Being choosy

If you could sum up the Christian life in one word, what would it be? Why?

I love that question.

It's easy to give the same answers that everyone else gives-"love", "peace", "joy", etc. All of those are good answers. Jesus showed (and still shows) the love of Our Father. His peace is better than the world, (much longer lasting, too), and the joy that comes from a relationship with He who loved us enough to bear our sins on that cross. I used to use those until I found my own word: choice.

When we accepted Him as our Savior, we made a choice. We chose to follow Him wherever He led, to allow Him to mess our lives up, and completely rattle us to show us His amazing love. A life lived with Him is never empty, but filled to the brim. It's a daily choice to "take up our crosses and follow". This commitment needs to be renewed daily, because we would turn away without it. How do we do it? By following what He taught, what He leads us to, who He sends across our path, and so on. John the Baptist said, "He [Jesus] must increase, and I must decrease". Jesus is our path to God, there is no other. Following Him must be the most important decision that we make throughout our days.

Some choices are immediate, others, one can think about. We make dozens, if not hundreds through the day. Recently, a friend invited me to go with him and a few others to a worship service out of town. I was excited, because I loved the people I would get to hang out with-they are so cool! And worshipping God-count me in! It nearly killed me to tell him no. Problem was that I had to work, plus the day after the service was Mother's Day. Mother's day would be long, because of family commitments and work.

I was torn-take my mom out for dinner and go to church the next morning, or spend a wonderful time with God, then suffering the next day. What do I do, what do I do??????

I asked God what I should do. He was quiet. Circumstances changed, and I found myself off early enough to get showered and changed and across the river to our meeting spot. Excited, I asked the Lord if I could go. My mom would understand, I reasoned.

God answered, impressing upon me that I needed to stay home. So I stayed in town. Did I miss that time with God? Not exactly. We had a good time here at home. He showed me that honoring my mom was important to Him. He loves it when we can hang out. It was a tough choice, but then God showed up the next day at my mom's church. The Presence of God was there in a new way. That more than made up for my staying home the night before.

If I had been sleepy from the night before, I would have missed it. I would have allowed something major for me trump something that He wanted to do for others. If I am to follow Him and stay in fellowship, I must decrease and He must increase. End of story.

It's hard to know what God's up to sometimes. He asks us to do some weird things, crazy even. But the blessings that come from resting in and obeying Him are amazing.

So, do you die daily, or live "normal" life? It's up to us to decide.