choose

Choose"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." Joshua 24:15 (NASB) Our capacity to choose, to make choices is one of the things that distinguishes us human beings, as men and women created in the image of God. Of course capacity and opportunity are two different things. Our hunger for freedom and economic abundance in a large measure flows out of our awareness that freedom and prosperity affords us greater choice. Power also grants greater freedom and opportunity to chose, to make decisions, to do as you please. Of course the freedom of the powerful to choose usually comes at the expense of the powerless, of those over whom they exercise power. Nevertheless, in some measure, however great or restricted, we have freedom, opportunity, and power to choose (except when for some reason our minds no longer function).What we do with our freedom, opportunity, and power to choose is of utmost importance, not only for us personally but also for others. The choices we make always have an impact beyond ourselves. Ultimately, “.., each of us will give a personal account to God” Romans 14:12 (NLT). This is why it is necessary to weigh our decisions as to whether or not they bear the mark of good or evil, right or wrong, righteous or wicked, just or unjust, honest or corrupt, wise or foolish, beneficial or detrimental, loving or narcissistic, of peace or war, holy or defiled, pleasing or offensive to God.The decisions we make reflect who we are, really are. They show what and whom we value, reveal our wisdom or foolishness, testify to our character or lack thereof, uncover our true motives, evidence self control or impulsiveness (related to foolishness), display the condition of our hearts, confirm real intelligence or stupidity, and bear witness to our trust in or rejection of God.2012 is a presidential election year, candidates and parties will do their best to present their case for, “Choose me - choose us.” But the campaign for our choices actually began the moment we were born, and it will not be over until we stand before God to account for the sum total of our choices. The choices we make, the votes we cast, the decisions we render do make a difference. Joshua, speaking in the verse you read above, knew that. He knew that for the people who marched out Egypt forty years earlier, for this next generation standing before him, a whole new world was about to open up. They were about to be handed a freedom they had not known, opportunities they could only dream of, and power they never had. This was the time to make decisions, good decisions, new decisions. He also knew that one decisions often spawns a whole chain of decisions and events, and that the first decisions in such a chain, and in front of every decision is the one we make about God. That’s why he said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Once you have made that most important decision then it is wise to examine every following choice in light of: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV).We have no idea as to all 2012 will entail, but it is certain that it will require us to make choices. I pray you and I will in and through our choosing grow into a deeper knowledge of God and more radical doing of His will.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans