Choices
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Deut.
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,
by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
each step we take is a choice…we can choose to go left/right, forward/backward, not to go anywhere at all, right/wrong, love/hate, or life/death but the choice is ours and it is the sum of all those choices that becomes our life
the bible is filled with choices
life/death
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,
by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
wide gate/narrow gate
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
eat/ not eat
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
Whom will you serve? God/man/devil
“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.”
the prophet Gad comes to David and offers 3 choices from the Lord since David took the census
3 years of famine
3 months fleeing from foes
3 days pestilence
David chooses pestilence and God relents and David takes ownership of his sin
why are choices so important? because of the consequences that result from those choices, because the summation of those choices forms our life
multiple little decisions = habits
small little decisions can lead to some serious bad habits
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
All of us have before us this morning a choice life and death, blessing and curse? Which one doe we choose?
we must choose life in order to live and we know that life is found in Jesus Christ
John 1:
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
John 14:
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
see
We must love the Lord our God
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
“In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:
We must hold on to him!
am I allowing the Bible to inform my decision? our understanding is flawed, incomplete, biased, partial, limited
Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
do I have the facts? THINK and gather all the INFO
,
He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him.
The first to plead his case seems right, Until another comes and examines him.
is the pressure of time forcing me to make a premature decision?
;
The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.
Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, And he who hurries his footsteps errs.
what motives are driving my decisions? to get my way, to protect my way of living?
;
All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives.
Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin”?
All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives.
how should pass experiences inform my decisions?
He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, Therefore do not associate with a gossip.
what is the collective counsel of my community?
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.
have I honestly considered the warning signs?
have I considered all the possible outcomes of my actions?
,
The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
The naive believes everything, But the sensible man considers his steps.
could this decision jeopardize my integrity or hinder my witness for the Lord
; ;
Like a trampled spring and a polluted well Is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out.
A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold.
is there a better option that would allow me to make a greater impact for God’s kingdom
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls.
Prov.
the bottom line is we all have decisions to make? Will we choose life in God or death by following satan and the world? Have no doubt we must choose one today
Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.
