Choices are always in front of us every minute of every day. Having the freedom of choice is an innate part of how God created us. We have the ability to choose in just about every situation in life. From the moment we wake and push the snooze button to the moment before we pass into the world of those asleep; we have the choice. I've made choices that were good, bad and everything in between. Maybe you have never thought about your choices and the ramifications of those choices. I have and quite frankly, I'm not proud of a lot of my choices. Choosing to sin intentionally hurt people and led people away from Christ rather than towards Christ. How many missed opportunities came and went because I chose to not share Christ but rather engaged in my sin instead? Engaging in our choices means either positive consequences or negative consequences. For instance "innocent" choices often are defended by "I'm not hurting anyone." There are no actions in our lives without consequences. Somewhere along the line our inaction and actions affect either someone else or our very relationship with Jesus.
Put within the context of Christians being in the world but not of the world we soon realize that we are the only Bible some people read. We can justify and rationalize our actions but the results are the same. That which we sow, we reap. If I choose to live a selfless life, the result is a witness to the world of the love of God in me. If I choose to live a selfish life, the result is my witness is negated and I'm no earthly good for God or mankind. When we look over our past we are faced with our choices. Families destroyed, friends hurt, employers disappointed, and the list goes on. We have a past that doesn't have to be an indicator of our future if we would only choose to do what is right in God's eyes. This will put the Christian at odds with the world and for good reason. The Bible tells us to be set apart from the world and to maintain our relationship with Jesus. This requires we read the Bible and believe what we read. It means we actually let Jesus live his life through us once we surrender to him. Doing this on a daily basis (like hitting the snooze button!) will lead to positive consequences even if they don't seem like it at the time. God is looking for men and women who will be representatives of his love found in Jesus Christ. He chose the Cross so that we could not only have eternal life but life filled with his blessings.
Here is a list of choices we can make today. Choose to be happy. Choose to see the best in people. Choose to be patient and loving. Choose to be kind to others regardless of the situation. Choose to not hate. Choose to be understanding. Choose to speak the truth regardless of the cost. Choose to be selfless and surrender selfishness. Choose to drive as if Jesus was sitting in the passenger seat. Choose to give freely because everything you have is really Gods. Choose to listen before you talk. Choose to acknowledge God's love for the widow, orphan and those without Jesus. Choose to pray for everything God puts on your heart. Choose to drink enough water and to take care of your health. Choose to give your time to what God wants you to give your time. Choose to put God first, your people second and yourself last. Choose to deny temptation. Choose to only engage Godly anger. Choose to take care of your animals and love them. Choose to do random acts of kindness without seeking acknowledgment. Choose to leave the past behind and to live this moment as if it's your last. Choose to love. Remember, it's always your choice.
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