Good morning -
We are rarely without options. I'm convinced that people who make bad choices aren't aware of the options before them so therefore they make bad decisions based upon seemingly-limited options.
God has always placed options before all of us. They are summarized well in Jeremiah:
"You shall also say to this people, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death." (Jeremiah 21:8)
Our first parents had options in the Garden of Eden but, unfortunately, we've been paying the consequences of a poor choice ever since. Now, before we shake an accusing finger we need to remember that we also face life and death options, as Jeremiah points out to us. But the choices may not be as simple as they sound. After all, we might ask, who would choose death when they have the option for life?
It's not just about making a one-time decision; that really would be too easy. Sadly, too many people believe that it's as simple as accepting Jesus, getting their ticket punched, and waiting for the Kingdom to come. That's too much like an insurance decision: decide, sign on the line, pay, and then forget about it until you need it. It just doesn't work that way.
The Apostle Paul said, "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31). Did you catch that? "I die DAILY".
Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." Being a living sacrifice isn't so easy. Someone once commented that the problem with a living sacrifice versus a dead sacrifice is that a living sacrifice has a tendency to crawl off the altar.
I don't think any believer would deliberately choose the path of spiritual death but the seemingly small daily choices can have that cumulative effect. Deciding not to commune with the Lord in prayer today, or to read a passage of Scripture, or to have some interaction with another member of the Body of Christ are all decisions that place us on the "way of death". We may not die spiritually today per se but such decisions potentially move us in that direction.
The small things in life are what truly make up the big picture. We can admire the performance of a professional athlete, but unseen to the spectator is the mundane and tedious routine of regular practice and exercise that facilitate professional performance. And so it is in the life of a Kingdom citizen: the outward evidence of spiritual maturity is the cumulative effective of daily choices in discipline.
Seeking to die today in order to live,
Pastor Steve
We are rarely without options. I'm convinced that people who make bad choices aren't aware of the options before them so therefore they make bad decisions based upon seemingly-limited options.
God has always placed options before all of us. They are summarized well in Jeremiah:
"You shall also say to this people, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death." (Jeremiah 21:8)
Our first parents had options in the Garden of Eden but, unfortunately, we've been paying the consequences of a poor choice ever since. Now, before we shake an accusing finger we need to remember that we also face life and death options, as Jeremiah points out to us. But the choices may not be as simple as they sound. After all, we might ask, who would choose death when they have the option for life?
It's not just about making a one-time decision; that really would be too easy. Sadly, too many people believe that it's as simple as accepting Jesus, getting their ticket punched, and waiting for the Kingdom to come. That's too much like an insurance decision: decide, sign on the line, pay, and then forget about it until you need it. It just doesn't work that way.
The Apostle Paul said, "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31). Did you catch that? "I die DAILY".
Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." Being a living sacrifice isn't so easy. Someone once commented that the problem with a living sacrifice versus a dead sacrifice is that a living sacrifice has a tendency to crawl off the altar.
I don't think any believer would deliberately choose the path of spiritual death but the seemingly small daily choices can have that cumulative effect. Deciding not to commune with the Lord in prayer today, or to read a passage of Scripture, or to have some interaction with another member of the Body of Christ are all decisions that place us on the "way of death". We may not die spiritually today per se but such decisions potentially move us in that direction.
The small things in life are what truly make up the big picture. We can admire the performance of a professional athlete, but unseen to the spectator is the mundane and tedious routine of regular practice and exercise that facilitate professional performance. And so it is in the life of a Kingdom citizen: the outward evidence of spiritual maturity is the cumulative effective of daily choices in discipline.
Seeking to die today in order to live,
Pastor Steve
posted by steve @ 11:00 AM
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