God's Choice

Some may say that I have a lot of experience in voting. Well, I have voted every time a ballot was set before me so that may qualify me, but even with years of experience, I am still baffled about who I should place my vote in this upcoming election. This blog is not really about the election, nor am I endorsing any candidate. This blog is only about my thoughts as I determine who I should choose.

I am proud to be an American! I take seriously the responsibility of citizenship. My right to vote is not something I take lightly. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I believe I must be the best citizen possible and remain true to the values I hold dear. This campaign season has put these convictions to the test for me.

In my opinion, it is not wise to listen to news commentators because they often get the story wrong or leave out important parts. I also do not take much stock in the advertisements and junk mail that bombards me with only what the individual wants me to hear. I do take into account the actual words of the candidate IF it is not a "sound bite" because things are often taken out of context. So how can I decide the best man or woman to lead our country and place his or her mark on our lives for generations to come?

I have been relying on prayer more than ever. I listen to God's voice and sometimes He surprises me with His wisdom.

A few weeks ago I was in prayer about the candidates and names from bible stories kept coming to me. Peter was an outspoken , bombastic, foot-in-the-mouth kind of guy. He said so many things wrong, but Jesus considered him a strong leader even changing his name to reflect that. Moses ran away when trouble appeared for him in Egypt and when God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt he tried to tell God he wasn't able to make speeches. David was an adulterer and murderer and yet, God said he was a man after his own heart. The only thing Esther had going for her was her beauty and her love of God's people, so God used her at a special time of their history. Paul imprisoned and killed Christians because of his religious fervor and then he was entrusted to take the Gospel to the world. I could go on and on with names of imperfect, in fact, downright sinners who God used to lead and direct His people. The common thread with all these sinners was that they believed in God.

The lesson I came away from my prayer time that day was: Would I obey God in voting for His choice, not my own? I also had to ask myself if I would vote out of obedience to God even if both choices were not, in my opinion, worthy of the office? I also had to not look at the faults of the person. I also was impressed not to look at only the present, but to seek the person who professes a faith in the God of the bible, even though imperfect, that would make decisions that will allow the kingdom of God to grow.

I am still seeking, listening and praying.

Sovereign God, my Father, I know that You hold all government in Your hands. I confess that I have sometimes looked to a man to fix our country's problems instead of You. Forgive me. Thank You for showing me a greater purpose for my participation in this election. Thank You for using anyone who is willing to follow You. Move Your people to obey Your voice as we seek a leader for our beloved U.S.A.

Saying No to Myself

I say "Yes" to myself many times during the day. It is easy to do because it comes naturally. In fact, I usually don't hear myself ask and then knowingly respond in the affirmative, I just do what I feel like doing at the time.

For example, if I have a craving for chocolate I will go seek out chocolate and enjoy the "Yes" I give myself. If I want to play a computer game, again, I will simply start the game and delight myself in the mindlessness of pushing candies together in sets of three or more. There are many other examples I could give, but I do think you get the idea.

The hard thing for me to do is to say "No" to my cravings, or addictions. Stopping the forward motion toward the chocolate, computer game or whatever takes a deliberate action; a decisive "No."

This past year I have had some success with this little two letter word. In fact I am thrilled when I say it and find power in doing so. It becomes even more recognizable when I backslide and fail to use the strength this often unused word gives me. Realizing that I failed to say "no" to myself makes me feel powerless. I regret that I did not use the two lettered dagger that would give me victory.

Mathew 5:37 says "Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil." (ESV) The truth I see in this scripture is first, I should mean what I say. "Yes" should not be my default answer to every choice. I should make choices with full knowledge of the consequences and benefits. Secondly, I need to remember that not choosing wisely is sin. If I need to justify my choices I step over a spiritual line that God does not commend.

I have written this blog entry with a craving for a soda wandering through my thoughts. In writing this I have decided that the sugar and caffeine are not what my body needs tonight, and so I say "No" with the power of choice. The greater choice I have made today is to say "Yes" to The Holy Spirit prompting me to become humble and let go of a previous choice.

2 Corinthians 1:20 "For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory." (ESV) Yes and no can both be difficult choices, but choosing Jesus is always the right choice.

Father, You are the God who has said "Yes" when I ask for mercy and grace. You say "Yes" when I need a Savior, healing, guidance, and hope. Forgive me for every time I think of You as a God of "No." Thank You for giving me choices. Thank You for giving me Your Son so I can choose His redemption. Thank You for not turning away from me when I sin. Thank You for Your forever open arms. Give me wisdom for my daily decisions. Amen.

Proverbs Ten

Proverbs 10: 17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.

