Tag Archives: choice

Self-Control

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Titus 2

The last aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit described by Paul in Galatians 5 is self-control. Those of you who know me know self-control flies out the window when I’m holding a bag of potato chips. I almost never have an open bag in my pantry because once I start, I can’t stop eating until the last chip is gone. I’m out of control. Or at least that’s what I tell myself.

Boy, am I under conviction today. Studying these facets of the Fruit of the Spirit these past few weeks has made me aware that because the Spirit lives in me, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness live in me. I’m ok with that. In fact, I welcome that and pray those aspects of Christ in me can be clearly seen by others.

But then Paul ends with self-control. (as the ladies in my Sunday School class would say: Now he’s meddling!)

Ugh! After today I can never again say I have no self-control when it comes to chips. Self-control lives in me.

Jonathan Landry Cruse, in his book entitled The Character of Christ; the Fruit of the Spirit in the Life of our Savior (Versa Press; 2014) says that self-control is the ability to be controlled, not by self, but by the Holy Spirit. (p 143). In other words I have the control to turn over the control to the Spirit.

Paul, in his letter to Titus, has a lot to say about the Spirit-fueled self-control. He doesn’t let any of us off the hook. In verse 11 he assures us that it is the grace of God that brings salvation, then shows us how to live sensibly and godly.

Jesus demonstrated self-control when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, when He didn’t call down fire from heaven at the suggestion of his disciples when some people rejected Him, when He stood quietly before Pilate and heard the lies told about Him, and when he didn’t turn the soldiers who beat Him and nailed Him to the cross into toads.

That same self-control lives in me. I can never again claim I have no self-control. I use my chip weakness as an example of any sin I allow to over-power me. If I give into a sin, I quench the Holy Spirit in me. I demonstrate I have SELF-control. And that’s a sin.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence Paul ended his description of the Fruit of the Spirit with self-control. Without choosing to relinquish my will, and the control over my life to the Spirit I cannot produce the Fruit of the Spirit in me. It’s not me producing anything by my own effort. It’s being firmly attached to the Vine, growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus, reflecting more of Him today than was evident yesterday, and allowing Him to fill me, and use me for His glory.

The Fruit of the Spirit. May it have fertile soil in my heart from which to grow, mature, and produce the harvest God intends. I pray the same for you.

Why Choice?

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Jeremiah 47-49

God pronounced judgment on one nation after another. He wasn’t being unfair. They deserved His punishment because they had broken His rules.

Some people ask, “Why?” Why would God create humans with the ability to choose if He knew we would choose our own way, and He would end up having to punish us? Why didn’t He create us to automatically love and worship Him?

When I was a little girl I played with dolls. Baby dolls, Barbie dolls, paper dolls. Hours and hours of my childhood were spent dressing, undressing, combing hair, positioning arms and legs, and going on adventures with my little plastic people who only said what I wanted them to say, and only did what I forced them to do. I loved playing with dolls. But they couldn’t love me back.

What if I could make them love me? What if, instead of looking into cold, plastic, fixed eyes I would see adoration programmed into them?

Have you seen the advances in AI? It’s both fascinating and frightening. If you could program love into an AI robot – would it BE love? Or would it be just another command controlled by someone pushing the buttons?

What is love? And is it important?

If you have read your Bible, you have read that God IS love. It’s not only that He feels love. His very existence is love. So when He created humans in His image, He created us with the capacity to love and be loved.

Are you loved by your spouse, your children, your friends? Is that relationship voluntary or forced? Is it a relationship that is any different from the ones you have with your co-workers, or the guy down the street you wave “Hi” to every morning? Isn’t the love you share with those with whom you are intimate more precious and more important to you than the relationships you have with others? I sure hope it is!

I hope it brings you joy, a sense of belongingness, security, hope, peace, and a closeness that you find fulfilling. I hope it is a love that you carry with you every moment of every day. I hope the fact that someone has chosen to love you, makes all the difference.

