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There are some who say that everything we do has already been determined. We are mere puppets going through life following a path which someone else decided for us long ago. Perhaps one reason some people think this way is it removes responsibility. If our lives are predetermined, then how can we be held responsible for the things we do? If we have no choice, the praise or blame falls on the One who made us this way and caused our behavior.

The truth is that we confront choices every day. And, they are real choices. No one makes us turn right instead of left. We choose our own path. While it is true that God knows ahead of time what we will do, He does not force us to do it. He lets us choose whether we will serve Him or not.

The corollary to having choice is that we are responsible and accountable for the choices we make. Time after time the Bible tells us that God will judge us according to what we have done.

This raises another question. If we are free to choose our own way and will be held accountable for our choices, how can we know what the right choices are? How can we know which decisions are pleasing to God? The Apostle Paul writes, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross.” (Philippians 3:17-18 NIV)

Paul says that there are two categories of people: those who live according to the pattern he gave, and enemies of the cross. We can say that we believe in God; we might boast that our families are wealthy and influential; we can even wear the name of Christ. But none of these things matter if we don’t live according to the pattern. To reject the pattern is to reject the cross; it is to show enmity toward what God has done to rescue us from eternal condemnation.

What is the example or pattern that Paul writes about? He referred to it in the same letter when he wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ…” (Philippians 1:21 NIV) Then, he expands on this when he says, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:1-5 NIV)

What choices do we make? Do we choose to be like Christ? Do we choose to put the interests of others ahead of our own? Do we choose to be like-minded and be one in spirit and purpose with others who follow Christ? Do we choose to put our own ambition aside?

There was once a high military official who suffered from leprosy. He was valiant and loved. He enjoyed the respect not only of his own household, but of his king. However, no cure could be found for his illness.

One day he learned of a prophet of God in another country who could work miracles. The officer got a letter of introduction from the king. He also took a fortune in silver and gold for payment and went to the prophet for healing. But the prophet refused to even see the officer. He merely sent a servant to tell the officer to dip himself seven times in a certain river if he wanted to be cured of his disease.

The officer became angry at being treated this way. If he wanted a bath he could have stayed home and spared himself a long journey. However, the officer’s servants were able to reason with him, “If the prophet had required you to do some great deed, would you not have done it?”

The officer realized the truth of what his servants said. He swallowed his pride and did what the prophet told him. As a result, he was healed. (You can read the whole story in 2 Kings, chapter 5.)

Most of us like to daydream a little. We imagine that an enemy attacks and we are the hero which saves our country from defeat. A crisis hits and it is our wise counsel which points the way to a solution. We are put on trial for our faith and we not only stand firm but are able to convince our accusers to convert.

However, the truth is that most of us will never have the opportunity to be the heroes of our daydreams. We will never encounter those extraordinary situations which call for extraordinary greatness. And, if we ever do encounter situations beyond the ordinary, we will discover that our response to them will depend on the character we have developed through our response to the ordinary situations we face every day. If we have learned to keep our promises to our children, we will be more likely to keep our word when the fate of the nation depends on it. If we have been honest when the shopkeeper gave us too much change, we will more likely be honest when millions are at stake. If we have developed the habit of telling the truth in every-day situations, we will be more likely to tell the truth when life is on the line. Jesus said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10 NIV)

We need to pay attention to the small, ordinary things of life, rather than look for the dramatic. A true hero is the person who rises to the challenges of every-day life with faith, love, courage and integrity. It is the ordinary situations of life which display who we really are.

Quite often we do not like to make choices. The reason is that making a choice commits us to a course of action. If we do this, we cannot do that. We would rather keep our options open.

Another reason we hesitate to make choices is that it opens us up to criticism. There will always be someone who does not agree with the decision we made. We don’t want to disappoint them. Even worse, we are afraid they might oppose us or even ridicule us.

This is particularly true when it comes to making choices and decisions about our faith. To choose one way is to exclude other paths. If we get serious about our faith we run the risk of being labeled a fanatic or a heretic by those who do not agree with us. We want to get along with everyone. We want to live and let live. We want to be just religious enough to make God happy but not enough to make anyone else unhappy with us. King Solomon expressed the attitude of many people when he wrote, “Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise – why destroy yourself? Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool – why die before your time?” (Ecclesiastes 7:16-17 NIV)

But can we really go through life without committing ourselves? Can we really please God by just trying to be a good person? Is it possible to be just righteous enough to get to heaven but not enough to alienate those around us? Can we worship God and still have the same values as those who do not?

No, we must make a definite choice. Just before his death, Joshua told the Israelite people, “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15 NIV)

Suppose, like Joshua, we choose to serve the Lord. Is it possible to be a follower of Christ and still live like the rest of the world?

