Choose

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." - Proverbs 14:12

Life consists of a series of choices. Left - right, up - down, in - out. We make a choice and go on from there.

Sometimes we choose poorly. We turn left when we should have turned right. That particular bad choice will most likely have bad consequences. We may be late for a meeting, or, worse yet, become completely lost.

Some choices can have rather long-lasting consequences. While a wrong turn on the highway can be corrected, other choices in life can lead to dead ends. Literally.

A woman makes a choice to have unprotected sex. That "choice" has consequences - a sexually transmitted infection, or an unintended pregnancy. And infection can be treated, but a pregnancy? Either it comes to fruition, or it is terminated.

Everyone must make a choice when wrestling with the question of God and/or Jesus. Either you believe, or you don't. And, in the case about Jesus, even doing nothing has consequences. As someone once said, "Not to decide, is to decide."

Whether we decide to follow Christ or not, our decision has lasting consequences. 

There is one single verse, found in the Book of Romans, that lays out our choice options when it comes to our faith, or lack thereof. 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23

The choice is right there. If we choose to lead a sin-filled life, we will surely die. But a life "in Christ" promises eternal life. All we have to do it repent of our sins and believe. It seems like a no-brainer. The choice is obvious. Choose Christ and live!

Come To Jesus - Chris Rice

And Yet

It's hard to watch the news these days without asking the question, "What's wrong with these people!? They just don't get it!" That question is nothing new.

"Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹²Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³This is why I speak to them in parables:

‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand." - Matthew 13:10-13

Jesus then goes on to say....

"But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear." - Matthew 13:16

What a humbling thing; the knowledge that we, a chosen group of sinners like us, have been given access to the kingdom of God!

And yet, to be clear, ALL are welcome. But few are chosen.

"For many are called, but few are chosen.” - Matthew 22:4

We had communion in our church yesterday. That's always a humbling time. We walk up front and get the little cups of juice and a piece of unleavened bread, then return to our seats. After praying, I put the bread into my mouth, but I don't chew it. Rather, I simply let it disolve. Why? Isaiah 53:5.

"He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5

We know it was our sins that placed Him on that cross. And God crushed Him because of those sins. But just the thought of crushing "the bread of life" is something I don't want to be a part of. And yet, I was.

"Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." - John 6:35

My prayer is that all would come to Christ and be saved. And yet, I am saddened by the knowledge that "the road is narrow" and not everyone will make that choice; some that I know and love. And that truly makes me sad. And yet, the choice is theirs. And God would welcome anyone, right up to the last second of life. Maranatha!

How Deep The Father's Love For Us - Fernando Ortega

Choose Wisely

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever." - 1 Chronicles 28:9

That was King David, giving advice to his son. But it is also something we ALL need to remember as we go through this life.

There is a huge difference between BELIEVING in God and KNOWING God. Choose the latter. Remember, Solomon requested knowledge when God gave him a choice of whatever he wanted. It was a wise choice, and God told him so. Still Solomon eventually ignored the knowledge he had gained about the One True God and turned after other gods through his foreign wives.

We face many decisions in life. Which will we choose? God-honoring choices? Or what WE want?

Read the last sentence of that verse above and let it sink in for a moment. Forever is a long time.

For most of my life I chose the things that I wanted, not what God wanted. Poor choices have a way of haunting us for the rest of our lives. Godly choices come without regret. 

Do you remember the old knight from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade? He gave some good advice.

"You must choose. But choose wisely. For as the true grail will give you life, the false grail will take it from you."

The life of a Christian is one of obedience to God's will. We must choose wisely in our decisions and actions. Jesus followed the will of God, The Father. Shouldn't we?

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." - John 6:38

Look at two of the biggest issues of our day - abortion and sexual dysphoria. What side is God on? What is His will? Search the scriptures and you will find the answers.

"¹⁶There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: ¹⁷haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood . . ." - Proverbs 6:16-17

Is there anything more innocent than a baby?

"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." - Leviticus 18:22

Need I say more? There are churches who "afirm" gay marriages and relationships. They have made an unwise decision in the eyes of God.

Jesus spoke about men simply looking at a woman with lust. He called it adultery of the heart.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." - Matthew 5:27-28

Our decisions can have eternal consequences. Let us choose wisely, for the eyes of God are upon us.

