Making The Right Choice
Our own personal desires are the hardest thing to say no to. This is especially true when you have both the desire and the means to obtain them. Making good decisions is made complicated by an ever-changing environment considering that the decisions you made today changes the available option for tomorrow’s decision. How decisions are made is easier said then done but when every decision is boiled down to a mere sentence, you make your decisions based on the way you see things successfully happening. Everything you want has a price or a consequence, but not being able to afford things can be a blessing in disguise.
You may think you are in charge of your life, but consider the decisions that affect your life made by other people. Did you decide when to be born, what your name is, the street number of your home, your social security number, and who your parents were? While you may think you are in charge of your life, you will allow just about anyone to tell you what to do. For example, what happens when the blanks are left empty on government forms that benefit you life? Why does everyone rise when the judge enters the courtroom and who pays less than the going rate for a postage stamp? Even God demands that you to repent when it comes to being saved. You may think that you are the cock of the walk, but everyone has a degree of authority to tell you what to do or go without.
Making decisions involves a goal to fulfill and the cost of time, effort, or possessions. Every decision becomes a transaction that requires something in return for your goals. Life is something God is willing to give anyone who is willing to accept Jesus Christ as Lord. Because of this demand, the doom of hell waits for those who refuse to accept eternal life of God’s terms. Because your position with God must be established before you receive the gift of life, you must decide if accepting God’s terms is worth eternal life.
Goals have procedures that need to be completed within a specific period of time. God is offering the gift of life, which is similar to sale items that must be bought before the sale expires. God’s offer of life expires on judgment day. Between now and judgment day, God wants you to search for him, ask about terms, come to an agreement with him, and make changes to fulfill his needs. The management of department stores determines the sales price and you agree to pay them before you can take the items home. As the owner and operator of heaven, God has his reasons for his decision demanding that you accept Jesus Christ as Lord. God’s offer for the gift of life is good until the day he returns, which could be at any time. On that day, God will summon you to his throne and you will not be given a choice to refuse his final decision concerning your life.
America is a land of laws that supports the individual freedom of the citizens who observe the law. The laws of the land define what is acceptable social behavior and those who violate American law can expect to be sent to jail. God expects his children to obey the laws of his kingdom in the same way you obey the laws of the nation you live in. Police bears arms to enforce the law but if you obey the law of the land you have nothing to fear.
As God’s son, Christ came to fulfill the law. Laws place boundaries on what a group can and cannot do. When you think about God’s laws they are similar to the demand you place on your own children. Most parents want their children to do everything they tell their child to do as their demands benefit the life of their child. God has laws he lives by and expects his children to observe his ways through personal discipline developed the training of his word. The outcome from obeying God demonstrates your love and respect for him as your father.
If you were to consider the sheer number of decisions you made in a lifetime you shouldn’t be surprised if the final number was in the millions. The average person makes thousands of decisions everyday, most of which are made from experience to achieve a particular outcome. You get up, dress, eat, go to work, and go home routinely. Known conditions that occur frequently don’t require much thought because you have consistent routine and do the same things daily. It’s refreshing to have a change of pace every now and then to break up the routine of life. However, making decisions are as much a part of your life as waking up in the morning.
Just when you think you have one problem solved the tire on the car goes flat. Everyone of your kids have different functions to go to at the same time and your mind gets twisted into knots trying to figure out how to shuffle things around to keep all of them happy. Now your brain is worn out and you want to take a nap your spouse hands you the leash for your dog that drags you to the nearest fire hydrant. Right about now your frustrated, but even though you are tired and irritated, kicking the dog for some relief isn’t a good choice.
It may seem strange that God refers to you as a king of the earth until you realize that kings make thousands of decisions that affect other people. Everyday life changes your environment and the new situation that you find yourself in demands another decision. The choices are endless and the outcome changes your environment and options with every decision. Everyone wants to know what his or her future is going to be like, but to maintain control of your future the need for additional decisions must be governed by reason. Good decisions can insure well being in the future, but the best decision concerning your future is to make Jesus Christ your Lord.