Jesus did not think so. He wants us to make another definite choice. He wants us to choose Him not only in name, but to fully commit ourselves to Him. He said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.” (Luke 11:23 NIV) He also had this message for the people in the church at Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16 NIV)

The choices are before us: To choose to follow Christ or not. To be fully committed or not. To be hot or cold. What is our decision?

In this life troubles are inevitable. Sooner or later we will confront a situation which is greater than we are, or beyond our control. It might take the form of a natural disaster. An earthquake levels our house, a fire destroys our city or a drought produces famine.

Trouble might also take the form of illness. An epidemic sweeps through our family or community. A cancer grows in our body, or our eyesight fails.

We might have to face economic trouble. We lose our employment. A business fails. Inflation erodes our income and purchasing power.

Another type of trouble is that caused by other people. Someone breaks their promise to us. A thief robs our house. Another country wages war upon us.

No matter the kind or cause of trouble, we all imagine that we have the ability to minimize the impact of it, if we cannot avoid it altogether. For example, many people buy insurance which will compensate them if their house is destroyed. Others provide against economic hard times by buying gold, investing in stocks or opening savings accounts. Still others rely on their own wits, their looks or their strength to overcome whatever situation may come upon them. Rulers may rely on their armed forces to protect them against foreign threats.

Yet all of these attempts to avoid, or at least minimize the effects of trouble, may not succeed. Psalm 33:16-17 says, “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.” (NIV)

We know this is true. We know that no person and no nation can control the forces of nature. We know that we have little control over the state of the economy. In spite of all the tremendous advances of medical science, we know that we cannot prevent an illness from striking us down. And, no matter what we do and whatever precautions we take, we all will one day die.

If all of the precautions we take cannot spare us from calamity, then in what can we place our hope? We need Someone in which to place our hope who is greater than our troubles – Someone who is beyond or outside of this nature altogether. Psalm 33 goes on to say, “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.” (Psalm 33:18-19 NIV)

God is greater than every situation which might afflict us. He can protect us even beyond the grave. He has even promised eternal life to those who choose to follow Christ. Where is your hope?

When we try to describe who God is we use titles such as “Creator”, “Giver of Life”, “Judge” and “Sustainer”. When we list His attributes we think of words like “eternal”, “infinite”, “great”, “all-seeing”, “loving”, “omnipresent” and “gracious”. Perhaps one of the attributes we ascribe to God most frequently is “almighty” or “all-powerful”. By this we mean that there is no power that is greater than God. There is nothing or no one which can prevent Him from doing whatever He wants. But did you realize that there are some things which God cannot do?

The idea that God has any limitations will, no doubt, strike many as being almost blasphemous. If God really is infinite, all-seeing, omnipresent and all-powerful then how can He have any limitations? But He does. The attributes of God, by their very nature, exclude their opposites. For example, God is holy and righteous. Because He is holy and righteous the Bible says, “…God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;” (James 1:13 NIV)

The Bible also assures us that Christ, “…will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13 NIV) Since Christ is “…the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…” (Hebrews 1:3 NIV), we know that God cannot disown Himself either. What this means is that God cannot deny or repudiate His own character. To do so would be to renounce His position as God. He will never conform to our concepts or ideas of what He should be like or what He should do. On the contrary, we must change our ideas to conform to the reality of who He is.

Another thing the Bible tells us is, “…it is impossible for God to lie…” (Hebrews 6:18 NIV) This is a consequence of the fact that God’s word is truth (John 17:17).

The things God cannot do should give us great comfort and reassurance. Evil things happen. But because God cannot be tempted with evil, we know that He is not the One who causes them or brings evil upon us. We also know that God will never tempt us to do what is wrong. Because God cannot lie, we know that He will always tell us the truth. We can depend on what He has said in His word. He will keep the promises He has made to us. Because God cannot disown Himself, we know that His character will never change. He will continue to love us with the same love which caused Him to send Christ to the cross to pay the penalty for our wrongdoing.

Most people will go to extraordinary lengths to save their own lives. If they are ill, some people will put their families into heavy debt for costly surgery or treatments to buy themselves a few more months of life. Still others will lie and allow the innocent to be condemned in order to save themselves.

Why do we cling so tightly to life? Is it because we fear what lies beyond? As King Solomon wrote, “Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of an animal goes down into the earth?” (Ecclesiastes 3:21 NIV)

Do we cling to life so tenaciously because we cannot imagine that there is anything more valuable or worthwhile? Yet, for most of us, this life is not entirely satisfying. We do long for something better.

