There is so much going on in our lives. If you’re in school, you have homework to do, friends to make, a reputation to build, trouble to stay out of, the future to think about, sports to play, all while seeking to be pleasing to God in a society that doesn’t care much about Him. If you’re in the workplace, you have assignments due, tight deadlines, a boss to deal with, and worldly coworkers who constantly challenge you to think about what it means to be in the world but not of the world. When you get home you have children to raise, bills to pay, marriages to strengthen, chores to do, and errands to run. Constantly on the move, it is easy to get bogged down with the complexities of life’s details and forget that the big picture in life is really so simple: God says there is life and there is death, there is good and there is evil. That’s it. “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments...” (Deuteronomy 30:15-16).

It has been said there are two kinds of people in the world: those who wake up in the morning and say, “Good morning, Lord!” and those who wake up in the morning and say, “Good Lord, it's morning!” There are many passages illustrating the simple choice between life or death. Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matt. 6:24). Joshua told the Israelites to “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Josh. 24:15). While on trial, Peter and John challenged the Sanhedrin: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge” (Acts 4:19). Finally, Elijah laid it out plain and simple for the children of Israel: “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21).

We cannot very well ignore the hustle and bustle of life, but we must not allow it to consume us. If we aren’t careful, the daily minutiae of life will not only consume our physical schedule, but will eat away at our soul. No matter how busy life gets, let us focus on the simple choice we have on this earth between life and death, good and evil, and the thousands of small choices we are forced to make throughout the day will have real meaning and direction.

There once was a very busy man who had 700 wives, dozens of building projects for gardens, orchards, pools, vineyards, houses, and temples to oversee, more herds of cattle and flocks of sheep than anyone else in the world, and thousands of employees to manage. Yet amidst his cluttered, hectic life his conclusion to the whole matter was “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” (Ecc. 12:13).

Brian Messerli