In Deuteronomy 30:19, God says, “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.” Of course, when Jesus came, He took on the curse of sin and death for us all on the cross (Galatians 3:13).
Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” While Jesus broke the hold of Satan’s power through His finished work on the cross, Satan, “the thief,” has not been removed from the world yet. He still walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Therefore, we have the option to choose between walking in the abundant life that Jesus came to give to all who believe in Him and receive Him and the death and destruction of the enemy.
I want to share a few examples of what the choice between life and death has meant for me over the years and what it still means to me today.
I’ll start with the power of my words. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” I believe this means that however I choose to use my tongue, be it for life or death, to build people up or to tear them down, I will end up reaping the fruits of my choice. This is a sobering warning that motivates me to seek God’s help to minister life, love, and encouragement daily through my words.
I certainly haven’t been perfect in this area, but through my mistakes, I have learned many lessons. For example, as a musician who has directed a few singing groups and bands, I learned a lot about being careful with my words, especially when offering constructive criticism to those I was working with. While I was well intentioned when giving this type of input, and I wanted to motivate people to improve their performance, I was sometimes too blunt. Therefore, my constructive criticism stung, causing a couple of people to get very discouraged. Thankfully, I was able to apologize to them and set things right, which restored their confidence and bolstered their desire to continue playing music. The Lord is continuing to teach me to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
I’ve also been making a greater effort not to gossip about people or speak negatively about them behind their backs, as in doing so, I am using my tongue for death instead of life.
It’s also important that I speak the truth of God’s promises over my own life, instead of negativity and pessimism.
Choosing life can also mean choosing to forgive those who have wronged me instead of holding grudges against them. This is not easy, but God’s Word says we ought to forgive one another even as God in Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). The alternative, bitterness and resentment, is a path of death and destruction that can cause me and others to become defiled (Hebrews 12:15).
Choosing life can also mean being willing to persevere with things I may have initially failed at or fallen short in, rather than simply accepting defeat. I believe that part of the complete, abundant life Jesus came to give us is the ability to reach our full potential and be all that God called us to be. Occasional failure is part of the process of growing and learning, but allowing myself to be held back by failure will hinder me from achieving this goal. By God’s grace, I’m learning to face failure, learn from it, and move on to further growth and victory.
Choosing life can also mean choosing to keep my focus on Jesus, His faithfulness, and His promises, even when it seems like things can’t get any darker. For example, recently I received the sad news that a good friend had died. I was stricken with grief, but after a while, I made the decision to encourage myself in the Lord as David did (1 Samuel 30:6). After all, I knew my friend had received Jesus, and that she is now in heaven. So, I shifted my focus from grief and loss to the divine, comforting presence of the Holy Spirit, and I found the peace and comfort I needed.