So why would I condemn God for enjoying the same? Why would I question Him about wanting that two way loving relationship with us… and for us? Especially when I look at what it cost Jesus so that we can share that love relationship with Holy God?

I choose love. I choose God. And He has chosen me. He has chosen anyone who believes. You have that choice. Don’t mess it up.

You Are Chosen

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Romans 8-11

Paul specifically says God shows mercy to some people, and chooses to harden the hearts of others so that they refuse to listen. (8:18). He gave Pharaoh as an example. Then he goes on to say, “that’s the way it is. Don’t question God. He will show mercy and compassion to anyone he chooses.”

There are those who base their theology on these and similar verses. They call it election or pre-destination. And as I read these verses this morning, I prayed: Are they right to believe you decide to deny salvation to some based on a criteria we can’t understand? Is that what Paul is saying?

Then I read chapters 10-11 and heard Paul say salvation is for everyone. I was reminded of the “whosoever” of John 3:16, the “not willing that any should perish” of 2 Peter 3:9. How do I reconcile two seemingly opposite views? Because I believe both views are true by the fact they are God-breathed Scripture.

Which makes me think they aren’t all that opposite after all. Here’s what I believe Scripture teaches from Genesis to Revelation: God loves people. Jesus died to save people. God, from day one has been revealing Himself to people, to draw all of us to Himself.

But God created us with the gift of choice. Anyone who chooses God, God chooses to accept. Anyone who chooses to reject God, God chooses to reject. From before creation, God knew who of us would choose Him and who would reject Him. From before creation He chose to save all who choose Him, and condemn all who reject Him.

That’s what He predestined: the means of salvation.

You might not like it. You might think it’s too cut and dry, black and white. Hear Paul say: who do you think you are to question your Creator?

I think many of us have been caught up in trying to figure out predestination, and we may have overlooked the important message Paul wanted us to hear. I think Paul (speaking for God) wanted us to consider the seriousness of rejecting God.

Do you accept that Jesus died to pay your sin debt? Do you choose to believe that He is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life? Have you been born again? Then you are chosen by God to receive His grace!

But if you don’t accept Him on His terms, if you don’t believe, you are chosen by God to receive His punishment without mercy. And hear His warning:

If you reject Him, He hardens your heart. The consequence of denying Him is an ever progressive hardening toward Him, so that eventually you won’t even hear Him any more. Not that He won’t be revealing Himself. But it will be harder and harder for you to see Him.

Rejecting God is serious. And I think that is the important lesson Paul was trying to convey here. You are chosen by God to be His child. Jesus died for you so that your sins can be forgiven. That is His choice for you.

The question is: what is your choice?

(John 1-3) The Whosoever

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There is a debate among Christians over the “whosoever” in John 3:16. The question is” did God put on human flesh and live on earth for 33 years to die a horrible death for a few “chosen” people He would draw to Himself, and leave the majority of people without hope? Or did Jesus come to purchase salvation for the world, for every man, woman, and child who draws breath?

God loves the world. God gave His Son so that everyone who believes will have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world – not to condemn – but to save the world. Anyone who believes in Him in not condemned. Anyone who doesn’t believe is already condemned because of his unbelief. The truth is, Jesus came to be the Light but some people prefer the darkness. (see John 3:16-21)

Some people will point to Matthew 22:14 where Jesus said: Many are called, but few are chosen, and John 6:44 where the Lord said: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and Ephesians 2:8-9 which says: It is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works so that no one may boast. These verses, they will argue, support the belief that God is selective in whose life He is working, that we as individuals have nothing to do with it.