Choose Wisely - Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade

Letting Go

Life can get pretty overwhelming at times, if we let it. So, what can we do to take some of the weight off of our shoulders?

One of the first things is, of course, prayer. But what specifically should we be praying for? We must be very careful and specific when we pray. Otherwise that situation we have been stressing over just might turn out WAY different than we had hoped.

There is one thing we all should be doing, even BEFORE we pray. It's called self examination. If Paul told the church in Corinth that they should examine themselves (2 Cor 13:5), maybe we should too?

We need to find out just what is giving us stress in the first place. Does stress come from God? No. God is the opposite of stress. He promises rest for our souls.

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am humble and gentle of heart and you will find us your soul." - Matthew 11:28-30

Sometimes we take on SO much stuff we simply can't handle it all. It's time to make some tough choices. Who knows. Perhaps the stress we are experiencing is God telling us to let go of something, or to go in some new direction.

We should pray for God to reveal to us what He wants us to do. Ask Him to eliminate something, or pray for help.

We want to see all of these things on our to-do list accomplished. But who says that WE have to do them all? It's usually us, not God. Ask for some help!

And finally, there is this reminder. David wanted to build a house for the Lord. And God took it off of his plate, telling David "No."

"Now when David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.” And Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in." - 1 Chronicles 17:1-4

If you don't take some of the things off your overflowing to-do list, God will.

He's Gonna Pop - The Matrix 

The Parable of The Snow Storm

Neither my wife nor I watched the weather Saturday night. Perhaps we should have. We were both planning to go hear our granddaughter sing in church on Sunday but, when we awoke, snow covered the ground. It was then that we found out it was supposed to snow all day.

"It can't!" my wife exclaimed. "I have to take treats in to church. I want to hear my granddaughter sing!" Yet the storm had come, whether we liked it or not. And there we were.

Just yesterday we were outside. I went walking in the woods, enjoying the clear, cloudless sky and bright sunshine. This all reminded me of something Jesus said.

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all." - Luke 17:26-27

Oh, wonderful.

Have we become too busy these days? Maybe it's just me in my retirement looking back at the busy life I too used to live. But people just seem so busy. Too busy to even care about Jesus.

Maybe that's to harsh. Maybe people care about Jesus but just don't have time to read or study or serve or worship or even love.

It has been said that 'idle hands are the devils workshop.' I think Satan likes busy hands as well. Too busy for God.

And I'm just as bad. When I saw it snowing Sunday morning I didn't really want to drive into church. And I didn't. Is my safety more important than worshipping God? Ouch.

The point is this: Life can be full of distractions, if we let it get that way. Satan will try anything to keep us from worshipping, praying, and serving in Jesus' name. The question is, what would Jesus be doing? We're supposed to be like Him. Where would Jesus be?

Being safe is one thing, but allowing ourselves to become too busy is another.

Can we worship "in spirit and in truth" if we keep looking at our watches because the pastor is running late with his message? Or do we eventually stop going to church just because we don't like the church we're going to? "It's too inconvenient" or, "I don't like the music."

Decisions, decisions. We need to get beyond ourselves and do what is right in God's eyes.

If we have chosen Christ, the answer should be simple. Then why isn't it?

The Two Pillars

What is a pillar? It is either a supporting member of a structure or a supporting member of a society - a 'pillar in the community.' Keep those two definitions in mind as we read today.

Our first passage should be familiar. It's the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. The angels warned Lot and his family.

“Flee for your lives! Don’t look back,  But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." - Genesis 19:17&26

Our second passage is from the Book of Revelation. Jesus is talking about the church in Philadelphia.

"I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name." - Revelation 3:11-12

We have seen two examples of pillars here. Lot's wife and a church.

Lot's wife was from Sodom. Living in sin and corruption was her way of life. When she looked back at Sodom's destruction she did so because she was going to miss it and that lifestyle.

The church in Philadelphia was at the other end of the lifestyle spectrum - the good end. And because of that Jesus wanted to make it a pillar in the temple of God.

The thing we should notice about these two examples is this: Sodom's wife CHOSE to look back. In Philadelphia's case JESUS wanted to make them into a pillar. He did the choosing.

There is a choice involved in each of our lives. What do we long for? Do we enjoy living a sin-filled life? Or do we want to be part of God's church?

Being a 'pillar of society' can be a good thing. But it depends on the character of the society. Being a pillar in Christ's church is a better. It depends on God's character, which is perfect.

