Choices

Read Deuteronomy 11 ““See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:” (Deut. 11:26, NASB). Last night I watched a women’s college basketball game between the Tennessee Lady Vols and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It was the twentieth-seven meeting between these two teams. Tennessee won the first twenty, but the Irish have won the last six games. This year Tennessee has lost six games and they are not ranked in the Top 25 in the nation; something that is unusual for this storied program. It is not that Tennessee does not have talent. There are four high school McDonald’s All Americans starting for this team. The coaches and basketball analysts seem to be at a loss for words about the performance of this team. Tennessee wins the game with a score of 71-69 overcoming a 15 point deficit in the third quarter. Just four days earlier they had lost a game surrendering a 13 point lead. In the post game interviews the Tennessee players are asked about their win. What the difference was between tonight’s game and the last two games that they had lost? Their collective response was that they had decided that they were not going to lose a third game. So, even though they trail most of the game, they never lose faith in themselves and their teammates. They are willing to do whatever it takes to win. They have to make a choice and answer the question, which team will we be tonight? The key word for me in this interview is “choice.” For this article I have been thinking about Adam and Eve who are living in the garden that God gives them to live in. They have to choose whether to obey God and not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, (Gen. 2:16-17) or to give in to the temptation of the serpent and eat from the tree that God commands them not to eat from (Gen. 3:1-6). The woman and her husband choose to eat from the forbidden tree (v.6) and God drives them from the garden (v. 24). The result is that they are separated from the presence of God, and all human beings suffer as a consequence of their choice. We all have to make choices every day of our life. All choices lead to something good or something bad. Sometimes we blame others for what happens to us because we do not want to take responsibility for the choices that we make. For example, when God approaches the man in the garden he blames the woman and God for giving him the woman (Gen. 3:12). When God questions the woman she blames the serpent (v. 13). When we read this story we learn that God does not accept their excuses. Rather, God holds them accountable for the choice that they made. Now, I am going to say something that will make a lot of people angry; very mad! We live in a society in the United States of America in which people blame others for their failures. They refuse to take responsibility for the choices that they make. I am an African American male. I was born in 1948 during a time of segregation. I went to an all Black school. I was discriminated against like other Negroes were. In those days African Americans or Black people were commonly call Negroes. My family was poor. My dad was a sharecropper and my mother was a housewife with fourteen children. In spite of these disadvantages I confess that most of my failures have nothing to do with these factors. The things that have taken place in my life are the consequences of my personal choices. No one kept me from studying and doing my homework. It was my choice. This brings me to the point that I want to make in this article. Although I firmly believe in prayer, and I believe that prayer changes things, I believe that prayer is most effective when prayer guides our choices. Prayer is most effective when we make right choices. Let us look at the story in Deuteronomy 11. Moses is preparing the children of Israel to enter into the Promised Land. He reviews the major events that have taken place in their lives during their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. He reminds them that their wandering was because they had chosen to rebel against God out of fear instead of obeying God out of faith (Num. 14:1-10). In Numbers 13 Moses sends twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan. Ten come back with a negative report that arouses fear. Two of them, Joshua and Caleb return with a positive report that should increase their faith and given them courage. The people choose fear instead of faith. Now, as they prepare to enter the Promised Land Moses tells the people that they once again have to make a choice. God is not going to literally pick them up, place them in the Promised Land and compel them to obey His commandments. Again, God gives them a choice and each choice is followed by a consequence. First, they must choose to obey God and take possession of the land that God is giving them. The more important choice that they must make is stated in Deuteronomy 11:13. ‘“It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul” (NASB). The people are to obey God if they want God to send the rains to bless their crops. Their obedience is to be continually and parents are to impress God’s commandments upon their children (vv. 18-19). Today, we preach sermons and extend the invitation for people to give their life to Christ and to become a member of our church. Here are some questions for us to ponder. When the invitation is extended and the people come forward, what guides their decision to come? Are the young people coming forward because they are giving their life to Christ? Do they know the reasons that they should give their life to Christ? Do they understand that they are sinners and all of what that means? Do young people join the church because their parents make a decision for them? Do they join the church so that they can participate with their friends in the activities of the church? Why do adults join our church? The reasons are as many as the people who join the church. Regardless, people make a choice to join the church. As we return to the story in Deuteronomy 11, we learn that God always give us at least two options to choose from and the choice that we make leads to either a blessing or a curse. ‘“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known” (Deut. 11:26-28, NASB). Let us understand that our choices are a choice between God and the gods of the world. Who will we choose to obey? How can we choose God over other gods? We must know God; and that means that we must cultivate our relationship with Jesus Christ. We must know what God requires of us. Does the world know what God requires of us? Who is responsible for my knowing what God requires of me? It is my responsibility, and I can know what God requires of me when I know what God says. The psalmist says: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought you; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You” (Psalm 119:9-11, NASB). Let us choose to obey God and act according to faith instead of disobeying God and acting according to ignorance and fear.