OK, I know it is Tuesday morning and you were expecting this on Monday, but I had to make a choice. My choice wasn’t because this is my topic. My wife had surgery last week (she’s home and recovering); you can imagine the extra work that put on me. Then a tire blew on my tractor which I use for moving bags of feed for the animals forcing me to carry them to the pasture—bad choice. Of course, the first 50-pound bag threw my back out—so, enough of my sad story. But all this left me with a lack of time and that’s the basis of my choice to delay getting this out.
If you jot down all the choices you make every day, you will be surprised. The majority of them are automatic and we aren’t even aware we made a decision. They start early in the morning, “I don’t want to get out of bed. Should I hit the snooze button?” “Now what do I want for breakfast?” So begins a day filled with choices. All choices have consequences. Many have minimal significance. If you choose to skip breakfast, you will probably get hungry before lunch. On the flip side are the major choices we make such as choosing a spouse, a career, friends, and where we live. By far the most important choice we will make is whether we follow Jesus or reject Him. The need we have for choosing Him as Savior resulted from the single choice Eve made to eat from the forbidden tree with Adam making the same decision. Their one choice plunged the universe into sin and all their descendants born with a sinful nature.
When we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit gives us a new nature, but the old sinful nature remains. These two natures leave us with conflicting options—obey God’s Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit or give in to temptation and surrender to the desires of our flesh. God gave man the ability to choose. Moses told Israel, I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants (Deut 30:19). Joshua challenged the people “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve (Jos 24:15). Elijah admonished Israel, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (1Ki 18:21).
We are free to make choices however, with every choice, it is essential we remember that we are not free to choose the consequences. The choices we make today can increase or limit the choices we have tomorrow. How we come to a decision is a key to making a good choice. Do we make our decisions based on emotions or temptation that makes us feel good? Or do we base them on understanding the facts, scripture, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Not all choices lead to good feelings. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin (Heb 11:24, 25).
When Abram and Lot faced conflict over the land where their herds grazed, Abram told Lot to choose the land he wanted. Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere . . . like the garden of the Lord . . . So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan (Gen 13:10, 11). On the surface, it appeared a good financial choice; however, it led Lot and his family closer and closer to Sodom and Gomorrah. His herds having eaten the grass back out of the valley, left Lot with no option but to keep moving forward. Lot’s choice based on something that looked good financially became a devastating spiritual choice leading to the ruin of his family. In Sodom, Lot was oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (2 Pet 2:7). He lost of all his possessions, his wife made a bad choice and died, and his daughters chose to commit incest with their father.
Years ago, I prayed and prayed about my hot temper. I blamed it on my red hair. Then one day after losing my temper, I prayed for forgiveness, and for God to take it away. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart in such a way I had no doubt it was God. But I did not like His answer, “You choose to lose your temper.” I was angry for a couple of weeks. Then I began to understand every sin is a choice, even though a quick one. I realized I could make the choice to remain calm. In Roman 6, Paul devotes the entire chapter to the process of neither yielding to the old sinful nature or the new righteous nature, which requires a choice. He clearly states that we no long slaves to sin. We experience a sinful desire and visualize the sensual pleasure it will bring. At the same moment, we have a scriptural prompting from the Holy Spirit and visualize the action required to obey and the joy it will bring God. We are free to choose what pleases God.
Sustaining Word for the Week: The choice is yours. Consider the facts, what the Bible says, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The right choice you make today will please God and give you good consequences tomorrow.