The angels warned everyone in Lot's family not to look back. Their warning is for us as well. Quit looking back! Look forward! Look up!!

In the Book of Luke, Jesus spoke these words to His disciples about the time of His return:

"Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it." - Luke 17:32-33

We must lose our sin-filled lives and prepare our hearts for His return. He's coming soon!

Choose Wisely

It's Halloween - a time when people dress up,  pretending to be someone else. But don't we do that every day anyway?

I recently heard of someone who decided to change their sex. Instead of being a boy, they decided to become a girl. I thought about that for a moment and then dismissed it. Such a thing is not possible, no matter how hard we might try.

For us to be capable of changing our sex, well, we would have to be God. And even if God chose to do such a thing, I doubt that He ever would. It's against His will.

Still, God has done some pretty life changing things. Numerous times Jesus healed people from all kinds of illnesses, demonstrating He has power to not only heal, but restore and transform the human body into whatever He wants.

In the Old Testament, God turned people leprous with a thought, sent plagues and diseases meant to punish the disobedient, and caused others to simply die right on the spot. But in the entirety of scripture God has never changed a man into a woman, or vice versa. 

"He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created." - Genesis 5:2

So, why do we humans try to do such things ourselves if actions such as these are against God's will? Good question. The answer is simple.

Those who attempt such things don't believe in God. They believe only in their own feelings. And that's where all of our problems begin. Placing OUR desires above God's will.

“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” - Proverbs 28:26

We all like to 'feel good' and many will do whatever they can to accomplish that goal. But thiat scenario has been going on for millennia.

Today we hand out participation trophies so that everyone can FEEL good, even when their team sucks. Schools no longer hand out failing grades. Why? So that no child is traumatized by their own failure.

Our main problem as a society is that we have forgotten about God and we no longer concern ourselves with what HE thinks. It's all about what WE want. And now we are simply living with the consequences of our own choices. Oops.

Choose wisely.

Choices

In the Book of Esther there is a verse that speaks more loudly to me this morning than any other. It is in the fourth chapter. Slide your finger down to the 14th verse and you will find this:

"And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” - Ruth 4:14

Esther was faced with a decision the day her uncle spoke those words to her. She had to confront the king, which could have led to her immediate death. But she risked it all, made her decision, and ultimately saved her people from annihilation.

My wife and I just got from a quick trip to Michigan. My niece's mother-in-law had died unexpectedly, and the funeral was Tuesday morning.

My niece and her husband have three wonderful children. All handled the open casket pretty well. At one point our niece took her five-year old son up front to say goodbye to "gramma." I watched. After his visit was done, this little guy came over to us and said, "Grandma's cold."

"Grandma needs a blanket," I said.

We sat behind the grandmother's other grandson. During the service the pastor offered an opportunity for others to come forward and offer their remembrances of Grandma." Many did.

The mom in front of us kept encouraging her son to go forward and say something but he continually refused. That decision will haunt him the rest of his life. I know. I made a similar decision about my own grandma and have regretted it ever since.

We all face decisions like that in life. Should we, or shouldn't we? Our daily decisions all have consequences. Some of those decisions have eternal consequences.

During the pastor's message that morning, he offered the chance to make another decision. A decision about Jesus. How we face THAT question truly DOES have eternal consequences.

According to the Christian faith, we all will live forever. There are two options for the location for our foreverness - heaven or hell. The choice is ours.

My niece's mother-in-law chose Christ long ago. He decision effected the lives of many people in her community. One got up and told a story of how "grandma" kept inviting her to church. She eventually relented and went. It changed this person's life.

Have you and I lived lives worthy of our calling? Will our choices be the right ones in God's eyes? Will we be missed as much as this grandmother is? Will we speak to someone about Jesus, even though we're afraid to say something?

It's OUR choice. What will we choose? Self? Or Jesus?

"Blessed be the name of the LORD now and forever." - Psalm 113:2

Free Will

If I have free will why can't I yell 'FIRE!' in a crowded movie theater? That's a false question. Anyone CAN yell fire in a crowded room. That is the free will part. The problem comes when our free will words and actions conflict with the current laws. Decisions CAN have consequences.

A store puts up a sign that says 'masks must be worn to enter'. We have free will to enter without a mask. Is it a law that we must have a mask on or is it simply the store owner's free will to put the sign on the door? What IS the law?

