Our Choices Matter
Our Choices Matter.
Have you ever stopped to think about how much our choices matter? Everything we do- every single thing - is based on the choices we make. And while we would love to blame others – our parents, past relationships, the economy, our spouse, etc. –for our bad choices, we are the only ones responsible for every decision and every choice. Yikes! That means we are to be held responsible for everything we say, everything we do, everything we don’t say and everything we don’t do. These choices we are making – sometimes without much thought – are directing our lives and putting us on a path. What path have your choices put you on today?
I would guess that as you are reading this you can think of some choices you have made that you would love to take back. I certainly can. Sometimes in life, wouldn’t it be great if we had a big “UNDO” button? Once we realized, “Oops! That was not a good choice”, we could just UNDO it and get back on the right path. Well, that is not an option. But God promised in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good to those who love God. So often – through our mistakes – we can learn invaluable lessons and grow closer to God.
Our choices matter. Big choices matter. Little choices matter.
It matters how we choose to live. It matters what we choose to eat; how we choose to parent; the words we choose to speak; the priorities we choose; how we choose to love; how we choose to argue; how much of our life we choose to give God control over; and all other choices. If we want to be on and stay on the right path for our life – then we must relinquish control of our choices and allow God to reign over the choices we make.
How in the world do we do that? You may be thinking that there are so many choices that need to be made in the moment. There just simply isn’t time to pray about everything and seek an answer from God. But, the reality is that we – as Christ followers (Oh, how ironic. Just consider what that term- “Christ follower” – truly means.) – should be consistently praying and seeking to live a God directed life. Giving Him the steering wheel and allowing Him to direct our path. Check out these verses and think about what they speak to you. . .
Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.”
I Corinthians 10:31 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”
Proverbs 3: 5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”
I Peter 1:13-16 “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”
Let’s look at that last scripture. It is powerful. So let’s just break it down. It says “gird up the loins of your mind”. In Biblical times people would gather up their long robes and tie them around their waist so they could move quickly and freely. “Gird the loins of your mind” is much the same. We are to do whatever it takes to focus our thoughts on the things that allow us to make wise choices. There are many scriptures that instruct us to be wise and seek counsel. We are to make sure that our mind is sound and geared toward serving God. “Be sober” means that we are to use good judgment and not allow anything to influence us otherwise. “Rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” is exhibiting confidence that God will accomplish all He has promised. “As obedient children” says that we should be obedient to all of God’s instructions just as a child is to be obedient to his/her parents. “Not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance” means that we should no longer act and/or react as we did before we accepted Christ as our Savior. Apart from Christ our behavior was self-centered and arrogant. But once we accept Christ we are to lay down our selfish nature and seek to honor God in all we do. And lastly, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” – well that tells us that our conduct should be holy. WOW! Holy is a really big word. Our conduct is to be holy. I can’t find an “if” in that sentence. So, I am assuming that God is calling us to be Holy regardless of the situation we are in. One definition of Holy is “dedicated or devoted to the service of God”.
Those are big shoes to fill, aren’t they? Our choices matter so our only hope is to pray daily, earnestly asking God to help us focus our mind on Him, seeking Him first in all things. We should pray for sound judgment as we make countless choices each day. We should rest in the hope we have in Jesus – believing in Him and trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us. We should ask for God’s help to be obedient to the scripture – applying it in our daily walk. And… we should ask God to help us exhibit conduct that reflects the Holy One we desire to serve.
Let’s pray for each other – asking God to help us make good choices today and every day.