Choices

 

Choices By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

"...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." (Joshua 24:15)       Life is a series of choices. We can choose wisely or unwisely as we are confronted with decisions, temptations, and priorities. One of the greatest choices we make is to obey Christ in all things. Obedience does not come naturally for us. Our sinful nature often influences our decisions, choices, habits, and priorities. We must consciously strive to follow Christ every day in order to live a life of faithfulness to God.       In Hebrews 11:23-29 we see that Moses was a man who was given great advantages in life: he held power, wealth, and prestige. Moses was the adopted grandson of the ruler of the world's most powerful, wealthiest, and advanced country of that time. And he was faced with a great dilemma. Moses had to choose between two completely different lives: the life that led to him one day becoming pharaoh with untold prestige and power, or the life that would abandon everything he knew in order to lead God's people out of slavery. His choice was between the temporary earthly wealth and the everlasting rewards of heaven.       The Bible tells us that Moses chose wisely: "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh;s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward" (Hebrews 11:24-26).       Moses gave up what most of us dream about: ultimate earthly power and wealth. What would you have done in Moses' place? Would you have just played it safe, waiting for your time to become pharaoh, convincing yourself you could do more good with more power? Would you have turned your back on your people out of fear or selfishness or apathy? What kinds of choices do you make? Do your decisions reflect earth-bound priorities or God's kingdom?       Prayer: God, help me to make wise choices that are pleasing to You. I pray that all of my decisions would be made with a kingdom perspective. Amen.