Options

“‘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.'” Josh 24:14-15 (NIV)

Before the foundation of the world, God chose you. However, God gives you options. You can choose Him or refuse Him. You can accept His offer of forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus or reject His offer of forgiveness. You can receive the gift of eternal life by placing your faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross or you can deny the gift of eternal life.

You have options. That’s the power of God’s love. We are not robots. We are not plastic. We are real human beings with real feelings and real thoughts. We have the capacity to activate our will to choose a certain direction in life. There are many paths available to us, but they do not lead to life. There’s only one path that leads to life.

“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?'”
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” John 14:5-6 (NIV)

Jesus is the only way! Are you willing to choose Him? Joshua did not vacillate. He resolved to serve God. He took ownership for leading his family spiritually. He included his family in the commitment to serve the Lord. He lived out what he expected of his family.

Yes, you have options. In fact, the enemy will place many attractive options before you. Don’t give in. Choose to surrender fully to Jesus and serve him wholeheartedly.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12 (NIV)

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care