Yet Jesus said: I will draw ALL PEOPLE to Myself. (John 12:32)

Here’s what I see according to Scripture:

  1. Jesus died for the sin of the world, for all of us without exception.
  2. God the Holy Spirit is revealing Himself, drawing to Himself every person – everyone! It’s not a question of “if” the Spirit moves in someone’s heart. The Spirit’s moving in all hearts. That’s a given.
  3. Now here’s where the “chosen” comes in. God chooses to save anyone who believes, anyone who is born again (John 3:5ff). God chooses to reject and condemn anyone who refuses to believe, anyone who prefers the darkness over the light He reveals to everyone.

C.S. Lewis said it best: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, “Thy will be done.”

Think about that for a minute.

The Lord is “…not wishing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9b)

I think there is much more Scriptural evidence to support the fact that God, right now this minute, is working in the hearts and lives of all people everywhere, that He is seeking to save the lost, that God chose mankind to save and provided salvation for “whosoever” at the cross.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

If there are people to whom the Holy Spirit is not revealing Himself, if there are some who God deems expendable, if there are those God is not drawing to Himself because they didn’t make the list, they would have a right to sit in hell and say, “It’s not fair. God didn’t choose me.”

No. They will sit isolated in hell and weep over the fact they didn’t choose God, remembering all the times God wooed, drew, revealed Himself, and died, so had they believed, their eternity would be life instead of the agonizing death they suffer. They will sit there forever without excuse.

If you have yet to submit to God, to be born again, I can assure you God is working fervently in your heart right now. His desire is that you become His child through the blood of His Son. You.

If you have a loved one who seems far from making that decision, rest assured that God is working fervently in that heart right this minute, too. Keep praying. Keep living your faith in front of them. Keep trusting God because He loves that person even more than you do.

He will do everything He can to draw all people to Himself. Except making them come to Him. That is a choice they will have to make for themselves. That choice isn’t “works,” as some people believe. Paul tells us all to make that choice:

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9)

That is a promise to whosoever believes.

And when they make that choice to believe, they become chosen of God. He won’t turn away anyone who comes to Him.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

(I Samuel 13-15) God Regrets

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God’s Sovereignty is such a mystery. Some people believe life on earth is predestined to play out exactly how God causes it to be. Others think God set the world in motion, then stepped back to see how it would progress without His intervention. Some people place themselves somewhere in the middle, and believe God’s will will always be done no matter the choices we make, because if we make one decision, He will orchestrate situations which lead to His will, if we make another decision, God will manipulate circumstances in another direction to bring about His will. Still others believe something in between all of those.

(Let me say here that I know there is one indisputable aspect of God’s will that will ALWAYS be true. That is that anyone who believes in Jesus will be saved. It’s the “whosoever” of John 3:16. Anyone who comes to God on His terms, He will in no wise cast out. Take that to the bank!)

The question of God’s Sovereignty comes up when Scripture tells us God “regretted” making Saul king. Does that mean He wished He’d appointed someone else in light of what Saul did? Is God really saying hindsight is 20/20? Are we to assume this is the same as an unhappy husband regretting he’s married his nagging wife?

The definition of regret is: “a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done.”

I think what we see here in I Samuel is God’s expression of sadness and disappointment. God has nothing to repent for! Remember His will for Israel was that HE would be their king. They chose a human king instead. I think God mourned the inevitable pain their rejection of Him is going to cause. What Saul did was the tip of the iceberg as we will see as we read on in the Scriptures. And that made God sad.

When you watch your child make a decision that you know is going to end up hurting them, isn’t there a bit of regret, or sadness, or disappointment? It’s the same with God. He loved the people. He loved Saul. And it grieved Him to know how their choices were going to hurt them.

God was disappointed. But He was not surprised. After all He, in His Sovereignty, had already watched the scene played out before it happened. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t break His heart.

My Apologetics Bible said this about this passage: “(God’s) relationships with people are authentic and personal, not pre-programmed.” I tend to agree.

As I think about this passage this morning, I am determined not to cause God any disappointment or sadness. I pray that I – that we all – will decide to obey Him today and bring Him only joy. No regrets.

