Yesterday, we looked at the choice God presented humankind with: a choice between life and death. Seems simple, right? Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case.

Though this choice is presented repeatedly in the Bible in various ways  (and since this is a blog post and not a novel), I want to mention only one more. This was at the time Jesus walked the earth, and He had just delivered a very controversial message, “Eat My flesh and drink My blood.” Many in the crowd were disgusted and turned away from Him on that day.

So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,”
John 6:67-68

Peter was not a perfect man, but he did know that there really was no choice, not for him. So many left that day because they did not honestly believe. Perhaps they followed Jesus because they were entertained by His miracles or were just caught up in the excitement or novelty of His astounding ministry… who knows? For whatever reason, they missed the chance to know the Lord for Himself, see His goodness. They did not know the Father well enough to recognize the Son.

Still today, we are offered this choice and there is only one Way that leads to life — the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jesus the Christ. But this Way is not easy. Jesus’ teachings are often difficult. He calls us to believe that any suffering we endure now will be worth it in eternity, an act of trust that seem insane to our human understanding.

He calls us to be shunned as fools for the sake of His Word, to stand firm on unpopular teachings even in the face of mockery and physical harm. He calls us to live as wanderers on this planet, not growing too fond of any worldly thing but instead holding tightly to His eternal love, even when that invisible asset is all we have.

He calls us to believe that the path much of the world walks leads to death, though it may look sunny and cheerful from where we stand. He calls us to walk a more narrow path that appears fraught with danger; He assures us it leads to life nonetheless.

He calls us to so much that is beyond our own knowledge because He wants us to trust that His eternal knowledge is greater than ours. He calls us to choose, and all the while He is pleading with us, “Choose life!”

If you can read this, it is not too late to choose. Choose Jesus. Choose life.