Spiritual life does not happen on its own
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” (Deut. 30:19–20).
Moses’s logic here is breathtaking. May the Lord help us feel and respond appropriately to these truths.
First, spiritual life does not happen on its own (see John 3:36; Eph. 2:1–3). We must choose life. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus notes, “For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:13–14).
Impurity, dishonesty, selfishness, arrogance, laziness, rash responses, and the like— these characterise the natural, easy way, but they lead to death. In contrast, purity, honesty, service, humility, discipline, and self-control distinguish the more difficult way that leads to life, and such traits are realised only when God by his Spirit creates new desires (Gal. 5:16–17).
Second, the choices we make reveal our deepest longings and wants. Desires drive action, for our highest motivations always move us one way or another. Sin results when temporary, empty pleasures become more desirable than pleasing God. With this in mind, notice how, in Deuteronomy 30:19–20, Moses does more than call for a decision.
Second, the choices we make reveal our deepest longings and wants. Desires drive action, for our highest motivations always move us one way or another. Sin results when temporary, empty pleasures become more desirable than pleasing God. With this in mind, notice how, in Deuteronomy 30:19–20, Moses does more than call for a decision.
He also motivates people to choose life by grounding his charge in the most awe-inspiring truth: to choose life is to gain God, “for he is your life.” “The Rock, his work is perfect. . . . A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he” (32:4). This one who stands distinct above all else (4:35; 33:26) and who controls all things (4:39; 10:14)—this one becomes ours. Supreme power and worth wrapped in tender care . . . only for those who choose life.
Third, Moses clearly believes that the quest for joy, life, and blessing is itself not sin (see Rom. 2:7). The sin comes when we settle too quickly for fleeting, empty pleasures instead of embracing lasting pleasures of substance, all of which are found only in relation to God (see 2 Pet. 1:4; 1 John 2:16–17). “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11).
Third, Moses clearly believes that the quest for joy, life, and blessing is itself not sin (see Rom. 2:7). The sin comes when we settle too quickly for fleeting, empty pleasures instead of embracing lasting pleasures of substance, all of which are found only in relation to God (see 2 Pet. 1:4; 1 John 2:16–17). “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11).
Paul stresses his conviction that he will glorify Christ most when Christ is his deepest satisfaction, both in life and in death (Phil. 1:20–21). As such, he declares, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8). I exhort you today: choose life and gain God.