Spring semester of my first year in seminary I was preparing for a final exam covering the first seven books of the Bible: Genesis – Judges. So, in the midst of “May madness,” I entered another world for five consecutive days…day and night submerged in God’s word. I temporarily withdrew from my soccer Mom, cultural Christian mode, and entered the colorful, dramatic, intense world of the first seven books of the Bible. Truly overwhelming to live in God’s Word nonstop for an extended period of time. So many stories, people, places, dates….many predictably familiar, others excitingly fresh and new.
By midweek, I was feeling the weight of man’s sinful plight….that we are a stubborn, prideful, rebellious lot who are incapable of obedience and faithfulness, but for the grace of God. We are born rebels and we will die rebels as a result of the Fall. Eve takes the serpent’s bait; Cain murders Abel; the whole earth is flooded due to man’s wickedness; the Tower of Babel pride; the Patriarchs’ generational sins and dysfunctional family systems; Joseph’s jealous and cruel brothers; Moses’ murder; Pharaoh slaughters innocents; the Israelites grumble, complain, rebel, over and over again in the wilderness; the older generation dies in the wilderness due to their unbelief; Moses taps the rock twice and is banned from the promised land; story after story of man’s rebellion and failure. Heavy and humbling.
And then I got to the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is to the Old Testament what the book of John is to the New Testament – the heart of the Old Covenant. Which explains why this is where God started to speak to me personally, and to answer the heaviness I was feeling over man’s sinful plight. Deuteronomy 28 outlines God’s blessings for obedience, and curses for disobedience, the choice of life or death, followed by this exhortation:
“Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life…” Deuteronomy 30:19b
How quickly I can forget that the Lord is my life.
Because some days it feels like motherhood is my life. Other days it feels like seminary is my life. Still other days it feels like marriage, church, ministry, my sons’ school is my life. And then there are the days when it feels like never-ending domestic chores are my life. But as I read those words, they pierced my heart anew with the beautiful truth that the Lord is my life. I love being a wife, Mom and seminary student, but all of the many roles and responsibilities I have flow out of my life in the Lord.
“Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you…they are not just idle words for you – they are your life.” Deuteronomy 32:46a-47a
All of the thousands of words I’d been cramming into my brain in the hopes of being able to regurgitate the correct names, dates, places, people on the final exam are not just idle words for me – they are my life.
How quickly I can forget that God’s Word is my life.
John chapter 1 describes Jesus as the Word made flesh, so in a very real sense Jesus (as revealed in God’s Word) is my life. I don’t know much, but this much I do know: Life is found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Don’t bother trying to find it anywhere else friends…you’ll end up empty and despairing. Jesus saves. Jesus saves. Jesus saves. He saved me. He will save you too if you ask Him. His Word is my life.
“The word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.” Deuteronomy 30:14
What a picture – the Word of God alive and active in me, in my mouth and in my heart, empowering me to obey. Near to me. Flowing out of me from the inside out. The Holy Spirit reveals truth and guides us into all truth. The Holy Spirit illuminates and empowers the Word of God to be alive in me, conforming me into the image of Christ. Amazing. His Word is alive in me.
Friends, these words are for your heart too. God wants to engrave them on your heart today:
The Lord is your life. (God the Father)
His Word is your life. (Jesus the Word made flesh)
His Word is alive in you. (Holy Spirit)
The Triune God is your life.
Be so grateful for the reminder, because if you are like me, you are prone to forget.
Carole Chaput
Copyright 2011 Lighthouse Publications. Used by Permission.
Once again, beautiful sister, your words have blessed this disobedient and rebellious heart of mine. I needed this reminder today. I need it every day. Your heart and the gift of writing that God has given you brings Him such incredible glory. Your unspeakable joy is contagious! Love you.
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Lisa, there are MANY reasons why I love you, but your authenticity is definitely at the top of the list….HUGE!
Yes, to your vital point, our hearts are prone to rebellion and disobedience…mine is downright spoiled rotten! I need to be reminded every day to choose life…the beautiful, glorious, indefinable life we have in and through our Triune Lord. Nothing better. Nothing sweeter in all this world than the life we have in Him…..