Is there something better than life? Is there something for which we would exchange it? David answered these questions with the words, “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” (Psalm 63:3 NIV) David sang these words to God. He was convinced that loving God and being loved by God was far more important than life. Or, to put it another way, being in God’s love is life!

At the time David sang these words, his life was not easy. In another part of the same Psalm he says that he was, “…in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1 NIV) The reason David was hiding in the wilderness was that King Saul was trying to kill him. Naturally, David wished to live, but remaining alive was not the most important thing to him. Being in God’s love was.

David could have changed his circumstances. On more than one occasion he could have killed King Saul and taken the throne for himself. Yet, he refused to do so. He would not lift his hand against the person God had anointed as king. Killing Saul would have displeased God. David endured hardship rather doing something which would have damaged his relationship of love with God. David knew that God’s love is better than life.

When we know the Giver of Life and live in His love as David did, then we will not have to worry, as Solomon did, about what will happen to us after this life. We will no longer cling to our life regardless of how difficult or painful it becomes.

Living in a way that pleases God is not always easy. It will bring us ridicule and trouble. We may have to give up our life in order to serve God. Yet, because he knew that God’s love is better than life, the Apostle Paul could write, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV)

Are you still clinging to your life or has being in God’s love become your priority?

No one likes pain. In fact we will often go to great lengths to avoid it. Many times we will even put off taking care of problems because we are afraid that dealing with them will cause us pain.

But the truth is that we all experience pain and suffering. It is an unavoidable part of life. Every one of us has wounds – some which are visible to all, others which only we know about.

What causes wounds? Some wounds are caused by accidents. We trip and fall. The knife slips while we are cutting vegetables. We drop a heavy object on our foot. Though wounds like this may be serious and very painful, they usually do not cause us us much emotional or spiritual distress. They are merely a part of living, and we accept that such things are inevitable.

A more serious type of wound results from bad decisions or choices we have made. Our injury is our own fault, a consequence of our actions. While such wounds can fill us with regret, “If only I had chosen to do something else!”, our remorse is directed towards ourself. The experience will, hopefully, make us wiser.

However, it is harder to deal with the wounds caused by others. When someone inflicts a wound upon us, whether it is physical or emotional, we tend to view that person as an enemy. “He deliberately intended to injure me!” In these cases we must not only deal with the pain of the wound itself, but we must also deal with our feelings toward the other person. Sometimes the emotional anguish is even worse than the physical pain the other person inflicted. If we allow our feelings to run unchecked, they can fester and turn into hatred and a lust for vengeance. We allow our wounds to poison our spirits. By concentrating on the wrong the other person has done to us, we end up hurting ourselves far more than the other person ever did.

Even a friend can wound us. Sometimes this is unintentional. Just as when soldiers sometimes fire at an enemy and hit their own comrades by mistake, our friend did not intend to hurt us. We were not the target. Perhaps he did not intend to harm anyone. We merely happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Our friend might not even realize that he injured us.

When we know that someone did not intend to wound us, it is easier to forgive. But it can be more difficult when someone we consider our friend wounds us. It is tempting to think that he has betrayed us. He has destroyed our friendship. However, before we become angry with our friend, we need to ask ourself why he wounded us. The wounds he inflicted on us may actually be the proof of his friendship. He wounded us not because he hates us or wanted to cause us harm, but because he loves. He did it for our benefit. Something needs to change in our life and the only way to bring about that change was to wound us. The Bible says, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. The kisses of an enemy may be profuse, but faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (Proverbs 27:5-6 NIV)

Our friend may be like the skilled doctor who has to cause pain in order to cure an illness. The surgeon knows that the only way to remove the cancer which is destroying our life is to cut it out. He has to wound in order to heal.

The greatest friend we will ever have is Jesus. He likened Himself to a physician (Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31). He is able to heal the worst disease of all – that of sin. Yet, in order to do so, He often has to wound. He has to drain the abscesses of hate, greed and self-righteousness. In fact, our disease is so bad that He has to kill us in order to resurrect us as a new person, “…if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” (Romans 6:8 NIV)

Living for Christ is not easy. But do not turn away from Him because following Him is painful. He is your friend and the wounds He inflicts are faithful.

Everyone would like other people to think well of them. The question is how to achieve it. Some people think the answer lies in external appearance. But following the latest fashions and dressing in the latest styles does not guarantee that anyone will respect or like you.

Some people think the way to obtain the regard of others is to accumulate wealth or power. But gaining wealth and power does not ensure that people will like or respect you either. It is more likely to cause jealousy and envy.

Still other people think the way to win favor is to become famous. But there are many famous or notorious people who are not liked or respected.

