Choose Life!

This morning at 3 a.m., I was wide awake.

Did you ever notice that in the middle of the night, your thoughts rarely turn to happy, peaceful things? There is something about the darkness that makes it very easy to allow your thoughts to run wild and to give into every fearful thought that enters your mind.

I have lived long enough to know that if I am awake that early in the day, that Jesus has something He wants to share with me. So I got up, grabbed my Bible and my fuel (Pepsi), and sat down next to the fireplace to meet with my Savior, who never sleeps. Isn’t that a comfort? My husband was sound asleep, blissfully ignorant of my insomnia. But Jesus was right there, delighted to see my face and hear my voice. (Song of Songs 2:14).

My directed reading led me straight to what Jesus wanted to say to me: “I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore, choose life, that you and your descendants may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

CHOOSE LIFE!!!

I have heard that verse a million times over the years, but this morning at 3:20 a.m., it filled me with fresh joy!

And the good news is that I don’t have to wait until everything in my life is perfect to choose life! Neither do you! (As if there is such a thing as a perfect life this side of heaven!).

I  could sense Jesus’ smile as He whispered to me over and over through His Word, “Choose life! Choose life! Choose life!”  He had asked me to meet with Him in the pages of His precious word to give me His prescription against the darkness!

There is this beautiful thing that we have been given called free will. We really do get to make a choice here. Victory or defeat? Life or death? Worry or faith? Trust or unbelief? Fear or peace? Darkness or light?

This day is a gift to me from Jesus.

He has entrusted me with the next 24 hours and I get to make the choice as to how I will live this never-to-be-repeated day.

The good news is that I don’t have to let fear win. I don’t have to allow my faith to falter by looking simply at my circumstances. I don’t have to worry about this or that.  I don’t have to continually ask ‘why?’ or ‘how?’

All of those things represent death.

Instead, I can choose to walk in His Light. I can choose those things that represent LIFE: faith, love, hope, peace, joy, courage, strength!

And so can you, regardless of your surroundings or circumstances!

In His presence is fullness of joy! (Ps. 16:11).

That is exactly where I will CHOOSE to spend this day!

What will your choice be?

“Peace I leave with you; My own peace I now give to you…Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled!…In the world, you will have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer! Take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted! For I have overcome the world! I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you!…The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that you may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance: to the full, til it overflows!”—(John 14:27; John 16:33; John 10:10).