"This is my choice. I can do what I want as long as I don't hurt anyone." I have heard this excuse and maybe have even used it myself to make bad choices seem okay. Unfortunately it is not true. We do have freedom to choose, but our actions speak loudly to others who are watching and may follow in to sin.

It is especially harmful to the naive and the children who look to us for guidance. We can choose our own path leading to life or to destruction. Our choice can lead them to life or destruction.

It may be a very wise thing to turn around and look to see if anyone is following us. We may find children, friends, neighbors or even strangers watching our ways and deciding their choices by the ones we make. No one walks this world without someone following. For the sake of those who follow, we should step carefully. I have a favorite song that says, "Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful." Good words to live by!

Faithful God, you have asked us to follow Your Son, Jesus. He is a wise Leader because He followed You! I need Your forgiveness for those times when my eyes desire to follow those going the wrong way. I need Your forgiveness for not caring about those who follow me onto the wrong path. Thank You for being my hope and my Good Leader! Light my path with Your wisdom. Help me to hold Your lamp for others to follow!

Money

Money is an exchange medium. Paper, metal, or whatever is valuable to the people involved can be used as an exchange. Money holds value because of the precious treasure it has ultimately been used for as exchange.

Many years ago, Patrick and I sat with a salesman in our dining room. When he finished his pitch, he thanked us for letting him come. He said that he counted it a privilege that we would give him a part of our lives. WOW! That statement has made a deep impression on me over the years. From his simple yet profound statement I realized that the exchange of our time equals the exchange of our lives. Our precious and treasured life.

One of the ways we exchange our time and life is at our jobs for a pay check. That money is then exchanged for valuable goods we need to sustain our lives and to help others live better lives. The truth is now evident to me that the money I spend is my life and sometimes others lives. For example, my husband works to provide for our family. He has exchanged his life for the money it takes to do that.

I can choose to throw away my life on petty items, poor food choices, useless entertainment, and unnecessary clothing, or use my life (my money) to build a life glorifying to God. It is so easy to spend my life on that which is foolish. It is a hard decision to daily place my life (my money) under the authority, wisdom and love of God.

Living God, you have asked us to choose life! You want to give us life abundantly! You are a living God who dwells within me. I fall so easily into the trap of squandering my life away by the misuse of my money. I want to do better! I want to give You glory through spending my life for You. Thank You for opening my eyes. Thank You for teaching me and giving me the opportunity to repent. I choose life! I choose You, Lord!

God Sees

It is very comforting to know that God sees and looks after me. I know He is aware of everything that happens to me. He is all knowing about my thoughts, fears, issues and even those of people that influence me. He sees me and looks after me in all things.

My Lord sees me with love and tenderness, but He also sees me with truth and reality. He will ask me to do difficult tasks, but He will constantly watch over me. He sees all. He sees my sin, and He knows my heart and my actions.

It is embarrassing to know that He sees my secret sins. Knowing that He watches sometimes stops me, but there are times that I choose the momentary pleasure over Him. Going to Him with a humble and contrite heart, a broken spirit, reveals to me His choice to be blinded to my sin. Yes, He sees but chooses to not see that which I place in the nail scarred hands of Jesus. I am forgiven. I am free. I am righteous before Him when I trust in Jesus.

All seeing, All knowing God, you are so merciful and kind to me a sinner! You see me and help me to change. You see me and accept me as holy. You choose for me the way of forgiveness and love. I can only choose You!

In a Minute

We all know that our lives can change in just one minute. Accidents, diagnosis of a serious illness, a relationship broken. These examples all seem to be circumstance driven. What about the changes we can make by our choice? It only takes a minute.

Have you ever heard of the "Would you rather..." game? You ask each person questions like would you rather be a fish or swing on a star? The person answering must be truthful for this to be an insightful game. In playing this game I think of questions that look down the future and ask things like, "Would you rather be a martyr for your beliefs or be carried away in the rapture?" It is quite obvious what most of us would choose, but do we really understand that a relationship with God gives God the right to interrupt our plans any time He wishes?

The one moment of God speaks to us, directing us down a certain path He has planned, could be a defining moment in our lives. Whatever the path, we can be certain it will be an adventure beyond our imagination if we embrace it fully. God does want the very best for us. We can trust Him. Our job is to respond and follow Him down the path marked with our name written in His blood!

Eternal God, who is timeless and all knowing, each of my minutes are in Your hand when I choose to allow You to be my Lord. Teach me to number my minutes as well as my days so that i might live a life fully in Your presence!

My Choice

When it comes to my everyday individual choices,I seldom consider how my choice will affect others. I do not consider what has been dubbed butterfly effect. The butterfly effect is a theory that even the soft beating of a butterfly wing will cause the air to stir in such a way as to ripple out and cause major changes in the world. But, I find that I am too selfish to consider long range consequences to others. I am even too concerned for my pleasure or comfort of the moment to consider that what I choose may change many lives.

