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See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. (Deuteronomy 30:15-16.

The whole book of Deuteronomy has been heading towards these verses. There is nothing new here. But Moses draws all the themes of the book into this critical choice which Israel must make. Will she choose life or death? Will it be prosperity or destruction? Today, we must make that same choice.

Understand that the choice comes in the context of God\u2019s grace and promises. It is set before Israel with the assurance that God\u2019s redemptive purposes on this earth will be accomplished. In the first part of the chapter, Moses speaks about what will happen after judgement. If Israel disobeys and she is banished to the furthest places of the earth, God will still follow his people there, win them back and circumcise their hearts so that they will love him totally with heart and soul, and live (6). With that background he sets the choice before them. Each generation must choose whether they will participate in that great work. Will it be life or death?

For Israel, the choice is about her continuing prosperity in the land God is giving her. Yet the choice is expressed in the singular, thus presenting the whole matter as an intensely personal choice\u2014a choice that matters more than any other in life. Its about Israel as a nation, but each member of the nation is called to choose. Life or death?

Let us flesh out this choice a little more. It is believing that God will give Israel the land and cause her to flourish in the land, it is trusting that obedience to God\u2019s commands brings life and freedom, it is believing that through Israel God will bless all the nations of the world and redeem the entire earth.

It is vital that we Christians have this Old Testament context when we invite others to believe in Jesus. So often, we speak about conversion as a purely spiritual thing, such as getting forgiven for our sins. This is, of course, very much part of it. But there is so much more. Recall that Matthew ends his gospel with these words of Jesus, \u201cAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age\u201d (28:28-20).

An invitation to follow Jesus includes all of this. It is being immersed in the love of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit so that we are set free to finally obey him in the here and now. Jesus did not come to remove us from this earth, but rather, to settle us in it as his people. As he himself said, \u201cBlessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth\u201d (Matthew 5:5). Meek, that his how Moses is described in Numbers 12:3. To be meek is to quietly and consistently follow Jesus; to do Jesus things the way Jesus does them. He has authority over heaven, yes, but also over the earth. And his promise is to be with us to the very end. Blessed are the meek. Wherever the meek go, blessing goes with them.

What will you choose, life or death? Life is loving God, walking in his ways and keeping his commands. But life, in the end, is not found in the law itself, but in the God who gave it; for ultimately, the LORD is your life (19). Following Jesus is life. What will you choose?