Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT Choose life. Choose it. God tells us plainly that it is up to us to trust Him and to choose the life that He has designed for us. He is faithful and good, and we can be sure that He has something more wonderful for our lives than we could ever dream up for ourselves. God had a reason for creating us. He made each individual to live a rich, full, purpose-driven life of fellowship with Him—forever. And He literally went through great pains to make it possible.

When sin crept into the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve's fellowship with God was broken, the devil thought he was pretty smart. He actually thought he'd defeated God. And when we look at the hurting world we live in, full of challenges and trials, we see that he is still trying to perpetuate that lie. But God reigns victorious.

God sent Jesus, as a perfect gift, to come to earth, live a sinless human life, and pay the price for the sins of all humanity. And Jesus did it, motivated by His great desire to please the Father and to see all of creation restored into fellowship with God. So, with a view to the result, He laid down His life, took our sin and shame upon Himself on the cross, died for us, and victoriously rose again!

Jesus trusted God with His life, so much so that He proclaimed it with His final breath: "Then Jesus shouted, 'Father, I entrust My spirit into Your hands!' And with those words He breathed His last" (Luke 23:46 NLT).

We need to trust God with our lives. Because of who Jesus is and what He has done for us, we can live victorious lives full of joy, hope, and purpose. When we receive Jesus, God gives us right-standing with Him. We gain the victory that Christ has won for us.

Thank You, Jesus!
Pastor Jeff

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. John 3:16-17 The Message Bible



© 2007 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.