"The Choice Will Always Be Yours"
Since the sixth day of creation in which God created man with the faculty of thought; man has been free to select the direction that he alone desires to travel. God is concerned about us and desires that we follow Him and completely do His will. However, at no time, will He intervene and by "force" make us follow Him. It should be pointed out though, that the reward that we receive will be given on the direction which we travel. When we make the choice to follow God and do His will we will receive the promise of eternal life with Him after death. If we make the choice of turning against God and not doing His will, we still will receive a reward but not the one that will make us happy. So, "the choice will be yours," but what will that choice be?
The two ways of choice are clearly before us in Matthew chapter seven, verses thirteen and fourteen, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." We understand that this writer is showing the better way and requests that we travel the road that is narrow and that leads to an eternal life with Christ the Savior and God the Father. When a preacher makes a request for us to follow the way of Truth, he is not asking you to follow his way but rather to follow the way of God. It seems to this writer at least, if we can get the design of God before the people that they will be able to give more serious consideration to spiritual matters. We must consider that this is God's will and God's desire that we follow Him and His Son. If we understand this point fully it is going to become more difficult to make the choice against God and Truth. I suppose everyday is a choice for us sometimes we turn the right direction and sometimes we turn the wrong direction.
As we travel this road of life we may not be able to anticipate every rough spot in the road or every reef in the sea. But I am persuaded that if we make the dedicated choice to serve God that we can over come the rough spots in the road and locate the clear channel in the sea. And the only sure chart and road map is found in Jesus Christ. The chart or map is ready for our use, but we must be willing to look in the Word, chart our course and make the choice that is right. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present World" (Titus 2:11-12.) God has given His grace to us, He has stayed His hand of mercy this long so that we might take advantage of that grace and enjoy salvation. But men die every day without making the choice to serve God. Just why man will make such a foolish choice when he has all the beauty before his eyes is certainly hard to understand.
As man finds himself in the valley of choice he can see the fruits of choice for things of this life almost every day. But when he makes the choice for God he may not be able to see the results come and go near as fast. Christianity is a choice for the future and the benefits that we enjoy as Christians here on this earth. Christianity may not make us wealthy, give us a mansion on the hill top or provide security for old age this is not the design that God placed on this kind of a life. There is beauty in following Christ, in being a member of His church, in doing His will and going to heaven when we die. That is, there is beauty if we can see the cross of Christ and be truly converted to Christ and not to man.
When a person makes the choice to listen to God for a while and not to man and self he will find that there are some things he must do before he can become a member of God's family. For example the Bible says that a person must hear or understand the word of the Lord before he can even begin to think of any of God's other commandments. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17.) We desire faith in God, this is good. The kind of faith that God is discussing is not that which we receive while asleep or by some direct operation of the Holy Spirit. We receive faith when we understand the will of God. And the only particle of information that we will ever receive about God is that which is recorded in the Bible. Paul said, "that we must read then we would understand." This is a far cry from what we hear today. Some say we must pray through to victory, or have an experience. But none of the Bible writers even suggested a single item that maintains this way or this avenue to Christianity. After we have heard and understood the will of the Lord then we will be able to see that there are certain things that we must do. The Bible says that we must believe what we hear and what we understand. "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24.) "But without faith (or belief) it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6.) Almost every day we hear people say that they believe the Bible but they do not understand the teaching. I am sure that no person will know all the answers that are needed to understand 100% of the Bible. But we can believe what we understand and understand what we believe. The person that makes this statement is usually the person who has not read the Bible or maybe he is a spot reader. This year he reads in one place and next year he reads another verse in another part of the Bible. The result is: since he never completes one subject at a time he knows nothing of God's Word. So after we understand the will of the Lord we must believe it and after we believe it we will find that we must repent of past sins. We may be morally right, but if we are outside the family of God we are still alien sinners in the sight of God. "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3.) "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30.) Repentance has an important part in the plan of salvation. It is a demand that God places on each person who makes the choice to serve Him and not the ways of man. What is repentance? The word teaches us that it is Godly sorrow. In other words we deeply regret the way that we have conducted ourselves in the past so we have a desire to change our life. This change is brought about because of the love that we now have for God and His Son and we are determined to serve them. If one is morally wicked then certainly one will have to repent of this immoral action or God will never receive one into the fold. After we have traveled this far on the road to righteousness we find that there is still another step for us to take. We must be willing to confess before man that we believe that Jesus Christ is God's son (Romans 10:9-10.) But after we believe and repent of our past sins this will be easy for us, for we will be happy for the change that is about to take place in our lives. Having done all the things that God has required are we now a member of God's family? No, there is still another step. This step is baptism. "Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38.) "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (I Peter 3:31.) The man that makes the choice to serve God must: (1) hear or understand the will of the Lord, (2) must believe what he hears, (3) must repent of his past sins and determine to live for God, (4) must confess that Jesus Christ is the son of God and (5) must be buried with his Lord in baptism (Rom. 6:1-5)
This is what he does when he has the desire to serve God and so makes his choice in this direction. God does not make us come into His family, but if we make the choice to serve Him. This is the channel this is the road map that we will use and then he will add us, if we are sincere, to His church (Acts 2:47.) Have you made the right choice? The choice that only God will be pleased with and the choice that will give you a home in heaven when this life is over? Read the Bible daily and follow the laws contained therein and you will never make the wrong choice. This is the way of wisdom.
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