This is a Matter of Life or Death

+AMDG+

" I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life" - Deuteronomy 10:19

You MUST watch this video. I haven't met anyone who this hasn't brightened their day just a little.

The readings today are so excellent! Please read them: Here is the link. All the readings link up so well and one of the themes is making a decision. You are either with God or not. God in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament seem to make it very clear.

Deuteronomy 30: 15-16

Moses said to the people:

“Today I have set before you
life and prosperity, death and doom.
If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin on you today,
loving him, and walking in his ways,
and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees,
you will live and grow numerous,
and the LORD, your God,
will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.
If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen,
but are led astray and adore and serve other gods,
I tell you now that you will certainly perish;

Luke 11:23

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

This is not a Ying-Yang thing, but a Black and White cookie thing.

Sorry to those who gave up sweets for Lent.

God seems to make it very clear. He gives us free will and respects our choices. I feel many times we try to dumb down the Gospel and it's message because it is too harsh. We say, "Jesus didn't really mean that... What he meant to say was... take your time God understands..." but I think we HOPE God thinks like that. Our world tells us that there are many different shades of gray. Now I am not saying that we judge everyone's actions but what I am saying is, do we hold ourselves to a high standard. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. To go with St. Paul's analogy of an athlete. If I want to get in shape and start by doing 10 push ups I don't always do just 10 push ups for the rest of my life. So the question that comes up is: Am I the kind of person who does 11 then 12... push ups or am I the kind of person who thinks 10 push ups is good enough... when I get around it?

Jack LaLanne is insane! Check out this video!

If our bodies are meant to be pushed more and more how much so are our souls?

"Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified." - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Personally this is always a big fear: failing at practicing what I preach. I can say pretty words or write something "meaningful" that could help others but if I am a hypocrite, what is the point of that?

"What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?” - Luke 9:25

By the way it's not that I am NOT a hypocrite, its just I am trying to be less and less of one by the grace of God.

That is why I think I like to write this blog, to help keep me focused on God (now it will be daily). It reminds me to pray and what God tells me about my life I just translate it here without all the gory and sinful details. Especially now since I have more time, why not pray more and write more?

So what am I going to do, am I going to say I choose life or actually Choose Life?

Let me start by doing some push ups...