Freedom to Choose!

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess - Deuteronomy 30:15-16

We woke up around 9:30 am. My second son, Jonathan wanted to start his New Year day by playing his DS handheld video game device. This is an unusual start for him as the boys lately start their day by reading a Bible chapter and saying a memory verse. I reminded him the importance of starting the New Year by reading the Word. His whining annoyed me. After deciding in my mind not to make the new year day bad for him, I asked him by giving him the liberty to choose (by holding bible in one hand and the DS on the other) which is the first one he want to start the day with Bible or DS. After a few seconds of pause he chose to read the Bible.

God also gives us the liberty to choose. He enjoys and pleased when we make right decision but we grieve the Holy Spirit when we make wrong decision. Our Lord gives us freedom to choose. Many time we are in this limbo or dilemma at the cross roads of making decisions. What we must remember is that there are two types of freedom, responsible freedom and irresponsible freedom. Responsible freedom considers God's will. Will God be glorified in the decision I make? Or this decision merely fulfills my flesh desire. When we drive our cars, we have freedom to drive at any speed we wanted, not to stop for red light. This is irresponsible freedom. When decision is made based on the irresponsible freedom, there is chaos, paying the cost etc., When we make decisions based on responsible freedom, even though we sometimes have to sacrifice our comforts, there is peace to us and our surroundings and above all God is magnified in that decision making. 

As we read in Verse 15, God sets before us "life and prosperity", "death and destruction". If we love the LORD, walk in His ways, and keep his commands, then there is a great promise of God in store for us. That is we will live and increase, and the LORD our God will bless us greatly in the land he has given us.

For Jonathan, Bible or DS, Bible....but for us let us choose "Life & Prosperity".

Many will make major decisions this year in your own lives, work, families, studies, relationships etc.; Let us make a Christ-centered decision based on responsible freedom.

May the Love, Peace and Joy of Christ fill your hearts and the Hope in Christ guide you through in 2010.