The Cooling Stream

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” —Deuteronomy 30:19-20

God takes no pleasure in seeing us lost, wandering, searching. He wants us to know His will. He makes it clear and simple. He gives just two choices: “life and good” or “death and evil” (Deuteronomy 30:15). He even says which one to choose: “Choose life”. To choose life is to choose God Himself and obey His Word.

When Moses addressed the Israelites for the last time, he pleaded with them to make the right choice by observing “all the words of this law. . . . Because it is your life” (32:46-47). God’s will for us is life. His Word is life. And the Lord Jesus Christ is the Word. 

God gave us a perfect example to follow— the Lord Jesus Christ. 

When the Word is our guide and worship is our goal, God will grant us the wisdom to make life-affirming choices. 

Let us love and obey God and enjoy life in Him.

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. (Psalm 119:18)

• Sin clouds and blurs our vision to what God is doing. Sin blinds us against God and His Word. Sin distorts our vision, confusing the way we see God, ourselves, and our world. Sin blocks our vision of the image of God, so that we forget who we are in Christ and how we are to be like Christ. Sin obscures our vision of the person of the sinner, so that when we see them, we see not the person, but the sin. Sin darkens our vision of Who God is and what He is really like. Sin leads to idolatry.


• Purity clears our vision to see God. Purity brings us nearer to God. Purity keeps us in tune with God, and makes us feel the Divine Consciousness and His essential, immortal and blissful nature.


• Sin separates us from God. It keeps us out of heaven, and prevents us from having a relationship with God, robbing us of joy and contentment.


• But Jesus bore our sins on the Cross. He paid the eternal penalty for our sins. The righteousness of Christ had reconciled us to God and redeemed us from sin. We are brought to see God in the light of glory!


• Oh Lord, restore our vision to see You in all of life; improve our vision to see better at all distance; and broadens our vision to recognize how we can participate and help. Oh Lord, focus our vision to seek Your Face, to praise You, to celebrate Your Grace, Your Compassion and Your Mercy, to worship You, to honor You, to magnify and glorify Your Name, to proclaim Your Truth and Justice, to preach Your Word and rightly teach Your People, to share Your love and to live strong in Your love.…


• Oh Lord, open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law.