The Alternatives………..

“Praise our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
 he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.”    Psalm 6:8-9 NIV

I heard a Christian once say, “The Christian life is the simplest in the world---only one Person to please and only one thing to do.”  

Moses, the servant of God said so it explicitly, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.”  (Deut. 30:15 NKJV)    The alternatives are surprisingly clear cut; yet the results are far reaching. 

If I choose to obey God, the result will be “blessing”; but if I disobey God, the result will be a “curse.”  (Deut. 30:19)

Often I have heard people say, “The Christian life is too hard!”   On occasion I have felt that way myself.  Yet Moses said, “The word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.”  (Deut. 30:14)

Too often I have been overwhelmed by the goals of the Christian life instead of being concerned about the conditions.  If I will simply meet the conditions, the goals will take care of themselves.

The Bible says nothing about instant success.  How long did it take God to deliver the Israelites from Egypt?   To construct and execute the plan of salvation?

There are times when blessings seem to be immediate, when miracles seem to happen on the spot, but the conditions that brought those things about were in operation long before the finished product.

I must concern myself with the elementary:  Am I willing to do God’s will immediately and thoroughly, without regard for the consequences?   If so, God’s blessing will assuredly be mine; if not, I will be cursed with the fruits of negligence.

Nothing pleases the heart of God more than my willingness to follow Him: “The Lord your God is with you; his power gives you victory.  The Lord will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life.
He will sing and be joyful over you……”  Zeph. 3:17  GNT