Can you name the reason you passed three service stations to buy gas for your car across town? Of all the places available to you with gasoline, why did you go out of your way to go to a specific service station? What was your reason for that decision? The reason varies from person to person, but each person makes a decision depending on how he or she benefits from the decision. Is it so strange that to obtain the goal you want the goal forces you to learn to agree with other people?
However, some people live in community with one gas station and have the option of paying the going rate or drive ten miles down the road for gas with different terms. For any transaction to take place both parties have to come to a mutual agreement over the cost of services and what you acquired in return. If you can’t agree then you must be willing to seek them elsewhere.
You are not alone in this world and everyone wants to control their own life to protect what they have. Some people already have earned positions of authority, but trying to change the system is more trouble than its worth because those who are in authority are quick to let you know who is in charge. You soon learn that you must learn to agree with those in authority for the benefits you want, need, and desire.
Eventually everyone will cross the path of God and come to terms with him. During your lifetime God has offered you the opportunity to accept the gift of life so you may continue to live. Experience from life demonstrates human life cannot be bought at any price because its evident human beings go bankrupt to remain alive and still die. Even though everyone wants eternal life, only a few are willing to recognize that Jesus Christ is the only way to life.
When you go to a foreign land you must live by the laws of the land or be incarcerated in the most unpleasant places. The same is true of going to heaven. Heaven is the Kingdom of God and those who live there have made the choice to obey the laws of God’s kingdom. In becoming more Christ like you will learn that Christ was eager to do the will of God and always sought to please his father who sent him. (See John 5:30)
God expects those who enter his kingdom to agree to conduct themselves by his laws. Knowing the demands of God’s allows you live in such a manner that on the day your body is spent you will receive a rich welcome into the kingdom of God. Otherwise, in the kingdom of God, God has the final word concerning your life and life is far better if you learn to agree and abide by his laws.
You may work at a place that offers food in vending machines or a cafeteria where the selection may not be appealing to the eye or what you are hungry for. Then you went home to turn the TV on only to find that your choices appealed to you as much as your choices for lunch. Being desperate for something to eat or to watch will make your selection a matter of picking the best of what available.
From God’s perspective, you will make thousands of decisions in your lifetime to make your life better. Some of those decisions will be made for you while others will be made after considering the options available. In making any decision, you look for the option that you benefit the most from to obtain the best outcome. Still the best option in the short run may not be the best choice as your choice affects other people. God offers you a choice between life and death and your selection amounts to a matter of picking the best option available.
On the most part, the majority of decisions you make are relatively short term such as buying a newspaper. Other decisions involve long term goals that affect the rest of your life such as going to college. God has given you the options of life and death to choose between. This choice is one of those decisions you have to make during your lifetime or God will do it for you when the choice is too late for you to choose. God has given you the right to consider both options and make the choice of the two, which appeals to you, the most. Even if you should say no to his plan, God will respect your decision.
Death is one of things you plan to avoid, but death will be at your door sooner than you think. Man has a strong sense for survival, but more often man refuses to ponder his death and would give all he owns to stay alive. Life is a precious commodity that no one but God can replace. However, the death of your body is a doorway into another realm that is ruled by God. God’s word says, "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. Hebrews 9:27. Once you pass through the door called death there is no turning back and no changing of your mind to serve God, after the fact when you realize the consequences of your life choices. Remember this, in God’s eye the accomplishments of your life will not be considered as much as way you treated your fellow man to achieve them.
Can you afford to overlook God plan? Is there a reason to ask what do you have to do to receive the gift of life? Most people hope to go to heaven even though the way they live make you wonder if they know God at all. However, it is pure arrogance to think you are worthy of going to heaven with consulting with God to seek his approval.
Is God willing to give the gift of life to you when you have never spoken a kind word about him? God wants to give you the gift of life, but there are reasons for God to give the gift of life. Do you know the prerequisites God has before he gives the gift of life? Knowing what God expects and living up to those expectations will certainly tip the scales in your favor.
