Life is full of choices. The most important of these choices is to choose God. It cannot be overemphasized that being a follower of God is a choice. Even the nation of Israel, which God rescued from Egyptian slavery and which entered into a covenant with Him, still encountered choices it needed to make on multiple occasions. Especially twice God called upon His people to make the most important of all choices. “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV). “‘And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ So the people answered and said: ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods’” (Joshua 24:15-16). Sometimes the Israelites made good choices while at other times they chose poorly. The book of Judges chronicles the cycles of Israel’s faithfulness and unfaithfulness.
Fast forward 1,000 years to the time of Jesus, and God still presents this same choice – whether or not to “choose life.” He never compels any to believe and to be baptized. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved…” (Mark 16:16). God’s desire has always been for all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). Jesus stands at the door and knocks (Revelation 3:20). However, it is completely up to each of us to open the door, because He will never barge in. Invite Jesus in and keep Him there. Choose life.
