choices.....

we are all faced with choices every day. some are easy and some require a bit more thought.  like, do i hit snooze one more time, do i have another cup of caffeine or go for the decaf, do i eat that salad or hit up mc d's, do i get that ct scan to see if my cancer has returned or just ignore it? we may not think that our choices have long lasting impact but they do.  in our lives or the lives of those around us.

i will be the first to admit that i have made many bad choices.  i have not only hurt myself with them, but have hurt people i care deeply about.  i have had to live with the repercussions of these choices.  i blame no one other than myself for them.  yes, i have been coerced, made fun of, prodded and begged, to make a certain choice, but ultimately the decision was my own as to what i would do.

i have been challenged, i have been berated, i have been disowned, i have been in many situations where i had to choose how to act, how to think, how to speak, how to move forward.   at times i have considered the consequences of my actions and at times i have not.  where am i going with this.........well.........

i have made the choice to be a follower of Jesus.  no one made me, no one convinced me, no one threatened me, no one misled me and no one can ever, ever, ever, ever convince me it was the wrong choice to make.  i believe the bible is the word of God, and i am well aware that many do not.  to those of you in the 2nd grouping i challenge you to actually do a NON BIASED search for the truth.  a good place to start is with a book called "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" by Josh McDowell who set out to disprove the bible and Jesus.  also check out the "Book of Josephus".  if you truly want an answer, you will find it.

for those of you in the first group, let me pose this question to you:  if the bible is the word of God, are you picking and choosing what you want to hear and believe, or what God is saying?  if i say i believe in His word, then i cannot pick and choose what portions of it are truths for my life, for all our lives.  i agree with you there are some things that are a mystery, that i may not understand until i am in Heaven.  however, all that i need to know, all i need to be a follower of Jesus, is reveled to me.  there is a distinct difference of someone who "believes" in Jesus (satan believes in Jesus) and someone who believes in the person, the work of and has accepted His mercy of forgiveness paid on the cross.  

does this sound uncomfortable, biased, one-sided?  yes, it may but scripture says "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."(Hebrews 4:12) His word is my compass, it addresses every possible situation in life i can encounter.  it gives me clear direction on how to make good choices.  He gives me the freedom to make bad ones.

it is my hope and always my prayer, that those who have not yet made a clear choice of who Jesus is and what He has done, and to the truth and power of the bible, will be to accept, follow and believe.  He made the only choice we need to be eternally saved.  it is our choice as to whether we accept it or not.  

God's love is pure, but it is also holy and just.  He demands payment for our sin, and He provided it.  you are free to believe whatever you wish to believe.  He will never force Himself upon you. in the end, payment must be made.  ahh yes, i hear you, i am a good person, i help others, i don't ............ like others do, but what is the standard of "good"? yours, your neighbors, the guy down the street, the man in jail, where is the line you have to cross with enough "good" to get to wherever you think that will lead you....heaven, nirvana, a planet of your own or maybe just hell?

if i sound harsh i make no apology for what the bible teaches.  it is clear when it states "all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." (Isaiah 64:6) on our own, no matter what, no matter how "good", we can never measure up to pay for our sins. is God love? so much so He did provide for payment of sin.......i made my choice......what will yours be....?

Acts 4:12; James 2:14, 19; all of Proverbs; all of Psalms; James 4:4; 1Peter 2:9; Ephesian 1:4

Happy and blessed Easter........