Grand
statements can be dangerous, coming around to bite us. How many of us say, “Oh, I would never do _______
,” only to find ourselves eating our words? Sometimes we immaturely brag about our
strength, unaware of our true
nature. Before we are tested we
sometimes are overly confident believing we are too smart or too strong to be
deceived by sin or Self. This is not the
appeal to you today. I am asking you to
set your hope in Christ, to choose Him, and to gain the strength of conviction
from His Word. Yes, we need to make the
prior choice, to set guiding principles in place early in life.
Bill
Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Church, tells of adopting a ‘life verse,’ that
continues to minister to him through the years. The Word encourages him saying "be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is
not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians
15:58, NKJV) When he is tested by
critics, pressed by challenges, he’s made a prior choice to trust that God
working in him will make his work fruitful, so he sticks with it.
Making
a prior choice based on the wisdom of the Word is a key to becoming a mature,
joyful, and steady disciple. This demands we know the Scripture. The
Psalm says, "I have hidden your word
in my heart, that I might not sin against you. . . . Your word is a lamp to
guide my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119:11, 105, NLT) Do you have passages of the Bible tucked into
your memory and speaking to direct you today?
Before
we are faced with a choice, we can be blessed to know what God says! A prior choice for obedience is a place of
safety for us. For example, a
partnership is offered that looks full of promise on the surface, but you know
that the Scripture directs Christians to avoid partnerships with those who do
not revere God (2 Corinthians 6:14) so, having made a prior choice, you do not
even consider the offer. God speaks
about our use of time and resources, about where we seek our joyful
fulfillment, about how we relate to others, about our sexuality, about the way
we love and honor our family, about the importance of His church in our
lives. Will we understand His will, make
a prior choice for obedience, and rob temptation of its allure?
Joshua
prepared the people of God for entry into Canaan, the land that flowed with
milk and honey. The old man of God knew
that the land would also offer all kinds of temptations. What did he tell them?
"For the
Lord has driven out great and powerful nations for you, and no one has yet been
able to defeat you. Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy,
for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised. So be very
careful to love the Lord your God." (Joshua 23:9-11, NLT) Remember
the blessings!
“So fear the
Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors
worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the
Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your
ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites
in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the
Lord.”
(Joshua 24:14-15, NLT) Make a prior choice!
The
word from the Word is Jesus’ invitation to faithfulness. “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for
the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62, NKJV) The ploughman who committed himself to turn
the earth, could not look back over his shoulder as the plow went forward. He had to focus on keeping the line,
finishing the furrow. Make the prior
choice!
___________
I have decided
to follow Jesus
I have decided
to follow Jesus
I have decided
to follow Jesus
No turning
back, no turning back.
Tho’ none go
with me, still I will follow
Tho’ none go
with me, still I will follow
Tho’ none go
with me, still I will follow
No turning back, no turning back.
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