Moses is about to die, he presents the Israelites with a very simple, very famous choice. He says, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you, I have set before you life and death… choose life, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
This would be the choice that the People of God would vacillate between: life or death, idolatry on the one hand, or worship of the one, true God on the other.
Every single sin involves choosing what will destroy us and rejecting what will save us. Sin is addictive, and addictions are what destroy us. Whether it’s alcoholism or sex addiction or a constant feeling of resentment or anxiety, those things destroy our soul, and they destroy our happiness. But it’s a lot easier to give in to the addiction than it is to fight against it and break free. So people prefer what will kill them physically and spiritually to what will save them. Addiction is Easy. Healing is Hard.
Christ rose again. He rose for the same reason He did everything else: to give us life and freedom from our sins. After St. Peter accuses his listeners of choosing a murderer instead of the Lord of life, he tells them that it’s still not too late. He tells them that Jesus resurrected precisely to offer them that choice that God had been setting before people of faith since the time of Moses. We can forsake the death of sin by accepting healing from the Risen Lord, “God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways.” (Acts 3:26).
Reflect on the main area in your life where you’ve chosen sin. The sins that will kill you vs. the Lord that will give you life. And yes, it’s always easier to choose your habitual sin than to choose the healing that Jesus offers. But Christ is the Lord of life. Even when it seems like your vices are hopeless, His Resurrection shows that there’s no limit to the restoration He can offer.
You just have to do two things: Recognize that it’s going to be hard to be healed. Because it’s easier to choose the way of death than the slow and painful rehabilitation of life. But also recognize that with Christ, the Lord of life, all things are possible. He holds the gift of everlasting life and everlasting happiness in His hand.
Ask Him for His Grace, His Mercy, and the Resolution to live a New Life with Him. Tell Him that you want to live, and you want to live with Him. And trust that He who was raised can raise you too to newness of life.
No comments:
Post a Comment