CHOICES

From the beginning, when God created humans, He did not make them robots; he gave them free will with the ability to make choices. The results of their choices were either beneficial or detrimental to them, as you can read in the following selections.

Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, and God gave him a choice. He said, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” Genesis 2:16-17). Adam and Eve chose to disregard the words of God and ate from that tree, and they suffered the consequence of separation from God and eventual death.

Noah found grace in the eyes of God, so when God decided to destroy the world population, He instructed Noah to build an ark in which he and his family would be safe when He flooded the earth with rain. Noah chose to obey for 120 years he built the ark. Noah’s obedience saved him, his wife, his three sons, and their wives (Genesis 6-8).

When escaping from the doomed city of Sodom, Lot, his wife, and two daughters were told, “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.” However, Lot’s wife chose to look back, and she became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:17, 26).

After they became fearful of the nations that resided in the land of Canaan and rejecting God’s plan for its occupation, God instructed Israel to turn and go into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea. Instead of obeying, Israel rose up early in the morning and went up into the mountain where the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt, and they were greatly slaughtered (Numbers 14:240-45).

Prior to his death, Joshua said to Israel, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The scripture recorded that Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and the elders that outlived him, but afterward, the new generation forsook God, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Consequently, with this choice, God allowed Israel to go into repeated cycles of captivity (Joshua 24:15; Judges 2).

After the death of Solomon, God allowed Israel to be divided into two parts. God told Jeroboam, who became king over the ten northern tribes, that if he listened to all that He commanded him, walked in His ways, did right in His sight, and kept His statutes and commandments, He would be with him, and build him a sure house. However, 1 Kings 13-14 revealed Jeroboam chose not to obey and, unfortunately, led Israel into idolatry.

After informing King Ahab there would be no dew or rain in Israel, God instructed Elijah the Tishbite to go eastward and hide by the brook Cherith. Additionally, while there, he would be able to drink from the brook, and ravens would bring him food. Elijah chose to obey, and he never missed a meal, for in the morning and evening, a raven brought him bread and flesh (1 Kings 17:1-6).

Throughout the gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the stories of Jesus healing the sick can be read. In many of these stories, Jesus gave directions to the recipients of the healing. Everyone wanted to be healed, but they also needed to follow the directions that Jesus had given them. Some had to arise, some had to stretch forth their hand, some had to go, and others had to believe. All of them had a choice.

Every one of us has a choice to make about our salvation, and yes, there are consequences if we make the wrong decision. If you are struggling in making your choice, I’ve included the following suggestions from WikiHow’s article titled “Decision Making 101: A Simple Guide:”  

• To make an informed decision, make sure you understand the choice you need to make: why does a decision need to be made? What are your options?
• Identify the worst-case scenario of each choice so that you’re prepared for whatever comes.
• Weigh all your alternatives carefully to understand the possible outcomes of each choice. Who will be affected by your decision?

Furthermore, I’ve included salvation scriptures shared by Jesus during His ministry time on earth to help you make this salvation decision.

• Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

• Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36

• No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:3

• Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14

I pray that if you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior after reading this blog, you are ready to do so. Today, I urge you to make the right choice.