Daily Choices

Monday, 22 June 2009

~ Daily Choices ~

Did you know that experiencing the gospel of Jesus in your life is not wrapped up in your physical actions or in your theological knowledge? Did you know that it has nothing to do with your religious denomination or your cultural history?

It is all wrapped up in a bundle of choices. These choices come at us daily. Every time we decide or choose not to decide, we have made a choice about something. Every time God brings something to your heart - a truth or an instruction - we have a choice. We can choose to accept it or we can choose to deny it. It's all in our choice.

Our physical choice does not save us. Salvation is a free gift from Jesus to us. But we must choose to surrender to His love in order to receive His power that enables us to be saved. It's the only way we can have victory. Our choice dictates where we end up.

To illustrate this point, let's look at a few examples of choices from the bible:

The thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43): The thief didn't live an abundant Christian life. His opportunities to hear truth were much less than most; however, the truth that God had presented to him he chose to accept. By making the choice to fully accept the truth he was presented with at that moment, he was saved. Had he lived on, he would have grown even further in his walk and God would have continued to present him more truth in his daily life to accept as he grew into God's character.

Then there is Caiaphas (John 18:12-14, 19-23). As high priest and a teacher of the Law of God, he had dozens of opportunity to receive truth in his life. Yes, he accepted some of them, or he wouldn't have been a teacher of the law. But he didn't accept all of them. He only accepted what was comfortable for him and denied the rest. As a result, he played a lead role in killing the Son of God. His prior experience and the truths he did accept in his life weren't enough to save him. The truths he chose to deny in the end were his destruction. As a teacher of God's law, Caiaphas had more opportunity for receiving God's truth than the thief. Yet, his decision to only surrender to some of them instead of all of them cost him eternal life.

So it is with us today. Salvation is a gift. It's not based on our works, our past, or our knowledge. It is based on our willingness to fully surrender to the Love that sets us free and can empower us with His gift of eternal life. It's a daily choice and one that each of us must make. Choice is very precious to God. He wants His children to fully love and obey Him by choice, not by coercion. By accepting the truths God brings to us for our lives daily, we open ourselves up to receive God's gift of salvation and will receive His power to do what He asks us to do. We will be changed. To deny God's instruction (truth) for you is to shut the door to His gift of salvation. He accepts us where we are at, but He loves us too much to keep us there. God's gift of salvation is our choice. But it can only be received by choice. What is your choice today?

Kimberly Mills
Elijah Road Ministries Devotional