Chosen Or Not? (Matthew 22)

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Does God choose to save some people, and choose to not save others? Matthew 22:14 says that is clearly the case. Like it or not, God in His Sovereignty clearly accepts some people and not others.

BUT… do not take this verse and expect it to stand on its own. Read the first 13 verses of this chapter, too.

The invitation to the king’s banquet went out to everyone. Some people rejected it on their own. Others dropped what they were doing and accepted the invitation. But one who accepted the invitation was rejected by the king.

Why was this man rejected? Had he received the invitation by mistake? Was the invitation never meant to be extended to him because the king didn’t have him on the guest list? No! The man was rejected because he had come to the banquet on his own terms, not wearing the clothing provided by the king.

The man wasn’t rejected because the king didn’t want him there. The man was rejected because he himself had rejected the king’s provision.

Here’s God’s plan of salvation: Jesus died to pay the death penalty for every sinner who has ever lived. Forgiveness and eternity is extended to ANYONE who accepts it. Jesus died once AND FOR ALL. And God chooses to save anyone who comes to Him on His terms.

Also in God’s sovereign plan is the invitation. Scripture tells us God is drawing all men to Himself. He came to seek and to save that which was lost – and we are all lost because all have sinned. He continually reveals Himself to the world through nature and the Gospel so that no one has an excuse when on that day, every person will give an account for their response to God’s grace.

God doesn’t write anyone off until they stand before Him wearing their filthy rags instead of His own righteousness through the blood of Jesus. Many are called. But only the few who accept His invitation according to His demands are chosen.

That means you! If you have never gone to God on His terms, through His Son Jesus, by repenting of sin and accepting forgiveness through His blood, God has chosen to reject you. No one goes to the Father except through the Son. That’s God’s sovereign plan. He’s very clear about that.

But rest assured… if you come to Him today and accept what Jesus died to give you, you will stand before the King of kings wearing the proper attire, the righteousness of Jesus!

I’m praying for you.

February 25; Choice: The Two Sided Coin

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Leviticus 26-27

I’m so glad God is Who He is. I love the fact He created us with the ability to choose, although it would have been easier if we couldn’t help but obey Him. Sometimes that gift of choice is a curse.

I love the fact that God is never one and done. Look at how many chances God gave the Old Testament Jews. He blessed, they’d disobey, He’d punish, they’d repent, He blessed, they’d disobey, He’d punish, they’d repent, etc., etc., etc.

God is in the business of second chances (and third, and fourth…). Sometimes those chances look like the things described in these last chapters of Leviticus. Sometimes chances look like sudden terror, wasting diseases… Sometimes like famine both spiritually and materially. Sometimes those chances look like plagues and devastation.

But I love the fact that God won’t give up on any of us. Yes, His discipline meant to drop us to our knees might hurt. Yes, we might have to suffer loss before we humble ourselves. Sometimes we choose to disobey and have to pay the consequences our choices require.

But verses 40-45 remind us that there is another side to that coin. God is only as far away as a repentant heart. The choice to confess sin comes with so much blessing!

If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)

Here’s the choice: reject God and suffer the consequences. Receive what Jesus died to give you and be blessed.

The choice seems obvious to me.

Jeremiah 32-34; Freedom, Part 2

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A couple thousand people gathered at the pier last night to watch the colorful – and loud – fireworks display over the Atlantic Ocean, celebrating our nation’s freedom. Live music, glow sticks, bubbles, laughter, and the aroma of hamburgers on the grill made it a fun evening. We do have a lot to celebrate in this country.

Yesterday as I read God’s Word, I was reminded of the freedom we Christians have in Christ. We are no longer slaves to sin! We have reason to celebrate!

But today as I continued to read in Jeremiah, I am reminded of another freedom that gives us reason to grieve. 34: 17 says:

…So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you, declares the Lord – ‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague and famine…

That freedom doesn’t sound very fun. And God wants us to know it really isn’t. God goes on to tell Jeremiah that there are severe consequences to we who have the freedom to choose God, but ignore or disobey Him. He gave us the freedom to choose. He did not give us the freedom to decide on the outcome of our choices.

