“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit’ ” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
Throughout Scripture, God shows us that we have two ways. While our lives might indicate that there are many paths to a good life, the Scripture makes it plain that there is only one way to life and there are only two choices.
The prophet Jeremiah sets out these two ways (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
Notice these three things about the two ways.
First, there are two and only two ways for us to choose in life. In other words, God gives us basic decisions that allow us to choose what our lives will be like. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus talked about the broad gate that leads to death and destruction and the narrow way that leads to life.
Psalm One gives us this same basic framework. “Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scoffers” The psalm affirms these two basic ways – – the way of the blessed who seek God and His guidance and those who are not blessed.
Second, these ways contain their own blessings and curses. We see this in every aspect of our lives. As we make choices, we also set in motion our future and our blessings and curses.
Third, God freely bestows on us our opportunity to choose Him. While we cannot promise prosperity or even an easy life, we can recognize that God desires to bless His people and provide for them according to their needs.
In Scripture, God encourages us to choose good and live. He wants to bless us with His goodness.
2 Responses
Great reminder that the choice of which path our life is on is up to us. Thank you Lord for allowing us to return when we have gone astray…
This verse came to mind:
[Deu 30:19 KJV] 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
It’s inspirational and comforting to know that our loving Creator has given us freedom to choose so that we can have the joy of knowing that we are freely joining Him in discovering the blessings He has hidden in Christ; and that He clearly and earnestly wants us to choose the way of His blessings.
As always, thank you Waylon for your love for God and His people.