God has told us that we must have no sin (zero) in our lives in order to enter heaven. If we've only sinned a little bit, can we still get in? No! This is part of God's law.

The words "free" and "will" makes us think that we can do whatever we want, and that's true, to some degree. But sometimes our decisions effect others or break laws. Than what?

The latest free will choice is the vaccine mandate. 'You must take the shot or you will be fired.' Time to make a choice. Notice it's a "mandate" and not a law.

What is our free will choice? We can find a new job or sue to retain our current job. What do we do when our free will clashes with someone else's free will?

What would God have us do? He has told us to obey our ruler's laws, except when they conflict with HIS laws.

A time is coming when we will have to make another choice. This choice is referred to in the Bible as 'the mark of the beast'. It will be a free will choice. If we refuse to take the mark we will be unable to buy or sell. That, and we will get our heads cut off, but other than that . . .

Will we choose the mark so that our lives will be easier? Or will we chose to refuse the mark in order to follow God's will for our lives. WE must make a choice.

How will YOU choose?

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:15

In An Instant

Life can change in an instant. One minute everything is fine. The next it is chaotic and everyone is running around wondering what in the world they should do.

Are you ready for everything life has in its arsenal? You had better be because life can change suddenly and we can be left wondering what went wrong.

A friend of mine and his wife were heading home to their three kids on night a few months ago. Their motorcycle ride ended abruptly. REAL abruptly. My friend's wife wakes up in the ICU wondering what has happened. Her husband is dead. What about the kids? Who will care for them?

This past weekend at our family reunion everyone was laughing and talking with one another. The food was wonderful and so were the hugs. Then there was a noise in the garage and I turned to see my aunt lying in the floor. It happens just that fast. Life changes in an instant.

Jesus has promised to return just as suddenly, like when we trip and fall, or as quickly as an animal runs in front of our car or motorcycle on the highway.

When Jesus returns He is not going to ask any questions. He's not going to check to see if you've been vaccinated or whether or not you voted for Biden or Trump. He will simply remove all of His children from the earth and He will be gone again. And we believe will be with Him.

Many will be left wondering what happened. They will be wondering where their chidden are and what has become of them. Too late. Sorry that you missed the boat. Better luck next time, only there will BE no next time.

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." - 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Things happen and they happen quickly. There will he no time to swerve or to reach for a falling friend. Are we ready? Are we prepared? Consider the options. Jesus offers hope for a future. Ignoring Him does not.

The Choice

We all make choices in life. We ourselves were the result a choice made before we were even born. Our mom and dad chose to have us, whether they knew it or not. They also then chose to keep us or abandon us. Tough choices.

Eventually we grow up and begin to make our own choices. College? Trade school? Some of our choices however have not been so good. You know what your bad choices have been. Do you regret them?

Life is filled with choices. Our choices determine our future and the future of generations to come. So why do we take life's choices so casually? Good question.

Sometimes our lives can be changed for ever by the choices that others make. Someone drinks too much and gets behind the wheel of a car. Suddenly there is a collision and someone is dead. A poor choice just became all to real.

The most important choice we can make in this life has to do with Jesus. Maybe He's not important in your life right now. He will be one day though, whether you want Him to be or not. The chance to make a choice for Jesus expires when we do. After that it's too late.

Take the example of an airplane. You can be on an airplane that suddenly develops engine trouble and is going to crash. You heard the stewardess tell everyone about available parachutes. You know that the parachute can save your life but at some point you are going to have to make the choice to put the parachute on. Just knowing that "Jesus saves" is not enough. You must put Him on. You must be IN Christ. The Bible says we must "put of our old self" (Ephesians 4:22) and put on Christ.

Have you made that choice about Jesus yet? It's easy to do. All those bad choices you've made? Ask God to forgive you for them. Seek God's forgiveness with humility and sincerity. If you do that He has promised to forgive and forget ALL of your sins, as far as the east is from the west. Then ask Him to become the Lord of your life. Learn from Him. Follow Him. Put Him on.

The choice is up to you. It's all yours. There are two roads you can go down. One leads to eternal life. The other leads to death. Like I said, your choice. Your consequences.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

The choice . . . is yours.

