READING: Deuteronomy 28-30
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.”
Deuteronomy 30:15
Today, these words of Deuteronomy 30:15 are especially significant to me: “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.” As Moses spoke these words to the people of God and challenged them to follow Him fully, he made their choice clear. To follow God is life, and to reject Him is death. It’s really that simple.
You see, I grieve today over the tragic deaths of two of my partners in global theological education, Randy and Kathy Arnett. Long-term cross-cultural workers in Africa, they were killed yesterday in an automobile accident. Pam and I had been with them in Africa last December, and we were with them in the States just a couple of weeks ago. They were doing what they loved to do when they died: training Africans to understand and teach the Word of God.
I sit here today and think of the brevity of life. We preach that truth, and we say we believe it – but it’s never so real as a time like this. It’s possible that any of us may awaken this morning, head out for the day, and never return to our home on this earth. God may call us to His home today, and we would come face-to-face with eternity.
That’s why Deuteronomy 30:15 hits home today. As Christ-followers, we share the gospel with others and invite them to follow Jesus, too. We do that out of obedience, but we must also do that out of love that’s informed by this truth: the message we speak is a message of life and death.
ACTION STEPS:
- Pray for families that lost loved ones yesterday, including the Arnetts.
- Tell somebody about Jesus today.
PRAYER: “God, thank You for giving me life. Help me to tell others about You today.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Deuteronomy 31-34