Choices, Choices

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. 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 30:19-20a

We are faced with a daily onslaught of choices—from the trivial choices of restaurant or brand of food at the supermarket, to choices of actions that hold our marriages, jobs, families, and lives in balance. There are life-choices, somewhere in between, that consume so much energy just in the choosing, that we may or may not have the energy to implement the action once we choose it (if we ever actually decide.)

In our passage of scripture this past Sunday, we heard that we shouldn’t be anxious about anything, but in all things with prayers, supplications, and with thanksgiving we should make our requests known to God (Philippians 4). How do we reconcile the anxiety we face over these choices with God’s command to not be anxious? What if I told you that if you were to make one choice, every other choice would become exponentially easier? Many years back I was faced with this choice, and it was a difficult one to make, but it has made all the difference in my life.

The choice is this: Will I obey God, or not?

I am not speaking of trusting in God at salvation, but rather I am speaking of discipleship, of total surrender to the will of God. Will I follow God where ever he may lead me, even if he led me into my worst fear? Will I obey God, even if God asks of me something I don’t want to give? Making that choice is often a fight to the death, for it is only when we are crucified with Christ that we find fulfilling life.

After that choice, every other choice fits into one of two categories: a choice that God has an opinion about, (in which case the decision is made by the previous choice), and a choice that God does not have an opinion about, (in which case is isn’t important enough for me to stress over).

Homework this week: If you are brave enough, realize that God wants every aspect of your being. Examine what that might mean. What would total obedience to God look like? Then, choose life so that you and your children may live.

Popular posts from this blog

The Power of a Memory

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, " This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. " In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, " This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me ." —1 Corinthians 11:23-25 Has it ever happened to you? You walk into a room and suddenly the sight, smell, or feel of that room transports you thousands of miles to your grandmother’s house? In an instant you are 10 again. It is so real that you could almost walk to the kitchen and grab a cookie. What you have just experienced is the power of a memory. Our brains catalog, not just the sequence of events, but the sounds, sights, smells, tastes and touches of those events and places as well. And every time we come into contact with those senses again, our brain, quick as lightni
Read more

Commission

"Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you." —1 Thessalonians 3:1 Each year, we at Faith participate in commissioning several mission teams. We declare that those who go out from us in mission are “Ambassadors” not only of God’s Kingdom, but also of the Faith family. When I tell friends and colleagues at other churches about our missions involvement, they are consistently astonished, both at the number of trips we take, and the number of participants on those trips. After participating in so many commissionings, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect this past Sunday as you commissioned the Guatemala trip. I have been looking forward to this trip for many months; but as you commissioned us, the trip became real. I felt a deep joy swell over me, both that I had the opportunity to go, and that the church, my church, was praying for me and sending me out. I don’t know that I will
Read more

Final Thoughts

For almost three years, you and I have lived the Faith life together. We have worshiped, served in mission, studied scripture, and lived life together. As Kristin and I prepare to embark on a new adventure (with a slightly larger family than when we came to you) we are thankful for the opportunities we have had at Faith. In my time at Faith I have written over 120 articles on various themes. Today I write my last article to you. Final thoughts are often the hardest to come by. There is an urge to cram every important thought into the single page, after all, I’ll never have another chance to speak to you in this way. I have wrestled in my own mind over what to say here. Ultimately, I chose what I believe is the most important. Worship is a matter of submission to God, of seeing His majesty, of recognizing our own frailty, and submitting to His will and way. Worship is not found in the emotion of a song, or the swing of a hammer, it is found in the heart that does those things out of
Read more