God has provided man with an abundance of information regarding the gift of life. While man may see the gift of life from his or her perspective, God will have his right to give the gift of life to those he chooses.
While we may want to go to heaven that choice are you aware of how God selects those found worthy of the gift of life. When God returns he will reward every man according to his or her deeds. Those who have done evil will receive the wages of sin and those who do good deeds, the gift of life. While God does not want any man to perish, God has an imperative that all men turn from wickedness to Jesus Christ.
When you consider the gift of life you must also understand the giver has reasons for giving the gift. The gift of life can be seen from two different sides, those who will receive the gift and from the person who gives the gift. For example, each of the finalist in a beauty paginate are called to center stage to wait for the judges decision. The contestant crowned had to meet the criteria of the judges. You too, have to meet the criteria of God to be eligible for the prize.
The bible tells us that the world has a corrupting influence on our lives and that the world unknowingly suppresses the truth by the way they live. On the other hand, God has given his children his precious promises, so you may take part in his nature by avoiding the evil that is corrupting the world. For those in the world, Christian life does not reflect the way the world operates and has become corrupted by the world. You on the other hand, must consider your cost of choosing to work with God and learn his ways. Lets consider the words of Christ.
In Christ you will find rest but sinners have to yet to taste what God has planned for the wicked.
No one likes being burnt by the sun or scalded by hot water to the point they can’t stand their clothes touching their body. After being burnt, any source of heat reminds you of the painful experience. You can’t sleep and the latest remedies only last a few seconds if it relieves the pain at all. God said that he would give the sun power to sear those who reject his plan.
Sulfur is the odor you recognize when lighting a match. In the gaseous state, sulfur is a heavier than air gas that will cover the floor of hell. Anyone who receives the wages of sin will dwell within the fumes of sulfur, but sulfur gas will prevent you from breathing the oxygen you need to sustain your life. Breathing sulfur gas has the same effect as taking water into your lungs.
When God’s final word has said about your life, his angels will secure your body in chains and toss you into the lake of fire where you will lay helplessly on the floor in the midst of sulfur gas. Avoiding the sulfur gas will be impossible, because on the floor of hell you will not have sufficient oxygen to breathe. Therefore, you will suffer same effects as drowning. Studies show that just before drowning, the mind goes into a state of panic. Your natural survival instincts will cause uncontrollable thrashing that increases your pain from the searing of your skin.
In addition, your lungs and body will ache from your constant coughing and the sulfuric acid within the gas will burn your lungs. Now lets consider that any movement of your body will add to your pain so much that you will grind and gnash your teeth. God said, “the wicked will have no rest.” In hell you will realize the truth of his word because you have no rest from the pain, being alone and without a means of escaping.
Hell is a place that promotes death and heaven promotes life to its fullest. Going to heaven is a logical decision to make provided that you can agree to serve Jesus Christ for the rest of your life. That life would last forever.
Accidental deaths and injury in the work place caused educated men to join hands in finding the causes of accidents. The outcome of these studies are the reason lawnmowers have guards, automobiles have seat belts, why handrails are standard in new homes and the reasons why the race driver can walk away from a car that has been demolished. Safety rules at the work place have saved injuries and many lives caused by careless acts. Taking the chance that the worker can outwit the system causes most accidents that happen in the work place. While man has the knowledge to be safe, he finds a way to get around the rules and is hurt in the process. What are the reasons for developing those safety rules so important? The people who came up with the rules know when you comply with a system that is known to work you will arrive home in one piece.
God gave man a plan explaining his demands so man may be found worthy of the gift of life. There is only one option available and it demands your compliance.
Ultimately, everyone on the face of the earth will pass before Christ because he knows who belongs to him and his Father. The choice will be based on whom God will have compassion on not on what we think or hope God will do.
The choice to be like Christ demands that you make the effort to know Christ and by knowing Christ you will know the way, the truth, and the life. Christ ran the same race that all men have to run and is seated at the right hand of God. Asking Jesus Christ to come into your life is the first step towards eternal life. When you love Jesus Christ his Father will love you and they will make their home with you. (See John 14:23)
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