I will ...

God gave each one of us a gift.  Some allow it to go unused or leave it underdeveloped.  Others, on the opposite extreme, trust it too much, thinking more of themselves than they ought to.  He gave you a will, the ability to choose.  Each day presents us with dozens of choices, each with consequences good or bad, that ripple from them.  “But, Jerry,” some of you object, “isn’t God greater than my will?” Yes, He is.  He ultimately rules the affairs of this world and His purposes will prevail, but within that framework He gives us wide latitude to exercise our will.

Sometimes we make a choice in the moment.  For example, I awakened in the night deeply troubled by a dream, not one of those crazy, wild ones but one that was very real.  In that moment of awareness, I knew I had a choice to make:  trust the Living Lord and pray for the situation or spend the rest of the early morning hours tossing and turning, in the grip of anxiety.  I chose faith and in a few moments, after prayer, returned to a restful sleep.   Other choices are based on convictions, principles, and faith.  I believe, for example, that God teaches generosity is a precursor to prosperity.  If I desire Him to provide, I must choose to learn to give. So, I practice the discipline of giving, guided by the principle of the tithe (10%).  It’s a choice of my will to write those checks.

Are you one of those people willing to play the victim in life? Some refuse to make disciplined choices for good. They allow evil to roll over them or through their home without offering any resistance. They excuse themselves from any responsibility for where they are in life today.  Oh yes, I know that terrible situations come our way, that storms blow through our lives, that bad people do awful things.  I know it is folly to attempt to draw a straight line between cause and effect in each circumstance. But, I also know that God assures us that we will ‘reap what we sow.’  "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:6-10, NIV)

The truth is that a field left untilled goes to weeds.  Health ignored becomes disease and infirmity.  Holy lives do not spring up without a ‘long obedience in the same direction.’ (Eugene Peterson)

The first choice is to respond to the invitation of God’s Spirit!  When He invites us to come home to the Father, we must respond readily, in faith.  We are born anew by the Spirit in that moment.  Disciples then choose the Way each day.  Joshua, the leader of ancient Israel, called the leaders together when he knew his time on earth was coming to an end. He gave them a challenge that still comes to every godly man and women 4 millennia later: “So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. … You, worship God.  If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. … As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.” (Joshua 24:14-15)

Refuse the lie that says you’re powerless to change.  Silence the whisper that urges you to drift with the flow.  Take the powerful promise of liberation from sin and death that is given to us through Christ Jesus by the Spirit.  The gift of God that leads to life is yours to own by faith. Here’s the word from the Word.  Lord, lead us to freedom of choice today and give us wisdom to choose wisely.

"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness." (Romans 8:5-10, NIV)  "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (Romans 8:13-14, NIV)

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Take My Life And Let It Be (Hendon)

Take my life and let it be,

Consecrated Lord to Thee.

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands and let them move,

At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be,

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing,

Always only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be,

Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold,

Take my intellect and use,

Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine!

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne,

Take my love my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself and I will be

Ever only all for Thee.

Frances Ridley Havergal | Henri Abraham Cesar Malan

© Words: Public Domain