Choices! 11-8–26

Welcome to the word for the week. Choices. Life is filled with many of them. Some you have to make and some you wish you never have to make. Some you are glad you made and others you wish you never would have thought of. Regardless to how we feel about them, choices are something we cannot escape in life. We have to choose or not choose God. We have to choose between right and wrong. We have to choose between holiness and sin. While we have what seems like an unlimited amount of choices, there are also things where we have no choice. We cannot choose when we are born and we cannot choose when it is our time to go. What we can choose is how we live life in between those two moments in time. So, what is your choice when it comes to God?

It is always amazing to me when I read where Joshua told the people to choose this day whom they would serve. It sounds like a no brainer and that the choice should be obvious. But why did he really say that? It is because Joshua understood that God gives us a free will and we have to decide if we will walk with Him or not. Joshua gave the people their own choice and they chose God. Then he reminded them of their choice and what that would mean. If it stopped there that would be fine. But Joshua went one step further when he declared that as for him and his house they were going to serve the Lord. That was not simply a declaration. That was a firm choice and he was not turning back from his decision. In other words, Joshua put his hands on the plow for his entire household and declared there was no turning back from God!

It is truly a blessing to read where Joshua stood and what he believed in. But, what about you? Can you say the same thing? Can you say that same things not just about yourself, but also your household? Do you really understand the magnitude of what Joshua was saying? Do you understand how sure he had to be that all of them were on one accord when it came to the things of God? It was not just a statement that he made. It was a conviction of his belief. Joshua was not simply trusting himself and those in his household. He was trusting God to never let go of them. He was trusting God to keep all of them. His confidence was not in the walk of his family. It was in the ability of God to keep them upright. Too many times we rely on ourselves. Here is a tough truth. Nobody can speak for their entire household unless they have their absolute trust in God. In other words, it is not simply you who comes to that point in life. It is your trust in what you have already seen God do on behalf of your household that gets you there.

God is moving everyday. There is not a day that goes by that you and I do not get to see His hand in things. Are we paying attention? What you focus on is a choice. What you ignore is a choice. What you believe or do not believe is a choice. When you speak God’s word in the atmosphere that is a choice. When you decide to say nothing that is a choice. When you pray or do not pray, that is a choice. When you study or do not study, that is a choice. But here is one thing that we must always remember about our choice as we close. We get to choose our actions but we do not get to choose our consequences. It is important for you and I to follow God with everything within us. We need to trust Him with everything within us. We need to completely depend on Him. We need to hold on to His promises and never them go. Those are our choices. The reward for all of that is His faithfulness towards us in everything we do that is according to His will. Now is not the time to faint or falter. Now is the time to rise up in Christ and follow Him wherever He leads us!

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you in His grace,
Bishop Carlos J. Lennon