Good morning. What are your choices today? You may be able to choose what you will eat. You can almost certainly choose what you will wear. You can choose to whom you will speak and interact, at least to some degree.
You can choose the person or persons with whom you will spend your time. You can choose on what you will spend your money. You can choose to drive only Fords, or Chevys, or Toyotas. You can even choose where you will live.
You cannot make a choice about tomorrow’s weather. You cannot make the choice about who is the president of this country (you have one vote, but you know…). You cannot choose whether to be born with a nose of a certain size, or with hair of a particular color, or even if you will have hair when you reach a certain age. You cannot choose your neighbors, or their noisy dogs. You cannot choose whether or not your children will behave in school today. You can warn them, guide them, love them, and support them, but you cannot choose for them.
Joshua 24:15 is a well known scripture about choosing well: If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
For me, there is one passage of scripture that tells us much about making the right choice. It is found in Acts 2:37-39. The context is Peter preaching to the Jews gathered for Pentecost, telling them the truth of Jesus Christ and the truth of their sin: When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
And that is the choice that matters. All the rest pales to insignificance compared to that single choice: to recognize our need, and that Jesus is the answer.
Choose well!
Vern