Making the right choice is vital

​

CURRENT RADIO SERIES Dare to Believe   CURRENT TV SERIES All Things New

If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. --John 7:17 We live in a multiple-choice society. There so many options when it comes to everything from entertainment to food that the average person can be overwhelmed with a barrage of decisions to make. Of course, some decisions such as which color shirt to wear on a given day or what to put on your hamburger aren’t really that important in the larger scheme of things. But there are other choices we are called upon to make that can be life-shaping and life-changing: the choice to be true to our mates, or the decision to be honest in business, for example. Making the right choices is vital to our Christian walk. Some people, such as Adam and Eve, make poor choices.  And in their case the human race will always be paying for their poor choice. Still others, such as Moses and Daniel, made good choices that proved them to be people of great faith. Making the right choice is important because our lives are shaped by decisions. We first make our decisions, but then our decisions turn around and make us. We are free to choose our actions, but not free to choose the consequences of those actions. The person you are right now is the sum of all of the decisions that you’ve made in the past. And Jesus said if you want to know and do God’s will, He will reveal the truth to you. So if you are facing a tough decision today, go to God’s Word and ask Him to give you the guidance you need…and He will! Making the right choice is vital because whatever decision you make will turn around and make you!

The Kneeling Lord

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Luke 22:41–44

In Bible times it was customary to stand while praying. Yet when Jesus was facing His moment of greatest crisis, He was found kneeling as He prayed. His posture matched His praying, for He was not seeking His own will and preference, but rather the Father’s will. Prayer is not about us dictating to God what we want Him to do; it is about asking for His will to be done in our lives. It is not wrong for us to ask for what we want—the Bible tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Yet what we want must always be submitted to what God wants. That is to be our highest priority.
It is interesting to me that this is not the first time Jesus knelt on this critical night. Earlier in the evening He had knelt before His disciples and washed their feet. This dirty job was one that none of them were willing to take on. Yet Jesus had no pride, despite His right to have all kneel before Him. So one by one He went to all of the disciples, even Judas, and washed their feet. In both His dealings with people and His interaction with His Father, Jesus modeled humility. He was willing to kneel. We must do the same.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

The humility of Jesus Christ, though Lord of Heaven and Earth, is an example that we must follow.