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Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Choices (Pt. 2)

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”-Deuteronomy 30:19

God has given us the ability to choose a path that leads to life or choose a path that leads to death. Today, I want to focus in on six areas in which you’ve been given the ability to choose. Choices that can impact your life everyday: love, joy, peace, forgiveness, serving God and salvation.

Believe it or not, love is a choice!  Infatuation is certainly an emotion, but love is a choice. Romans 5:8 declares that God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us. His love for us was demonstrated through His sacrificial death and not through an emotional expression. In fact, in Luke 10:27, we are commanded to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind. You cannot command someone to be infatuated with someone else, but yet the Lord commands us love Him and to love our neighbors. He even goes as far in Matthew 5:43-44 to tell us to love our enemies; something most of us would have a difficult time doing, if love were merely an emotion. Love isn’t a feeling it is a demonstration of Christ’s goodness, service, and sacrifice towards others.

Joy is a choice! Don’t confuse happiness and joy. Happiness is tied to our circumstances, joy is tied to our relationship with Christ. James 1:2 states: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” You can either choose to be miserable and play the victim or you can rejoice in your relationship with God. Joy reminds us that we are not moved by our circumstances, but by our faith in God.

Peace is a choice! Romans 12;18 declares:  “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” A wise man once told me: “Just because someone calls for a war, doesn’t mean you have to show up to fight.” The passage is clear. I cannot control everyone, but I can certainly control how I respond. As far as it depends on you, live at peace.

Forgiveness is a choice! Matthew 6:14-15 states: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Each one of us has the power and the prerogative to forgive. Forgiveness isn’t just something God hopes for us but it is something He expects from those who have received His forgiveness.

Serving God is a choice! Joshua declared it best in Joshua 24:15: “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Choosing to serve God is a daily decision!

However, the greatest choice you will ever make is choosing Jesus! Salvation is a gift secured for us by Jesus that we must choose to receive. It should not be a decision we make once you’ve eliminated every other option, but a willful distinct life-altering choice that will direct your life.

Romans 10:9-“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” You can choose to sin and live for self, or you can choose to repent and live for Christ! The choice is yours!


Pastor Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church

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