Thought for Today
Joshua 24:15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region 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."
Psalm 25:12 Who are they that fear the LORD? He will teach them the way that they should choose.
Matthew 20:15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
John 15:16 You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.
This morning Greta and I were watching an early morning newscast from California. We watched several interviews with folks who lost their homes and belongings in the fires which are still raging. One particular interview caught my attention. A woman was being interviewed in front of a pile of ashes composed of all her family’s possessions, home, clothes, keepsakes, everything. Only 1 or 2 small things had been salvaged to remind her and her family of their lives before the fire. Yet, this woman spoke about love and her deliberate choice to focus on love. She spoke encouraging everyone to focus on love.
I could not help but wonder how I might react in her situation. One of the first things about which I pondered is what I would grab were I to be told I must immediately evacuate my home. One person being interviewed was distraught at the loss of his passport. He felt stripped of his very identity. What would you have the composure to take with you in such a situation? One of my priorities would be the computer upon which I am typing and which contains so much valuable information. I have the family Bible from my maternal great grandparent’s farm with several generations of birth, marriage and death information. I have the presentation Bible I was given when I joined the Church and was baptized. I have a treasured Bible Greta gave me for my first birthday after we were married. I have a Bible given me on the occasion of my ordination. What would you have the composure to take with you in such a situation?
I often think about an advice column I read many years ago in one of the Houston newspapers. It was long ago enough that Houston still had a morning and an evening newspaper. In that column, the author noted that each of us has the choice every morning to greet that day positively or negatively. I try to take that advice to heart each morning.
God has given all of God’s children free choice. Admittedly, we do not have unlimited free choice. We cannot choose the country where we are born, who our parents are, even our physical characteristics. Each of God’s children comes ‘hardwired’ with certain emotional and intellectual abilities and interests. To further complicate life, we are all raised in somewhat different environments which affect us differently even from our siblings raised in the same environment. I am not identical to either of my siblings, nor is Greta. The result of all of this is the amazing and fascinating variety of God’s children we all encounter daily.
But, just like those whom Joshua addressed, we all have the ability to make choices each day. Even in the worst adversity, we can choose love and we can choose hope. We can respond to any adversity with positive energy and resolution, or we can respond despondently with despair and defeat. Each day we can choose to follow those false gods or we can choose to serve the LORD.
Irrespective of what we ‘save from the fires’ of life, we are given the ability and responsibility to choose. What would you have the composure to take with you in a difficult situation? What would you choose on the morning during or after a disaster? What will you choose this morning? “as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
Stay safe, choose wisely and faithfully, trust God,
Pastor Ray