An even more important question than how to win the favor of other people is the question of how we can win God’s favor. Many try to obtain God’s favor by doing good deeds or by going on pilgrimages.

No doubt God wants us to do good deeds – but they do not compensate for the wrongs we have done. We are supposed to do good all the time. We can never do more than we ought. Jesus said, “…you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:10 NIV)

Perhaps the way to win God’s favor is by abusing our bodies and denying ourselves anything which will bring us enjoyment? The Apostle Paul writes, “Such regulations indeed have the appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” (Colossians 2:23 NIV)

How then can we obtain the favor of God and other people? The Bible says, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” (Proverbs 3:3-4 NIV)

A different translation says, “Let not kindness and truth forsake thee:” (ASV)

What is the love or kindness this verse talks about? It is a decision of the will to do what is best for another person without asking anything in return. In other words, it is not selfish but has the best interests of the the other person in mind.

In same verse, the words faithfulness or truth carry the idea of fidelity. Such a person is not only honest, but will keep his word. He is reliable. You can count on him. He will do what he said he would do even if it means accepting personal loss in order to do it.

The Bible mentions two people who had these qualities. The first is the prophet Samuel. Samuel grew up under the supervision of Eli, the High Priest of Israel. There is a huge contrast between Eli’s sons and Samuel. “This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt. But Samuel was ministering before the Lord…” (1 Samuel 2:17-18 NIV)

Samuel not only was faithful in his spiritual duties, he showed respect and love toward Eli. As result Scripture says, “And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.” (1 Samuel 2:26 NIV)

The other person of whom this is written is Jesus. “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52 NIV) Can anyone doubt that Jesus demonstrated love and faithfulness? He loved so much that He was willing to die on our behalf – in spite of all the hateful things we have done. Jesus also showed His faithfulness in obedience to God, even though it cost Him much suffering.

Those of us who follow Christ are supposed to become like Him. He is to be our example. When people look at us do they see love and faithfulness?

Can you imagine a world in which there were no needs? No one would go to bed hungry. No one would lack the necessities of life. Everyone would have enough money and resources. No one would lack education. Everyone would enjoy good health.

For centuries, philosophers and politicians have attempted to devise social and political utopias which would remove all of the injustices and inequities which plague mankind. None have succeeded. None of them ever will because they only address symptoms instead of the real cause of mankind’s troubles.

Mankind’s real trouble is not economic. It is not the unequal distribution of wealth or of natural resources. Nor, is it the lack of education or opportunity. All of these things are merely symptoms of something far more significant. The real problem is not physical, it is spiritual.

The Bible tells us that when God created the world and everything in it, He declared it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). There was no want. God provided everything mankind needed for life and happiness. Not only that, mankind enjoyed perfect fellowship with God.

However, when God created mankind, He also gave people the freedom to choose. True freedom includes the possibility of rejecting what is good and embracing evil. Unfortunately, mankind chose to disobey God and do what was wrong. One of the consequences of this is that there was a change in how our needs are met. What God once freely provided, we must now work hard to obtain. Weeds now compete with food-crops. Disease and natural disasters now wreak havoc with our resources. All too often scarcity has replaced the abundance God originally provided us.

Along with the changes in nature which mankind’s disobedience caused, it also opened the door to other sin. People became selfish. They were jealous and began to covet what others had. They began to steal and take what they wanted by force. They even became willing to kill in order to get what they did not have. By the time of Noah mankind had become so corrupt that, “…every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5 NIV) No doubt in such a society there was a great deal of want and many lacked the daily necessities of life.

Many centuries later, God gave the Israelite people an outline for a perfect society. As a consequence Moses wrote, “…there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you,” (Deuteronomy 15:4 NIV) Yet, just a few verses later he wrote, “There will always be poor people in the land…” (Deuteronomy 15:11 NIV)

Why the contradiction? How come not even God could devise a society in which there was no poverty? It is because prosperity was conditioned upon the people keeping the covenant God made with them. Since the people were unable to fully obey God’s laws, they did not fully receive the blessings promised by those laws.

It is the same today. No one, except Christ, has been willing or able to fully measure up to God’s standard of perfection. We have all chosen to sin. We see the results all around us. Our world is full of want, disease and hunger. Want will stalk us as long as mankind chooses to sin.

Is there no hope, then? Yes there is. The answer is in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter writes, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV)

When we follow Christ, He gives us what we need for this life. He also changes our desires so we do not lust after things we do not need. More than that, He gives us “very great and precious” promises. Peter writes, “But in keeping with his promises we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13 NIV) A time is coming when there will not be any more want. Every need and desire will be satisfied. The promise is for those who follow Christ. Are you one of His people?