Key to Life

You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This (He) is the key to your life. Deuteronomy 30:20a (NLT)

I love to watch TV shows where the good guy wins, usually after a series of twists and turns in the plot. I am hooked on "24" for that very reason. As I follow the wanderings of the children of Israel, I notice that as they approach the entrance to the Promised Land, God sits them down for one last lecture. They didn't have a good reputation for remembering things so not only did He tell them but also He had Moses teach them the whole story in song as a memory tool. We still use that method of teaching and I remember listening to my grandgirlies sing the "A-B-C" song again and again. Yet even as God recounted the story of their journey and His miraculous care to them, He knew they were going to make bad choices and would turn to other gods. As furious as this made Him, He loved them so much that He gave them a key to life. It would be their choice whether to live a life of pain and suffering chasing after other gods or would they choose life and all of its blessing by loving the one true God and obeying His commands. What gods are we chasing today? Wealth? That is probably not the best pursuit in the current economic climate. Position? We have seen what happens when a governor attempts to sell a senate seat. Fame? Ask Mel Gibson what happens when your dirty laundry is aired on the news. But these pursuits are not limited to the rich and famous. We all do it in our own way. It is so easy to start out with noble purposes and then discover that we let the enemy lead us astray. The key to life is a choice. It doesn't just happen but must be willfully lived out each day of our lives. Make it happen! Choose God.