Examine The Cost

My wife and are on vacation. The other day we went downstairs from our motel room to get our "complimentary breakfast," which I am sure we somehow actually paid for. Breakfasts like this are different in these Covid times. Six foot spacing stickers on the floors, everyone wearing masks, people encouraged to eat in their rooms and disposable everything.

You can no longer go down the breakfast buffet line. You have to tell someone what you want. They plate it up for you. So I told the lady I wanted three sausages and some scrambled eggs which she promptly dished up for me. I smiled back. Which brings me to observation #1.

No one can see you smile while you are wearing a mask. That's too bad. I love smiling at people. That's one of the ways we tell people we love them. The wearing of masks basically removes smiling, and a little bit of love, from out society I fear.

The next observation I made was while my wife and I were eating breakfast. There was a "ding" and the elevator doors opened up. It was a father and his young daughter. As they stepped off the elevator they put on their masks. Observation #2.

The little girl looked almost frightened to me. She was walking out into a sea of unknown people. Did any of them have the virus that was making her wear the mask? Unknown. We humans have a fear of the unknown. I was saddened that this little kid had to go through this virus, something she had no part in creating.

When did we get to the point and a people that we felt the need to create killer viruses? I mean, who decided that was good thing to do? Yet it seems to be something we have deemed necessary for some reason. America, Russia, China, Germany, all have created biological weapons. China's just managed to escape.

Jesus spoke about a "counting the cost" as He talked to His disciples. Obviously, we have not done that with regard to creating things that kill.

"For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it." - Luke 14:28

The world is filled with many thangs that can harm us. Most of them are man-made. Have we totally counter the cost in our creating them?

Jesus telling us to count the cost was a grim warning for his disciples, all but one of who met with a terrible death resulting from their faith and belief in Him. Each of us must count the cost for proclaiming Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Our faith will come at a cost. Family, friends, jobs - our faith DOES come at a cost. The question we must answer, as with anything we decide to do as a people, is, is it worth it? Is it worth the cost?

Jesus IS worth it. He counted the cross and found us worth the cost. That's something we need to always remember.

Pulling Strings

How do we get into so much trouble? Do we intentionally screw up our lives or does someone else cause all our struggles? The answer to that last question can be yes to both parts.

I was reading 1st Chronicles 21 this weekend. You should too. It a great story about King David getting a little too big for his britches, as they say. He ordered a census of God's people. The only problem was God didn't order one.

"Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel." - 1 Chronicles 21:1

Did you notice where is said that Satan "moved David" to count the people? Take note of that. Satan has the power to move people to do things. That's what Satan does. He tries to get us to do sinful things - often without consulting God at all. That's huge! Remember that fact the next time you watch the news.

So David ordered Joab to start the counting (v2). But Joab did something that every good friend should do. Joab questioned David's decision to his face.

"And Joab answered, “May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?” - 1 Chronicles 21:3

David didn't listen. That's a shame because David is about to bring the wrath of God upon his people.

Verse 7 - "And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel."

Only then did David repent.

"So David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” - 1 Chronicles 21:8

But David wasn't done screwing up yet. God let David chose his punishment. David chose poorly. God offered David three choices for punishment.

11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Choose for yourself, 12 either three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the Lord - the plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.” - 1 Chronicles 21:11-12

David chose the Sword of the Lord and an angel began destroying Israel with a plague. David pleaded with God for mercy and God eventually relented.

"As he (the angel) was destroying, the Lord looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” - 1 Chronicles 21:15

This is a great lessons for us all to remember. Never do anything that is outside of God's will. Always seek to obey The Lord. When friends ask us if we are sure we want to do something, stop and think for a moment. Satan loves to pull our strings and he actually has the power to do so. Satan can make us do sinful things.

The next time we are considering doing something we must ask ourselves, "Is this of God? Or of Satan." Than pray for God's guidance.

The Choice

Everyone wants to love and to be loved. So why do we find it so hard to do? Why do so many feel unloved? The answer is simple. It's all about the choices we make.

Life is a series of choices. What shall we watch on television? What shall we have for dinner? What color paint shall we use? What outfit shall we wear today? What's for breakfast? SO many choices, so little time.

But when it comes to love there is really only one choice. And it has nothing to do with ourselves.

Our pastor had a really interesting sermon on Sunday. We are going through The Book of Genesis right now - the creation story. God created the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve sinned by eating fruit from The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. That raises a few questions but the biggest question is this.

