September 2 The Power of Choice Galatians 5:16-23 / Matthew 27:15-17
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:16-23)
”Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:15-17)
There are many freedoms that we enjoy today. Living in the United States, we embellish ourselves in the joys of freedom. We have the freedom to say whatever we want, whenever we want, we can worship any way we want, and to the chagrin of some politicians, we have the freedom to own a firearm.
As Christians we have many freedoms and liberties as well. Praise God that through the blood of Jesus we have liberty from death, hell and the grave. We have been set free from the power of sin, and as Christians, the enemy no longer has dominion in our lives. But there is one thing that we are never really truly free from – choices. We make decisions every day, some major and some minor. Just this morning you have made decisions, some conscious, and some unconscious. Every one of us woke up this morning and made a choice as to what we would wear today. Now in some families, that is a major battle, but in others, it’s no big deal. When you drive, you chose to stay in your lane (at least I hope you do). There is nothing magical keeping you from going across that line except you. But you probably didn’t even think twice about it, it just came natural because that is how you were taught to drive. When you walked into a restaurant, you are faced with a multitude of choices as to where you will sit. When you go out into the world, you will be faced with many choices. There will always be decisions and choices as long as we are in this life. So I feel it is important to make good ones, and how to bounce back from bad ones, and how the choices we make affect others around us. We need to have a basic foundation of understanding regarding the power of choice. It’s important that we remember that God created us to have a free will. Adam and Eve were not mindless robots. And it is out of their free will that they choose to disobey God and allow sin to permeate the earth. And we being the offspring of Adam, we too have the freedom to make our own choices. In our everyday lives, we are faced with so many choices. I believe that it is critical that we make wise and edifying decisions based on the Holy Scriptures. As I look around this world and I see people making decisions that simply do not fit into what God’s word declares as truth! Amazingly, some are professing Christians. We have to choose who we will follow and we have to choose how we will live and we have to choose what we will be! Three days ago, an individual that I respect greatly, proudly and voluntarily, told me that she was going to vote for an individual that, at the core of his beliefs, is in direct conflict with the scriptures and “Common Sense” living. I reminded her of what the Holy Scriptures say about those stated values, and she reminded me that it was none of my business! You know, she is right! It is not my business how she lives her life, even though; her life is an example of being “Double Mindedness!” We are going to CHOOSE to serve God or we are NOT! Really Simple, Really Factual!! "Please know that the power of choice is real.
We can . . .
Choose to love--rather than hate.
Choose to smile--rather than frown.
Choose to build--rather than destroy.
Choose to persevere--rather than quit.
Choose to praise--rather than gossip.
Choose to heal--rather than wound.
Choose to give--rather than grasp.
Choose to act--rather than delay.
Choose to pray--rather than despair.
Choose to forgive--rather than curse.
Each day brings a new opportunity to choose. What kind of choices will you make today?" I pray that your decisions will be grounded and founded in God’s Holy Word! Stay Strong, Stay Focused…Remember, THE BEST IS YET TO BE!