TODAY IS…

a wonderful day to make the right choices.

“Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse!”  Deuteronomy 11:26 NLT

It would appear on the surface to be a “no brainer” when confronted with the options God gave to the Israelites. How could anyone willingly choose a curse over a blessing? Who would make such a choice?

Honesty would require that many of us raise our hands and admit that we have willingly made the wrong choice. Perhaps we have even done so many times.

Making the wrong choice can have a wide range of negative consequences from very minor to extremely severe and unpleasant. While it is always possible to learn from making the wrong choice, it is best to learn how to make the right ones and avoid the wrong ones completely.

The very first choice that God gave to mankind was in the Garden of Eden.

“And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die.’” (Genesis 2:16-17 NIV).

One choice, one temptation.

Mankind’s score: Good Choices – 0; Bad Choices – 1.

We certainly did not get off to a good start, and sometimes it doesn’t look like we ever learned a thing. Whenever we try to make our choices based upon what we think, or on what we feel, or because of what we want, the chance of making the wrong choice increases exponentially.

It is pretty difficult to make the wrong choice in any given situation and then lay the blame at God’s feet. We have His Word to help us determine what the correct decision is. With the wisdom contained in the Bible, it really is rather difficult to choose the wrong way to go, to think, or to act.

“A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one.” (Ecclesiastes 10:2 NLT).

Sometimes making the right choice leaves us standing alone. Those who are thinking only of themselves may try to make us feel at odds, or try to make us feel guilty for our decision.

But Paul assures us, “Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.” (Romans 14:22b NLT).

If we have truly accepted Christ into our lives, our hearts will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and it will always be our heart which will help us make the right decision. Many wrong choices will have minor consequences, but our goal should always be to make the right choice each and every time. This way we will be less likely to be caught off guard and make a wrong choice that has devastating consequences.

The choice is yours.

Do you choose to be blessed or to be cursed?

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson