope for all of us: not merely obeying the letter of the law, or treating every decision like a matter of life or death, but rather doing our best to live faithfully in the moment at hand—guided by our understanding of who God is. We will make mistakes—in fact, our Reformed theology guarantees it—but may we always be striving to love, obey, and hold fast to God in all that we do, whether big or small.

Prayer
Holy God, in the gift of a new day and new opportunity, help me once again follow your way in all that I do. Amen.

Written by Matt Helms, Associate Pastor for Children and Family

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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