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Choices

“. . . choose this day who you will follow . . . for me and my house, we will follow the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

Joshua called together the twelve tribes of Israel at Shechem. He reminded them of all the things God had done for them as a nation.

He gave the people a choice. They could serve the gods their forefathers served across the river or the gods of the Amorites in the land they were at that time. OR, they could serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and, Jacob as he and those in his household would do.

In our 21Century, we have the same choice. We have the option of serving the one true God of Abraham, Isaac, and, Jacob or not. Our choices are many; some choose to place many things above God. The list can include recreation, sports, money, ourselves.

Sometimes, we hear of people who promote themselves and deny the divinity of Christ. Peter deals with this issue in his second letter (2 Peter 2:1-22) He describes them as ‘springs without water and mists driven by a storm.” (v. 17) John speaks of them in his second epistle (2 John 7) What these people promote goes against the central doctrines of the Christian faith- that Jesus is the son of God.

We make choices each waking hour of every day. We choose what we eat, what we wear, how we spend our time, and with whom we associate.

As believers in Christ, our choices tell those around us how we live.

One of my closest friends has a grandson who is getting married the end of the month. His fiancée’s father was terminally ill. This daughter’s wish was that her dad see her get married. Her dad was in the hospital two weeks before the wedding.

In one day’s time, my friend’s family and the fiancée’s family got things together to have a wedding just so this bride-to-be’s father could see her and her groom say their vows. A relative had a wedding dress she was selling.

The hospital went out of their way to accommodate the couple’s wishes. This daughter chose to go through this for the sake of her father. The hospital chose to help this family make the father’s last hours memorable.

The father passed away the next morning.

As children of God, we can choose to be a part of the solution or part of the problem. Sending encouragement cards to those who go through a time of hardship, listening as a person opens their heart, or praying with someone over the phone brightens a person’s outlook. Stopping and talking to someone when we see them when we are in a restaurant or a store makes them feel like they matter.

We all make choices about how we handle problems and react to events. God did something strange when he made us; He gave us free will. He wants us to love Him because we choose to. The alternative would be He could have made us love Him. If He had created us to love Him just because He wanted us to, we would be robots in nature.

In a book I am reading for review, I ran across this bit of wisdom: “So we have this God who is constantly forming our character, and part of the way that happens is by us making our own choices.1This could be a new revelation to a large segment of today’s society.

Dear Father God:

Thank You for loving us. Thank You for allowing us to choose to return that love to You. Please continue to guide us, Your children to make choices that reflect You to those around us. We will give You the praise. In the name of Jesus, we pray. AMEN

1. “Let Hope In” by Pete Wilson © 2013Thomas Nelson

"Bible verse and quote" from Jan Couns

Bible and Quote - February 3-7