"The Choice Is Up To You My Friend"

For my birthday, my sweet husband gave me a Kindle. It’s just the basic e-reader, not one of the newer ones, but it suites my purpose just fine. I’ve just began reading The Hunger Games trilogy this past weekend, and I am captivated by the main character’s battle with choice. Last night, I had to literally force myself to put the Kindle down and go to bed. I’ve averaged about five hours of sleep each night in the past week, and it was beginning to take it’s toll on me. I’ve been so busy doing other things, I have neglected sleep; and, personally, that has an odd effect on my body.

I started noticing the signs yesterday afternoon as I was attempting to clean the kitchen after I made dinner. When I don’t get a proper night’s sleep, my mind gets foggy, I become lethargic, and I really stop feeling like doing anything. So when I noticed yesterday that I was struggling through my housework, a task I usually truly enjoy, I knew I had to make a different choice. I had to chose to finish what I was doing, and go to bed. All the other work would patiently wait for me until morning; I needed to make a better choice. Often, I have had to take a step back from what I was doing and decide I needed to make a better choice. We all do. Every day, from the moment we wake up, we are flooded with a thousand choices to make: do you get out of bed to start your day or chose to stay in bed; do you stop and grab a donut on the way in to work or make some scrambled eggs and oatmeal; do you make that hard choice to end a friendship that is not encouraging your walk with Christ or let the past dictate your future. We all have choices to make.

Because we serve a God that wants us to chose Him, He gives us options everyday. In the Old Testament, Joshua is speaking to the Israelites about the choices they are making, reminding them that they have a choice whom they will serve. He ends with, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  It’s a choice. Everyday, we have to choice to serve the Lord, even though we may not understand what we are going through. Everyday, we have to decide that we are going to do what the Word of God tells us to do, and carry our cross daily. Everyday, if we choose Christ, we have to die to the things we want to do or say, and let Him speak though us. Choose for yourself who you will serve, but I can tell you that I am going to trust the Creator to know what’s best for me; my family and I serve the Lord.

It is not always easy to make the right choice. A lot of religious people will tell you that it should be, but choices are not always black and white. We have to gage every choice we make against our Instruction Manuel, pray about it, wrestle with it, and then rest in the peace of God if we know we made a Godly choice. The fact is, if Christ is not the foundation for every choice we make, we fail.  Remember that your choices dictate your consequences.

(P.S. For those of you it’s driving crazy, it’s from Who’s The Boss’ opening song.)

Prayer:

Gracious Father,

Thank You  that I am given options everyday to live for You. God, help me make the best choices when it comes to serving You. Lord, I want every thing I do in life to glorify You! In Jesus Name, Amen.

Scripture References:

Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

             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.”

Proverbs 10:20 (NIV)
            The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

Psalm 16:4 (NIV)
Their sorrows shall be multiplied who choose another god; their drink offerings of blood will I not offer or take their names upon my lips.

James 4:4 (AMP)
You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.

Proverbs 3:31(NCV)
Don't be jealous of those who use violence, and don't choose to be like them.

Proverbs 16:16(NCV)
It is better to get wisdom than gold, and to choose understanding rather than silver!

Psalm 25:12 (NKJV)
Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

Proverbs 12:26 (NKJV)
The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Love LIFE (LoveIsForEver):

Love is definitely a choice. Everyday we have to choose to love our spouse in spite of yesterday’s hurts, in spite of how we may feel. Remind your spouse today of why you choose to continue loving them. The more you remind them, the more you build up their admiration and love for you. Love is not about getting what we want, it’s about attending to a need greater than ours.