The Choice is Yours

John 15:16 "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name he may give you."

Life is about choices. Every aspect of our life is based upon the choices we make. We choose our friends, colleges, careers, and so on. The overall point here is that we get to choose how we live our lives (to a certain extent). It may seem like every decision we've made was our own including when we dedicated our lives to Christ. Well, I've got news for you, it wasn't! Every decision you made prior to heading to the alter to dedicate your life to Christ was orchestrated by God. You didn't choose God, God chose you and for that you should be grateful because He could have chosen anyone. True, you may have made some decisions that took you on an alternate route, but God still made sure you got to that place where He could reveal Himself to you along with the purpose He placed within you when He created you. It was through His grace and mercy that the choices you made prior to surrendering to Him didn't take you out. And the reason they didn't take you out is because God's plans are greater than your plans and until you finish the work that He has set out for you that same grace and mercy will keep you.

As many of you all know I live in Houston, TX where we have experienced an unpredictable amount of rain that has caused flooding throughout the inner city as well as some of the main highways claiming the lives of 4 and some others missing. Many of you may also know Houston, TX is the home of the Houston Rockets NBA team that is currently in the Western Conference Finals alongside the Golden State Warriors. Sunday afternoon I petitioned my dear friend to go somewhere to watch the game. I looked at the start time of the game and retracted the thought because it was too late for a work night, she agreed and we both stayed home to watch the game. It was only by God's grace that we both decided to stay home because it was during the game that the bad weather took place leaving many stranded on flooded highways. That could have been us, but our ability to hear and be obedient to God's voice activated God's grace the kept us safe during the storm.

Obedience was the topic for yesterday's Use Your Words #30DaySpeakLifeChallenge (if you're not following this definitely do so) which led me to this blog today. We have to make sure that the choices we make are allowing us to be obedient to God's will and direction for our lives. Obedience is our key to living an abundant life in Christ. It unlocks grace, mercy, the ability to forgive, the ability to love, the ability to lead, the ability to follow, and so much more. In High School my principal would end the morning announcements by saying "May the challenges you face today be faced with success. If not, do not give up do not EVER give up. Make it a great day or not the choice is yours." Although God plays a role in our lives we are still the deciding factor on the lives we live by the choices we make. It can be tempting to take the easy route because of the fears of the unknown, but remember Who chose you and know that you can trust Him to provide for you throughout your entire journey.

#FearlessFAITH #ChooseWisely