Power to Choose

     I had a difficult choice to make.  And it was one I’d made before:  “Was I going to get it or was it going to get me?”

     In tenth grade the ‘it’ was Geometry.  It college and grad school ‘it’ was learning difficult foreign languages (Greek and Hebrew).  And in every case, choosing to ‘get it’ meant giving up personal time to memorize a great deal of information.

     Was it worth it?  Absolutely.  Not only did I end up doing well in those subjects, but I also learned to think logically and to read the Bible in its original languages.  As an added bonus I became more self-disciplined and more confident.

     So let me ask you: “Are you committed to making better choices now than you did last year?”

     Some folks never learn. They repeat the same mistakes over and over. What they don't seem to understand is that the power of choice is the power to change. To become better.

     The easy choice is to complain.  Or to blame someone else for life’s trials.  That way we can avoid difficult choices and the path of responsibility.

     But while difficult choices are often painful in the immediate future, they can be the path to growth, maturity and blessing if we learn to be patient.

     “Now hold on just a minute!” you may say. “What if I choose wrong?”

     Then you have a choice.  To learn from the mistake is to grow wiser and choose better. To not learn from the mistake is to choose ignorance and avoid responsibility.

     The celebrated artist and author Thomas Kinkade wrote, “Life, if you have eyes to see the whole picture, brims with meaning, with purpose.” Then he added, “The best things in life are yours for the choosing.”

     That is never truer than in the realm of faith.  God has revealed himself through the world he created and through his written word, the Bible.  And down through history he presents people with the choice to trust, obey and follow him.

     The alternate choice is to follow a false religion.  And there are plenty to choose from.  So, to help us, God has given us the Bible, his written word and his Son, Jesus, the living Word.

     Today, instead of religious rules and laws, God has made it clear he wants a relationship with us through his son, Jesus Christ.  Because of Jesus’ death on the cross for our sin and resurrection from the dead to give us life, we now have direct access to God.

     No longer is it necessary to go to him or listen to him through a mediator such as a priest or prophet.  Instead, the Bible says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

     So God says, “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.”

     If we follow Jesus and trust in him, he also offers to help us with other difficult choices in life.  The Bible says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

     Thank God he didn’t make us robots that can only do what they’re programmed to do.  He created us with the power to choose.  And with it the power to change and become something better than we’ve been by trusting in him.

     Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!