It’s like, as an adult I have the freedom to smoke if I want to. I do not have the freedom to decide whether or not I get lung cancer. I have the freedom to carry a gun. But if I use it to rob a bank, I don’t have the freedom to decide whether or not I go to jail.

There is always a flip side to freedom. Maybe we are seeing that played out in 2018 America. Freedom without responsibility seems to be destroying us.

Our God-given ability to choose is a precious thing. He wants us to choose Him. But He won’t take away our freedom to make that choice for ourselves. That’s up to us. But know, without a doubt, that choosing to follow God comes with blessing. Choosing to follow anything else comes with devastating consequences God would rather you didn’t experience.

You’re free to do what you want. So is God.

Joshua 22-24; Choose

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I wonder how many times Scripture tells us to “choose.” I wonder how often Scripture either explains in words or in examples the blessings associated with choosing God, and the severe consequences for choosing anything else. Never underestimate the importance of your choices.

God’s made His choice. He chose you. He went to the cross for you. He bought your salvation and is willing to shower you with grace.

When the jailer asked Paul what he needed to do to be saved, Paul said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 16) In Joshua 24, the Jewish leader told the Jews to “choose today” who they would serve. Would they choose God, or the idols of their neighbors?

Choose Jesus today, my friend. Admit you are a sinner, and receive the forgiveness He died to give you. But let me remind you, if you say you aren’t quite ready to give your life to the Lord today, you’ve made your choice to reject Him today. Don’t do it.

Accept Jesus. Choose to obey Him. Choose today who you will serve.

Exodus 7-12 Why Isn’t Anyone Mad At Pharaoh?

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One of my dad’s favorite movies was “The African Queen.” There is a scene in it where Charlie and Rose, heading down the river in his boat to get away from the Germans, drop anchor near the shore for the night. They aren’t there long when gnats start to swarm around them. Charlie immediately pulls up the anchor and heads toward mid-river to get away from the pesky insects. Rose bats her arms, then tries to cover her head, she pulls a tarp over her but the gnats are relentless. She shivers, and cries, and pleads for Charlie to do something. Eventually, they get far enough away from shore where there are no more gnats.

Rose is embarrassed. She apologizes for going “mad.” But Charlie assures her it’s a natural response to the swarming insects. He tells her whole herds of cattle have been known to drown in an attempt to escape the little buggers.

I can kind of relate. My nephews and their families are visiting me on the island this week. The sprawling live oak trees and hanging moss are charming, but they are also a haven for noseeums, tiny, biting gnats that can drive you mad. We’ve made a couple attempts at playing at the playground, but it doesn’t take long before the gnats drive us home.

So it’s no surprise I think about this as I read about the plagues in these chapters in Exodus. That plague alone would have been enough to get my attention, I think.

There are so many things God would have us know about Him in the account of the plagues that seem to culminate in the devasting deaths of thousands of men and boys. I’ve read these chapters several times over the past couple of days, I’ve pulled out my commentaries, and talked to some people whose insight I appreciate. I’ve prayed, and meditated. And I’d like to share my thoughts.

It’s hard to reconcile a loving God with the seeming murder of innocents. But we can’t look at the last plague without starting at the beginning. I’m going to address the first hard lesson, found in 7:3. God is going to harden Pharaoh’s heart. That just doesn’t seem fair, if it means Pharaoh is a puppet in God’s hand.

But God is not a puppeteer. What he said about Pharaoh is a warning to us. The truth of the matter is, God will harden your heart, too, if you reject Him. That’s how we are created. God woos, and draws, and loves us to Himself. In the account of the plagues we see a God who stops at nothing to get our attention. But He takes rejection very seriously. And with each rejection, He wants us to know we are in danger of becoming used to rejecting Him.

