DCLM Daily Manna 26 April 2022 — The choice is yours

TOPIC: THE CHOICE IS YOURS

TEXT: Jeremiah 21:1-14

1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,

2 Enquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.

3 Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:

4 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city.

5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

6 And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.

7 And afterward, saith the Lord, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.

8 And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.

9 He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.

10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

11 And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the Lord;

12 O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

13 Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the Lord; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?

14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the Lord: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.

KEY VERSE:
“And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.” – (Jeremiah 21:8)

MESSAGE:

God created man as a free moral agent, with the capacity and ability to make choices. King David advised his son Solomon to “know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: …if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever.” While some choices in life might be hard to make, others are very simple due to godly counsel. Later in life, Solomon learnt the verity of his father’s counsel.

Zedekiah the king of Judah and his people had revolted against the Babylonians whom God had sent as a chastening rod because of their idolatry. Jeremiah therefore prophesied against the city. As punishment, the people were to submit to God’s decreed enslavement by the Chaldeans and live or refuse and starve to death in the city. The decision was theirs to make.

Also Read: DCLM Daily Manna 25 April 2022 — Avoidable Consequence

In life, every decision we make is a choice. We either obey God and enjoy His blessings or disobey and be punished. Since we are responsible for our choices, blind decisions are unwise. To make informed decisions, one ought to be conversant with God’s word: the repository of wisdom. The Bible is the Christian’s compass as he navigates through choices that have earthly and eternal consequences.

In the matter of life or death, delayed decision could have irreversible consequences. Choosing the way of life begins with genuine repentance from sin. If we come to Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life, He will lead us to the Father.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Wrong choice is cheap; its consequence is not.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 139-150

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

GOSPEL REALM: STEPS TO SALVATION
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)