The Wednesday after the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on October 22, 2025 by under
Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:11-20 (NKJV)
30:11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 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, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 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; 20 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.”
Devotion
Moses sets before Israel a stark choice: life or death, blessing or curse. The way of sin leads only to death, for rebellion separates us from the God who is life. But in Christ, God sets before us the way of life eternal.
We remain simultaneously justified and sinful. If we follow the old Adam, indulging sin, we inherit death. But Christ has redeemed us and made us new. Through faith we walk in His way and live. This truth is not hidden—it is plainly revealed in God’s Word. Sin and salvation cannot coexist.
The choice of life is not a matter of human strength but of God’s mercy. By the Spirit, Christ draws us to Himself and keeps us steadfast. Daily we are called to turn from the path of death and cling to Him who died and rose for us. Moses’ words urge us not to take God’s grace lightly. To turn aside is to embrace destruction; to remain in Christ is to live. Therefore, we cry out to our Savior for His Spirit, that He would hold us fast in His Word, guard us from sin’s deceit, and keep us in the way of His life that has no end.
Collect: O God, forasmuch as without Thee we are not able to please Thee: Mercifully grant that Thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