Did God harden Pharaoh’s heart? Yes. But He hardened Pharaoh’s heart because Pharaoh rejected Him. And He’d like us to learn from Pharaoh’s example.

Now let’s look at the attempts God made to get Pharaoh to listen to Him. First, He had Moses throw down the staff that turned into a snake. Harmless enough. But impressive. Pharaoh was not impressed. Rejection #1. A corner of a heart hardened.

Next, the Nile turned to a river of blood. Gross. Inconvenient. But again, Pharaoh didn’t budge. Rejection #2. A heart a bit more hardened.

A week goes by, then Moses tells Pharaoh if he doesn’t obey God, frogs will come out of the Nile and fill their houses. Yuck. Rejection #3. But there’s more. After Pharaoh pleaded with Moses to get rid of the frogs, Moses said “Ok, Pharaoh. You pick the time so that you know for certain this is from God.” Pharaoh picked the time. Moses prayed. The frogs left when Pharaoh said. This had to be from God. Rejection #4. It was getting easier to reject God. A harder heart still.

Then came the gnats. I’m sorry, but the story would have ended there if I’d been in Pharaoh’s shoes. I hate those gnats so much! But Pharaoh? Rejection #5, and a heart a bit more hard.

I hope you read these chapters. The plagues continue. Flies, then dead livestock, then boils, hail and fire, locusts. Each plague got a bit more difficult, a bit more severe. And with every plague, God is revealed as powerful, almighty, worthy of worship, and serious about obedience. Pharaoh’s response? Rejections # 6,7,8,9,10,11… And with each rejection a heart that is so hard, it has no trouble rejecting any attempt of God to bring Pharaoh to his knees.

But here is the other thing. It wasn’t just Pharaoh who was ignoring God’s attempts to get him to obey Him. The Egyptian citizens were experiencing the same plagues in their own homes. Why didn’t any of them step up and turn to God? They were not as innocent as some have painted them to be. They would have been saved, according to everything I know about the God of the Bible, had they acknowledged Him as the One True God to be worshiped, if they had obeyed Him instead of rejecting him.

The story of the plagues is actually a story about a patient and, yes, a loving God. God could have wiped out the Egyptians BEFORE Moses ever threw down that staff. He could have given them no warning at all. But God is not, and never has been, willing that anybody perish without Him. And this account tells me He is the God of second chances, and third, and fourth…

It’s easy to shake a fist at God if the only thing we consider is the death of those Egyptians. But why isn’t anyone mad at Pharaoh? Why don’t we shake a fist at him for his arrogance, his repeated denial of God’s supremacy, His rejection of God’s way?

Today, some will tell you a loving God wouldn’t send anyone to hell. But the same God who was that serious about obedience in the book of Exodus is still serious about obedience in 2017. Disobedience equals a death sentence. It’s been that way from the beginning. It’s that way today. And it will be that way tomorrow.

But just like God will provide a way of salvation for Moses and the Jewish believers, He provides a way of salvation for each of us. God HIMSELF, in human form paid the death sentence for each of us. He died so that any who accepts Him on His terms will be saved. Anyone.

Today, and every day, He will try to get your attention. He’ll give you repeated opportunities to accept Him. And He will be faithful to forgive when you ask Him to. If Pharaoh had accepted God, I believe we’d be reading a different account of how the Israelites gained the Promised Land.

Holy God, I pray that we will not allow Satan to stall us on that final plague. Help us to consider the whole picture and see You for Who You are, a patient and loving God who is not willing that any should perish. But also help us recognize that there will come a time when disobedience will be judged. You will be obeyed. Or else. Thank You for Jesus who took on Himself my death penalty for the sins I’ve committed. I pray that all who read this post will know the joy of sins forgiven through the blood of Your Precious Son. Thank you for working in our lives to bring us to the Savior. And thank you for second chances.