If God already knew we were going to sin, why did He plant the tree in the first place? I mean, if there was no choice to be made, we wouldn't have made it.

If you take a step back and look at things from a distance, Adam and Eve really did have a choice. It was between being obedient to God and satisfying their desire for the fruit. They chose the fruit. We chose OUR desires over our obedience to God's commands every day. Just like Adam and Eve.

Have you ever read this verse?

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." - John 14:15

Or this one:

Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." - John 14:23

During our pastor's sermon he offered this statement:

"True love always offers a choice."

Is that true? Are we ALWAYS given a choice? What is our choice if we really love someone?

What IS "true love?" What is God looking for from us?

Why do we go to church? Is it obedience to some Old Testament command? Is it out of obligation to a God who could kill us at any moment if He chose to? Or is it out of TRUE love? Do we worship because we love God?

When Jesus prayed shortly before His death, he prayed that God might "take this cup from me." But then Jesus amended His prayer saying, "Not mine, but Your will be done."

Jesus made a choice. Out of His love for God the Father, Jesus relinquished His personal desires for those of God. Jesus made a choice. He chose to be obedient. He chose obedience because of His love for The Father.

What choices will WE make today? Will we choose our desires over our spouses? Will we chose to obey God's commandments? Or will we choose our own selfish desires? The choice is ours. What will we choose?

Don't Look Back

We all have something in our lives that we would be better off without. Alcohol, gambling, overeating, idolatry, lust, an abusive relationship, you name it. Why do we keep going back to the very things that are destroying us?

What is it in your life that you would be better off without? That one thing that, if you lost it, your life would be so much better.

Do you remember the Old Testament story of Sodom and Gomorrah? Things go so bad in those towns that God decided to destroy them. There was one man though - Lot was his name. When Lot was hesitating to leave the city one of the angels said to him . . .

“Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” - Genesis 19:17

That is the place we have to get to with our addictions and desires. We have to arrive at the point where we give them up and do not look back. Lot's wife looked back and thought about what she was leaving behind. It cost her everything - her life. She is our example of what NOT to do.

"But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." - Genesis 19:26

God wants us to leave our past behind us and follow Him. Never look back, never think about what might have been. Only look ahead and dream about what is yet to come.

Burn The Ships - For King and Country (the meaning)

Switching Tracks

As we go through life there are times we must make life-changing decisions about what path we are on. Perhaps it's a job, a church or a relationship. All we know for sure is we need to get on a different track.

So, how do we know if it's the right move? Is it our selfish selves that are driving the change? Or is it God Himself through the Holy Spirit?

When I get to moments like that in my life I invariably ask myself this question. "Am I doing the right thing?" And that's my biggest problem. I am asking myself  that question and not God.

Prayer can be frustrating sometimes. We ask something of God and then we don't get any clear answers about what we should do. There is a reason for that. I think it's because God wants US to make that decision. He wants us to ask ourselves, "What does God want me to do?" and then do it!

If we think every decision through and make our decisions based on our knowledge of God, we end up making the right decision every time.

I changed jobs once. I had wrestled with the decision for months. When I finally made the move to switch, on my way home I saw a bald eagle fly across the road in front of me. It actually turned its head and looked at me. I'm not saying God directed that eagle to do that but it was very reassuring to me. Kind of a sign.

I made one of those big decisions last week. Should I have done what I did? There was that question again. Doubt enters in and we wonder. Shortly after making that decision I saw an old friend in town. They wondered if I would be interested in using one of my God-given gifts to help him out. Of course! Again, very reassuring to me.

Have you ever gotten confirmation that the big decision YOU made was the right one? It seems to happen more than just occasionally. But we shouldn't need confirmation from God. We should know in our hearts which direction is right. We should know what the right track is we need to be on. Our confirmation is in God's Word!

"105Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." - Psalm 119:105

Step into a new day
We can rise up from the dust and walk away
We can dance upon our heartache, yeah
So light a match, leave the past, burn the ships
And don't you look back

Burn The Ships - For King and Country

The Next Nexus

There is a crossing of paths in life where the good meets the bad, the happy meets the sad. But wherever you are and whatever you do, whatever happens is a nexus between you and God.

I was reminded of this fact as my wife and I drove across the upper peninsula of Michigan yesterday, journeying to a family reunion.

