"Choices"
What a wild week in the news. Michael Jackson’s bizarre memorial. NFL retired quarterback Steve McNair and girlfriend left dead after a murder-suicide. Quite a week!
When I think about the death of these notable men, I think of choices.
In Michael’s case, I think about the incredible changes: the little boy who sang “A-B-C, 1-2-3” with the Jackson 5 back in the 1970s compared to the accused pedophile who had been married and divorced at least twice, dangled his baby boy from a balcony along with a string of increasingly bizarre behavior. There certainly were contributing factors to Michael’s strange world and life, but he is defined as much by his choices as he is defined by his “success.”
Steve McNair was married with four sons. His decision to have an affair turned out to be a fatal mistake. This man will not be defined by his apparent success on the football field. The memory of this man will be his decisions that destroyed his family, a 20-year-old girl, and himself.
Only at the end are we allowed a view of how decisions shaped these lives. But such a window into the life of another provides us a moment’s introspection I urge you not to miss.
What about your life? Each of us makes hundreds, perhaps thousands of decisions each day. Consider the importance of the guiding principles governing your decision making. Who’s in charge of your decision-making process? Is it you? Really? You want your sinful flesh ultimately with its hand on the rudder of your life?
Too many make that mistake. Let’s be honest, we all have made that mistake. Looking back, our biggest blunders and missteps undoubtedly were when we made decisions that benefited ourselves rather than following God’s loving direction for our lives. Those “mistakes” have another name: sins. These sins flow from the sinfulness in which we were born and with which we will struggle until we make decisions no more.
Yet because of our sin, and all the bad decisions stemming from sin, God made a decision. God decided to undergo incredible pains to take your pain away. God decided to send Jesus to remove your sin and give you a future. God decided to do everything so that you have a new life, and a new and better guide for your decision-making process.
The hand on the rudder of the believer’s life has a nail-mark. The same Savior who endured suffering on the cross and death in our place is the one who gives direction and guidance to us through his Word. The same Savior God who delivered his people throughout history is the One who helps us through life’s decisions, big and small. What a comfort to know we are in God’s hands and have the opportunity to express our thanks to God through our decisions. This life of service honors God and blesses our lives more than we realize.
Verse for the day: Joshua 24:15 “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Prayer idea: ask for God’s help and direction in your day-to-day decision-making. Any big decisions you are thinking about right now? Take them to the Lord in prayer.
Blessings on your week!
--Pastor Dan