293....
Not a magic number, or a secret code ... 293 choices.
If I wanted a chocolate candy bar, the real deal, not just your run of the mill - non-chocolate candy bar - I would have 293 choices... 293!
Every day is about choice....
Stay in bed or get up.
What to eat, what to wear, where to go, who to go with, when do I .... lot's of choices.
Some of those choices don’t have much to do with things of eternal importance and some of them have everything to do with it! (“Should I break this commandment?”).
Sometimes we ask, “Do my choices really matter?” Or we may think, “If no one knows what I’m doing, do my decisions really affect anyone?” The answer is yes!
Our decisions always matter!
Choosing to keep the commandments shows God that we love Him and are willing to follow Him. The choices we make—including our attitude in making those choices—are a big part of how we grow and mature in our faith.
While you are free to choose your course of action..."It's my decision and I'm sticking to it!" You are not free to choose the consequences. Whether for good or bad, consequences will follow as a result of the choices you make.”
Our lives are made up of a series of choices. Some with meaning only for that day or that moment but others that can have ramifications far reaching into our futures and determine the course our lives. The point is that we need to be more respectful of the choices we have to make in this life and recognize that they often wield a power greater than we can see. We have a habit of bringing God our problems – after we have made the choices that resulted in them. I believe God would much rather we bring Him our choices, so that we do not have to experience the problems of poor decisions.
So how do we get there...Paul said,
12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
I'm just sayin' ...
Turn off the distractions and turn up God...
Psalm 119:130 (NIV)
The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
- Is the world shouting so loudly — that it’s drowning out God’s answer to your prayer?
Seek Christian counsel from those you respect and study the Word...
Proverbs 19:20 (AMP)
20 Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.
- Look around ... has God already placed someone in your life you can talk to and trust. Who among your Christian friends has walked this road?
Naturally limit your choices...
Colossians 3:17 (NIV)
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
After laying out your options, cross out the ones least likely to honor God, and circle the ones that could bring him the most glory.
Humbly confront your motives: do certain choices appeal more to YOU than to him (James 4:3)? Eliminate options that are more about saving face and keeping control than about pleasing the Father.
Choices that honor God will ultimately be in your best interest!
Do something...
James 1:22 (NLT)
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
If you’re only waiting because you’re afraid to act, set fear aside and step out in faith (Joshua 1:9).
If you’ve sought God through prayer, Bible study, counsel, (and appropriate pacing) place your confidence in Him and decide.
Just make the choice!
Trust that God is true to his word—you ask in faith for wisdom; He will generously supply it (James 1:5-6).
Give thanks and trust God...
Instead of second-guessing the decision you’ve made, give thanks for it. Believe that God will work good out of your choice (Romans 8:28).
Psalm 28:7 (NLT)
The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
I wonder what Solomon was just sayin' when he said...
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
...now about that candy bar...decisions....decisions....so many decisions....
See Ya!
~ Kelly