Back home a young friend of mine was in labor, delivering a beautiful baby girl, while down the hall at the same hospital a father was informed that HIS baby in the NICU had died. Happy and sad at the same time, in the same place.

My wife and I just happened to meet up with our daughter and her husband part way through our trip. We had lunch together. It was a happy time. Yet I was reminded of similar trips with MY parents. They are both gone from us. They will not be at the family reunion. A sad time.

Then, sitting at the breakfast table this morning, our niece told us abut an upcoming unplanned job transition. She would be leaving a job she loved and her job family, which she also loved. Truly a sad and uncertain time in her life. What would the future bring? Only God knows.

The nexus between the happy and the sad, known and unknown, is perfectly laid out in the story of Jesus Christ. The happy side is that God cared enough for mankind that He sent his Son to us, to live and then to die - a nexus for sure. But then there was a "second nexus" as Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. A nexus between sad and happy.

No matter what you are going through in life there will be good and bad, happy and sad. But with Christ, there will always be that second nexus. And for that we give God thanks and praise.

I'm not sure what you are going through.

Choose Today

Yesterday was Easter. My wife and I had a great time celebrating with our kids. I hope you had a wonderful time as well. Our kids chose to be with us. We were glad they did.

A lot of good stuff happens at this time of year. Easter is just one. Spring is another. Warmer temperatures, flowers blooming, birds singing, snow melting. Yes, we still have snow.

This time of year also brings forth hope. A time of new beginnings. Who hasn't had a time in their lives when they wished they could just start over.

I know people who are still hibernating in their houses - afraid to venture out. They are still breathing in the stale winter air instead of opening the windows and breathing in new air . . . new life. That's their choice, foolish though it is.

I see the sun shining in spring and marvel at it. How the earth is just the perfect distance from it so we neither freeze to death nor burn up. It's perfect. I see the birds returning from warmer climates to start new families, giving birth to new generations who will live and breathe and do the same things in their time.

'Spring' and 'Easter' are words that represent new life and new hope. Similar hope can be found in the name 'Jesus'.

Christians believe in Jesus. They believe in His promise of hope and eternal life. A promise filled with endless opportunities of fellowship, worship and love.

Others don't believe in Him. They "follow" the teachings of other religions or no religion at all, denying any deity what so ever. Easter is just eggs and candy for them. That's fine. That's their choice.  But it's not mine. As for me, I have chosen whom I will serve.

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:14-15

The following video is a true story of a magician. He made his living by fooling others. That is, until he got some bad news. Then he received a heavy dose of truth. "You have cancer." You know what saved him? Someone sacrificed their own blood so that he could live. A simple transfusion and he is now cancer free.

Jesus has offered everyone HIS life-giving blood - a sacrifice for sins. This world is in bad need of a transfusion. Do YOU need one? Would you choose life? Or do you think you're above all this religious stuff? Even though it would give you life, would your pride choose death? It's your choice. But choose today whom you will serve.

Jim Munroe - I Am Second

Jobs

"5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" - 2 Corinthians 13:5

In the book of Second Corinthians Paul exhorts us to examine ourselves, to see whether or not we are truly walking with Jesus. Who knows, maybe we only THINK we are doing fine in our faith walk but in reality we might be actually going down a path that leads away from Him.

As I am writing this it is Labor Day, Monday. It is a day on which I would normally be at work. If we are truly to examine ourselves work is a good place to start. The question I keep asking myself is, "Is what I am doing now for a career honoring to God?" Another question is like it. "Am I serving God in the things that I do?"

It's a little late in the game for me to be asking myself that question. I'll probably be retiring in a few years. But what will I be doing then? How will I be serving God? Will I be honoring Him in what I do? And WHAT will I do?

I think the first thing we need to do when we are looking for a job or making a career choice is to approach the whole topic with God in mind. We need to assess our career choices and use The Bible as our guide. With that in mind I came up with a short list of things to consider when seeking a job, choosing a career field, or simply desiring to serve God.

