(1) "There is a story about a man named Fred who inherited $10 million, but the will required that he had to accept it either in Chile or Brazil. He
chose Brazil. Unhappily it turned out that in Chile he would have received his inheritance in land on which uranium, gold, and silver had just been discovered. Once in Brazil he had to choose between receiving his
inheritance in coffee or nuts. He chose the nuts. Too bad! The bottom fell out of the nut market, and coffee went up to $1.30 a pound wholesale, unroasted. Poor Fred lost everything he had to his name. He went out and sold his solid gold watch for the money he needed to fly home. It seems that he had enough for a ticket to either New York or Boston. He chose Boston.
When the plane for New York taxied up he noticed it was a brand-new super 747 jet with red carpets and chic people and wine-popping hostesses.
The plane for Boston then arrived. It was a 1928 Ford tri-motor with a sway back and it took a full day to get off the ground. It was filled with crying
children and tethered goats. Over the Andes, one of the engines fell off. Our man Fred made his way up to the captain and said, "I’m a jinx on this plane. Let me out if you want to save your lives. Give me a parachute." The pilot agreed, but added, "On this plane, anybody who bails out must wear two
chutes." So Fred jumped out of the plane, and as he fell dizzily through the air he tried to make up his mind which ripcord to pull. Finally he chose the
one on the left. It was rusty and the wire pulled loose. So he then pulled the other handle. This chute opened, but its shroud lines snapped. In
desperation, the poor fellow cried out, "St. Francis save me!" A great hand from heaven reached down and seized the poor fellow by the wrist and let him
dangle in midair. Then a gentle but inquisitive voice asked, "St. Francis Xavier or St. Francis of Assisi?" While we laugh at a humorous tale like this, Everyday we are confronted with many choices. We often do not realize how vitally important these choice are and how they impact our lives."
(1) "As we consider choices, may we see that the choices we make will determine our character, our influence, our commitment and relationship to
Christ, and ultimately our destiny." I heard this story told Wednesday night at the Men’s Bible Study and I received permission to tell it here. It
involves TX Dot employee, who I said would remain nameless, but I was told that in TX Dot fashion I was permitted to use his initials "Randy Baiza".
Randy was apparently to change his password on the computer, and the computer even promoted him to do so three times. On the third time he entered the new password, then the computer prompted him to re-enter the password, which he did. He then received the message "You are about to change your password, is this what you want to do?" Randy was confronted
with the choice. He chose "No", because he didn’t want to change his password, this then locked up the computer, because he was suppossed to be changing his password, and when given a choice, he chose "no". It is said that the other employees have learned from his mistake.
I asked Randy if I could share his story, because it was right along the lines of what I wanted to talk about today. God gives us a choice! We sometimes call it free will. He shows us the right choices to make, prompts us to change our passwords and our lives, and yet so often we simply choose to excercise our free wills to make choices that follow our own desires,
often even chosing and saying "no" to a relationship with God.
Just before Joshua’s death he reminds the people of their story, and about how God called and delivered Israel, and then he asks them to make a choice:
"To chose this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15 NLT).
I want to show you a few examples of "choices" to help you get the idea: (Show "Picture it Presentation" and talk through contrasting slide choices:
(Boats (speed or luxury or even homemade) - Homes (nice or trashy) - Bathrooms or Outhouse - Cars (Z8 or Beverly Hillbillies) - Pro Choice or Pro Life - Pro Death Penalty or Anti Death Penalty - Alcohol or Prohibition/Tea Toatler - Sex or Anti Porn - Or what about faith (None; the ways of the World; or Buddha or Dahli Lama - or the way of the cross?) - The way of the
cross means chosing devotion; chosing to give your life to the cause of Christ - to commit your whole self!
Joshua called on the people to "Honor the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly" (24:14 NLT), to make the choice to put away idols, to stop serving the gods
of this world and to make the choice to serve the Lord. And Joshua tells them his choice "As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." (24:15b).
The people immediately tell Joshua "Hey, we won’t forsake the Lord." But Joshua knows the story of the people of God, and how quickly we chose to
turn away, and so Joshua gives them a warning of what will happen if they turn away. What I believe Joshua is really trying to do here, is to challenge them, that if they chose th Lord, then they had better mean it; they had better follow through.
A story is told about (1b) "A young man, who was desperately in love with a young lady, wrote her that he would be willing to endure the cold of the
"arctic", or cross the burning sands of the desert, or climb the highest mountains, or swim the ocean, just to be in her charming presence." Then he closed his letter by saying, "And I will see you Wednesday night if it does not rain!" How many claim to love the Lord devotedly, and demonstrate just the opposite by the choices they make?"
Chose this day whom you will serve? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people of Israel said "No, we are determined to serve the
Lord." (24:21)
So "then you are accountable for this decision, you have chosen to serve the Lord?" said Joshua (24:22)
"Yes, we are accountable" (24:22)
SO then Joshua said "Destroy your idols and turn your hearts toward the Lord." (24:23)
(1a) www.sermoncentral.com , "Choices" by Gerald Flury (Job 34), [James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc,
1988) p. 153.]
(1b) www.sermoncentral.com , "Choices" by Gerald Flury (Job 34), Adapted from William Moses Tidwell, "Effective Illustrations."
