Our lives are a series of choices. For believers, it should be choices made to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. Over the last week it has been noticeable to me that life is a compilation of choices. We have the choice to do one thing versus another or eat one item versus something else. We have a choice to communicate adequately or not at all. We have a choice to hide what should be said or be candid with our voice.
God gave us the freedom of choice, which includes accepting His son as our Savior or rejecting Him. We have the choice to trust Him fully and put our dependence in Him. Or we put our trust in ourselves and things of this world.
We all choose. How do we choose differently? First, I must ask God what He wants for my life. Then, show me what steps I must take and what choices I must make. I cannot control the outcome of my choices. But, I can control the choices I make.
Do I choose to follow God’s plan for my life? (Which is played out as a series of responses)
Our choices are not independent of each other. Choices are connected especially with our money, time, and resources. When we spend use them one way we cannot spend or use them in any other way. If we spend our time and energy focused on ourselves, we cannot spend it focused on magnifying Christ and expressing it through serving others.
How do we, as believers, get sucked into making choices that drive our focus away from Christ? All He wants is a relationship with us and for us to know Him. And we can drive wedges in that relationship by our choices. Those choices start small and slowly pull us further away. But if feels so normal and so American with the choices we’ve made. Our schedules are so busy, our debt is so great, our toys consume our time, we spend selfishly God’s resources that he has entrusted to us, and our money is spent before we give. It is at this point that we either keep chasing butterflies down the black hole toward destruction or we recognize how distant we have allowed our relationship with Christ has become with “our choices.”
It is all about our choices. The good news is that there is hope. What feels like distance is not space at all. God has not left us. As believers he is still living in us. He hasn’t moved or changed. We have allowed our choices to disrupt our relationship with our Father. We miss out on the blessings and joy that He intends for us. It is all because of selfish, self-indulged, prideful choices in search of joy and peace that only Christ can provide.
Our small choices do matter. The choices we make today matters. We can’t say “I’ll make selfish, unhealthy, financially imprudent, lazy, bad decision today and good decisions tomorrow. We get sucked in and small choices today become regular, bad choices tomorrow, with long term devastating outcomes.
“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasure, and they do not mature.” - Luke 8:14