Deut 30:19     I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.

             

I remember the first thing I learnt when I first encountered economics. It's all about making choices about the limited resources we have in life. Whether it be over how we use our limited resources or how we act in life generally, life is full of choices. Today's verse sums up the choice that God presents to every single human being at some point in their lives. Do you want life or death?

 

This was, in fact, God making the future clear to His chosen people, Israel. He had very clearly laid out the ground rules for life for them. Follow Him and blessing will follow. Disregard Him and curses will follow. Blessings are God's decree of good. Curses are God's decree of bad.

   

Life or death? Surely there's no question of what you choose? But the reality is that because of Sin in the world, our decision making facilities are marred or mixed up or confused and we listen to Satan's lies and we think that without obeying God, we can somehow escape God's corrective curses and life will be all right. It won't! As Paul said, “A man reaps what he sows.” (Gal 6:7), Christian or not! This principle is set in concrete and there is no way of working round it: obey God and He will bless (decree good for) you. Disobey Him and you will incur His disciplinary curse (His decree of bad to chastise and correct you.). End of story!