1. Pray. The first thing we should do under any circumstance is pray. - "33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matthew 6:33
2. Examine. We should take a look at ourselves to see what gifts God has given us. Are you compassionate? Maybe you should be a counselor or a care-giver. Are you strong? Maybe you should be a laborer or a trainer?
3. Test. We might think we have a particular gift but do we really? Ask a friend to give you an honest assessment.
4. Train. Once you have narrowed things down, take some classes, learn all you can. Improve yourself in the area you want to get in to.
5. Seek. We need to gain experience in the field we are hoping to enter. Volunteer doing something similar. Seek out employment opportunities.
6. Serve. "23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men," - Colossians 3:23

As we actively seek a career in school or hope to find a new job let us be ever-mindful of God and His desire for our lives. Reading through the Old Testament as I am right now, I am constantly reminded of a very important thing. Each story I read about the kings of that time always has the words, "He did what was right in the eyes of The Lord," or "He did evil in the eyes of The Lord." Let us always choose what is right and honorable in God's eyes. Making God-honoring decisions is ALWAYS a good thing.

Develop Your Gifts And Talents To Glorify God

Choose

We are all faced with choices as we travel through a typical day. We can choose to hit the snooze button on our alarm clocks for example. Like me, we can choose to hit it repeatedly and with a great sense of purpose and meaning when we choose to sleep in despite our alarm clock's insistence to the contrary.

We can choose what type of coffee we drink - regular or decaf. We can choose our breakfast cereal, we can choose how we butter our toast and how long we brush our teeth. Life is full of choices both big and small.

The smaller choices seldom come with any great consequences - toilet paper . . . over or under, paper or plastic, do we want fries with that. But some decisions have eternal consequences.

Recently, two friends of mine "came out of the closet" and announced that they were gay. They made a choice. However their recent choice comes with heavier consequences because they decided to choose a path contrary to the will of God. Choices of that nature never end well.

I have friends who have chosen a life filled with drugs. I have friends who have been addicted to alcohol. I have friends who have chosen to have sex outside of marriage and who have committed adultery. These are all examples of people who decided to choose one thing over another but, according to what I read in the Bible, they have chosen to sin against a Holy God.

Let''s get something straight before we go any farther. We ALL sin. "There is none righteous, not one." But there is a difference between sinning, feeling guilty about it and sinning without guilt. The word is repentance. The act of repenting of our sins is part of what I am calling "The Great Equation." Sin + Repentance = Forgiveness. Without repentance there can be no forgiveness.

Here is a hard word to swallow from God. You will probably not hear it being read in many Sunday schools these days. But perhaps we should be reading it to our children because it seems that many are not getting the whole picture as we "train them in the way they should go." Most people in the world today do not have a healthy fear of God. That's a problem.

"26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." - Hebrews 10:26-30

Basically, if we choose to lead a life filled with unrepentant sin, we are going to hell. As much as we'd like to believe the contrary, that is God's Word and truth! But still, though we can read His Word, though we can know His truth, we choose not to believe it saying, "I can't believe a loving God could condemn someone to death over simply loving another person." The only conclusion one can draw from a comment like that is that the truth of God is not in them, for if it were, they would desire to follow it.

Where does sin come from anyway? Contrary to what some people will tell you, we are not "born that way." Although we are born with a sinful nature, we CHOOSE our sins. We CHOOSE our addictions. Why? Because we are more into pleasing ourselves than into pleasing God.

For example, when I see a woman wearing a low-cut shirt, I have a choice to make. I could stare longingly at "God's beautiful creation" or I could turn my head away because I know that to do otherwise would lead to sin, and to death.

I have a friend who works in prison ministry. There are a great many criminals who come to a saving faith in Christ while they are in jail. Why? Because they have finally come to the conclusion that there must be something better than the life they chose. When we finally come to the end of our "selves" . . . that is where we find Jesus. And, just like the thief who hung next to Jesus on the cross, as long as we repent of our sins, Jesus is faithful to deliver us into His kingdom.

So do we condemn all these "evil sinners?" No. Not unless we want to condemn ourselves along with them. But we ARE compelled to pray for them. It's like doing nothing for someone who has been bitten by a poisonous snake. Though we have access to serum that can cure them through a simple 9-1-1 phone call, if we willingly choose to do nothing it is tantamount to murder.

My heart is heavy because of the recent choices my friends have made. It is like they have chosen to die. But their choices remind me of my OWN sin and how I need to repent and seek God's forgiveness, daily.

I am convinced that if we DON'T pray for ALL who sin, including ourselves, it is we who are guilty of perhaps a GREATER sin - willfully watching someone die. It is our own selfish nature that convicts everyone of us. We have become idols in our own lives. It is time for us to choose. We must chose, today, whom we will serve.

"14 Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:14-15