In my experience I find that it is only when I am hit head on with the consequence of my actions or of others random choices that I stop for a moment and think through my choices.

I guess it comes down to this: our lives do matter. Our presence in the world and the actions we choose do matter to others. Our being invited into existence by the uniting of two cells changes the world. It is our choice to make in how we change it. Over our life time we all, make poor choices. We all make unwise decisions. Even if we live trying to always do right , we will fall short.

We do have hope even in our fallen state. God alone is totally good. He offers us the opportunity to change every bad thing in our life to our good. Letting Him connect to us everyday has a much more powerful butterfly effect and it is all for our good!

To-Do List

I have a to-do list that just won't go away! It does get shorter, but then it gets long again. Right now it is long with a possible two more "to-dos" to be added on to the bottom of the list.

My dilemma is if I should add them or should I say "No." Saying "No" is hard especially when it is a good thing to do. The only way to make a wise decision is to seek out the One who really knows what path I should take.

I am reminded that only a short time ago God spoke to me about focusing on one thing till it was completed. Does that mean I cannot place something on my list to be done in the future? That is something I need to ask Him. Whatever choice I make I want it to be wise and with purpose. I guess prayer and time with God is now at the top of my list!

Deaf Ears to Politics

I am turning a deaf ear to the political ads that point fingers at the opposition instead of presenting strategies that they will take for leading our beloved country and ALL citizens. I am tired of hearing how bad the other side is and how our side will be "Different."



Don't get me wrong. There is a need for change. We must find a leader who can stand against the flow that has Washington in its grip. We need something different! BUT, I am convinced that one person, even a strong leader cannot undo, remake, or change the flow without the cooperation of the congress and the majority of the people. I am not looking for someone who can talk change. I want to hear and be convinced that our next president and vice president can convince both sides of the aisle that the change they propose is for everyones best interest.



I am certainly not looking for someone who polarizes so much change that it would be impossible to move in any direction. I am looking for someone who thinks through what really matters.



A message to the candidates: Please do not talk about your opponent! I will make my own judgement about both of you. Tell me what qualifications you bring to the office. I want to hear not only your platform but how you intend to achieve it without placing it all on the backs of the citizens (taxes included). I believe both sides have good ideas and want the best for the country. I am a smart voter. I read between the lines. I will decide by what you intend to do not by what you say the other side will do!



Change is in the wind no matter who gets elected. But do we want the change to put us into slavery because we, as voters, do not want to rise up and work for our own needs, make our own decisions, and live self-controled lives? We have the power in our vote to tell our representatives that we want our freedom, not a government that is the master over every part of our lives.

My cry at the the voting booth is "FREEDOM!!!"

I Do

It is not often now-a-days that couples can celebrate 50 years of being together. It is rare that a man and woman forge a path strewn with thorns, pot holes, stones and ruts and still look at one another with love because they said "I do!"

Today I celebrated with dear friends who will cross that threshold tomorrow. They are a picture of priceless love that was chosen every day and every passing year. No, it has not always been easy. Their story has long been haunted by the debilitating illness of M.S. Through it all they have said "I do" to each other

I do choose you.
I do love you,
I do not give up.

The power in those two words is not that they are said at the begining of the marriage. Their power is in the living and doing. They may be easy to say but they hold a challenge in the living. I believe that in these words lies a golden opportunity. The question is will we as couples step up to the challenge? There is a reward if we do. I challenge you to find that reward!

Choices

Each morning I awaken to a day that will be filled with choices I seldom think much about. I choose what to eat, how to exercise my body and what tasks on my "to do" list will be done first. I make choices based on habit as much as a mindful decision like making the bed, brushing my teeth, reading my bible. Reading my bible is a habit? Whoa!

I guess bible reading is a good habit to acquire, but if the words also run through my mind in a habitual form, I surely am not building my relationship with my Heavenly Father, my friend and Savior Jesus, nor my wise guardian Holy Spirit. The best choice is for me to read with the intent to communicate with the One who speaks these words into being. Like St. Augustine said, The Word not only reveals God to me but also reveals who I am in His light. This choice is the only choice I know that brings true change in my life.

Because I believe this, I make a habit of not making a habit of my time with God. I spend time with Him in different places: my bedroom, my couch, my computer room. I use different mediums, the bible and other books, praise tapes and song, internet devotions, and radio and tv programs. Times are varied also: sometimes, late at night and other times in the mid part of my day. In all these ways I listen for His voice. He speaks to me of the truth for which I am searching.

My choice is deeper than the mechanics of my time with my Saving God. I choose to know Him and understand Him so I can fully trust and love Him in all the other choices of my life.