I love you MORE!!! Thanks for reading and posting friend…you’re a jewel.
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What a beautiful reminder for me today, Carole. Thank you. He–nothing else–is my life. Without Him, I can do nothing, I am nothing. With Him, I can do all He calls me to do. Have your way in me today, Lord.
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Oh amen Lindsay! We are wholly dependent on our Triune Lord.
With Him all things are possible. Without Him, nothing.
Thanks so much for reading and posting Lindsay.
I’m truly grateful for your voice and your reminder/example, “Have Your Way in me today, Lord…”
Me too, Lord, me too.
Abundant love and LIFE in Him to you dear sister…:-)
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Thank you…..I needed the reminder that He is my life….when the world of troubles has been encroaching on my shoreline attempting to flood my joy this reminder helped me to put life in perspective….all of this here is not my life…HE IS… the great I AM….Praising Him for using you and your gift of pen on paper to reflect the reminders that we can all find in His word….Love you sweet sister, Cindy
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Cindy, thanks so much for sharing your heart. Praising Jesus for the beautiful ways He ministers in and through the Body of Christ to encourage and edify us.
I love your insight that when we find our life in the Triune Lord, it puts everything else in this world into proper perspective. A big AMEN to that!
Love you friend and so grateful for your beautiful addition to the conversation….:-)
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Beautiful! Deuteronomy is one of my favorite books so it’s appropriate that one of my favorite people wrote about how God used it in her life. I’m so proud of you!!!
Love you!
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Linds! You have great taste in books of the Bible. Deuteronomy is a beautiful and powerful book. I especially love that it is the heart of the Old Covenant as it speaks so strongly to me of God’s heart for His people. Thanks for reading and posting dear friend. You’re a joy to my heart sweet Linds..;-)
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Carole, I love your heart. Thank you for spreading the truth of where God wants our hearts to be. It’s so easy to forget how He is our everything and wants to be our everything; our life, daily. I pray that people everywhere have an awakening to this truth. Keep spreading His precious word. Love you!
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Priscilla, thank you for taking the time to read and to post….truly a blessing to hear from you.
And yes, you are so right that it is “so easy to forget how He is our everything and wants to be our everything, our life – daily.”
Beautiful, heart-melting words my friend.
Thank you for praying that we will awaken to His truth in all it’s fullness and glory….Yes Lord, Yes Lord, we pray….
Thanks again for posting…..love you and love hearing from you.
(keep me posted on your search…I want to know!)
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Approximately one month ago, I drove away to take my first born and only daughter to college. Your devotion has reaffirmed everything that God has shown me through this journey of letting her go. He has lovingly taken me by the hand and reminded that He is: “more than enough”, “my all and all”, and as you so eloquently wrote, “my life”. Thanks for sharing! Sheila
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Oh Sheila, just hearing about that journey makes my heart hurt…especially because I know how precious your first-born is!
Thank you so much for sharing your heart and how the Lord is meeting you and ministering to you during this time of letting go.
How I praise Him and thank Him for speaking to our hearts through His living word in such timely and deeply personal ways…profound to me and oh so beautiful!
Thanks again for posting…such a blessing to hear from you.
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Thanks, Carole for once again sharing your beautiful gift and a great reminder of the gift that awaits us if we just choose Him.
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Mendy, thanks so much for reading and posting dear friend.
So true that there’s an immeasurable, priceless “gift awaiting us if we just choose Him”…
May we choose the LIFE we have in and through Him EVERY DAY to His great renown.
Love you and truly grateful for your input.
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“Choose Life. . . that you may love the Lord” – We can’t love Him if we don’t know Him and if we don’t know Him – how can we choose life! The word is the beginning of relationship with Him! Wrapping my mind around that! A beautiful blessing post for a Monday morning!
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Yes, amen. Thank you friend for reading and posting. To know Him is to love Him, and we know Him through His life-giving word…what a tremendous gift and blessing we have in and through His transforming Word! Fullness of the LIFE of our Triune Lord to you sister!
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