Theme: Make the right choice
Text: Gen. 18:1-10; Col. 1:15-28; Lk. 10:38-42
Life is all about making choices and what happens to us depends on the choices we make. The choice of what to eat and drink, the choice to go to school, the choice to take drugs, the choice of who to marry and the choice of what our career should be. There is the story of William who left home at sixteen to seek greener pastures in the city. He came from a poor home and all he knew was how to make soap and candles. When William arrived in New York he made the choice to work for a soap manufacturer even though there were better paid jobs around. In spite of his meager wage he never forgot to pay his tithes. In a short time he became part owner and later owner of the soap company. As he prospered he gave more and more till he was giving almost his entire income to God. This is the story of William Colgate, the soap and toothpaste manufacturer who was the first to put toothpaste in a tube. He made the right choice by going to work in a soap factory and putting God first in everything he did. This is the greatest choice that confronts us in the world. The choice to submit to God or not has a great effect on our lives, not only in this life but also in eternity.
Everyone in the world is confronted with different choices that lead to different outcomes. No one needs to teach a child to make wrong choices as every child is born that way because of a sin nature inherited from Adam. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”. (Rom. 5:12). We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. The sin of Adam made us sinners and led us into the prison of sin and no matter the amount of good we do we remain in the prison or place of sin. Sometimes we even believe we are doing the right thing when in fact we are doing the wrong thing. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”. (Pro. 14:12, Pro. 16:25) Instead of asking whether what we are doing is good or bad we need to ask ourselves whether what we are doing will result in life or death. The most important choice in the world is the choice to follow Christ. This choice leads to life. Coming to Christ frees us from the prison of sin to a place of righteousness in Christ. Every right choice we make here leads to life because it always agrees with the Word of God.
God made man in His image and likeness and therefore gave him the right to make choices. Adam and Eve had to make a choice to obey or disobey God. They chose to disobey God and lost their place in the presence of a righteous God. They became slaves in the prison of sin. When God chose Abraham he obeyed God to leave his homeland Haran for a new place where he would be able to maintain and develop an intimate relationship. By the oaks of Mamre a relationship was already developing and Abraham knew that the Lord was the source of his blessing and he would receive far more that he could ever give to the Lord. What could be compared to a child in your old age when all your life you have desired to have a child? Worship is only appropriate response in the presence of the Lord. Abraham responded to the Lord’s presence with worship. Giving is an act of worship and the Lord delights in our worship. Let us make the choice to follow Christ and worship Him.
The choice to follow Christ is a decision. It is a decision to accept Christ as Saviour and Lord because of what He did for us. He was crucified and shed His blood to pay the penalty for our sin that we might be saved even though we did not deserve it. There is only one way to be delivered from the prison of sin and that is through Jesus Christ. “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead”. (1 Cor. 15:21) We cannot choose to follow Christ and continue to live a life that is controlled by a mindset that is contrary to the Word of God. We need to renew our minds and bring it to conform to the Word of God. A mindset that is contrary to the Word of God is a reference to our mindset before coming to Christ. It is a mindset that agrees with the deceptions of the devil. To follow Christ demands living a life in accordance with the Word of God. God is Spirit, the Word of God is spirit and obeying the Word of God is to walk in the spirit. The Law pointed us to sin and to the need for a Saviour. The blood of Christ makes us righteous and empowers us to lead righteous lives”. (Rom. 8:4”
Christ created all things and as our Creator deserves to come first in our lives. Life is not about us but about God and His divine purpose for our lives. Sin prevented us from fulfilling God’s divine purpose for our lives until the time Christ died for us. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. (Rom. 5:8) He was made sin with our sin that we might be made righteous with His righteousness. He not only paid the penalty for sin but also made us joint heirs with Him. We are spirit, we possess a soul and we live in a body. Our spirit has been created anew, holy and blameless, so that the Holy Spirit can live in us. We may be walking here on earth but our spirit is perfect and blameless. As believers we have been made righteous and are to have the mind of Christ. We must think as He does and act in accordance with His Word so that we become like Him. Let us renew our minds and walk faithfully in the spirit.
Following Christ earnestly leads to spiritual growth. Our prayer should be like that of Paul to “know him and the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible we may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that we have already obtained this or are already perfect, but we press on to make it our own, because Christ Jesus has made us his own”. (Phil. 3:10-12) We need to spend time with the Word of God for “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”. (Rom. 10:17) As we continue to hear His words our minds are renewed so that we are able to live by faith in accordance with the Word of God. We cannot choose to follow Christ and not fellowship with other believers. Every believer is part of the body of Christ and has the same Holy Spirit. “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it”. (1 Cor. 12:27) Every part of the body has a part to play and your absence will negatively affect the other parts of the body. We cannot be Christ’s disciples and not study His Word. Our knowledge of Christ is related to our knowledge of His Word. We cannot say we love Christ and not love His Word. Our love of His Word indicates the level of our love for Christ. Without studying His Word we cannot become like Him.
The story of Mary and Martha highlights the importance of our choices and our love for God. Mary made the right choice by choosing to listen to Christ. In those days women were expected to be in the kitchen and see that the guests were well looked after. Martha chose to do what was expected of women. Mary, however, sat down at Jesus’ feet at a time when it was unacceptable for women to do so. Martha’s actions prevented her from hearing the Word of God. We should never become so preoccupied with our work that we ignore Jesus and end up like Martha telling Him what to do. What is distracting you from a relationship with Christ? Is it your friends or your business? The most important decision in the world is to make the right choice concerning where we will spend eternity.
For a person to go to hell is for a person to go against God’s intended destiny. Hell is man’s choice, not God’s choice. Hell is the chosen place of the person who loves self more than God, who loves sin more than his Saviour, who loves this world more than God’s word. You and I can afford many wrong choices in life. You can choose the wrong career, the wrong city, and the wrong house and survive. You can even choose the wrong spouse and survive. However, there is one choice that all must make the choice of Christ as Saviour and Lord. This all-important choice has eternal consequences. Make this choice today and be assured of God’s eternal presence to the praise and glory of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen!
