“Therefore, choose life, that you and your descendants may live.”
Dear devotional buddy,
The word “life” appears in scripture somewhere close to 700 times. “Death” shows up around 500 times. We should be encouraged that God speaks to us of life much more than he does of death, right?
It seems like it should be easy, then, choosing life.
But in today’s culture, choosing life is anything but easy. Death seems to be all around us. And I’m not speaking only of actual human death that we witness in war, violence, physician assisted suicide, and abortion. There’s also the general assault on God’s image reflected in the world. The enemy of God wants to seek and destroy anything that might help us find God. And sometimes, I'll have to be honest, I think he’s doing a pretty good job.
In 1995, Pope John Paul II used the phrase “culture of death” in a letter he wrote to the churches of the world. That phrase sticks with me. We see the fallout from this culture of death at the Pregnancy Clinic every day. I’m sure you see the carnage, too: broken families, broken relationships, broken hearts, broken lives. We are all so very broken.
But then I remember Jesus.
Jesus, who experienced dying so that death wouldn't have the final word. Jesus, who made suffering beautiful by giving it new meaning and new power in our lives. Jesus, who says in the words of the Old Testament, “Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,” and lovingly shows us the way to understand and endure the onslaughts of the enemy. Jesus, who says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
Choosing life means choosing Jesus. And conversely, choosing Jesus means choosing life!
It is easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged by the threat of darkness, the evidence of death, and the destruction of God’s images all around us. The pain of witnessing and sometimes experiencing these onslaughts against God’s most precious creation is devastating. But Jesus is the answer to the difficulties we see and which we experience. He is the light in the darkness. He is the promise that darkness will not overcome His light.
He is the ultimate hero of our stories.
We are able to stand strong, to defend, and to uphold the sanctity of life by embracing Jesus and His promises for each one of us. As He promised Moses, we choose life so that we and our descendants may live.
Friend, I am convinced that there is no better way to rebuild a culture of life than by clinging to the one who gives it all dignity and meaning and purpose: Jesus Christ.