Gotta make a choice

God. We’ve all heard about Him, many of us believe that He exists. Some know Him, or talk to Him, and there are those who wonder about Him. Still others curse Him. You will have to choose Who He is to you.

You will show the world (at least your little part of it) who God is to you, and you will do it every single day. You will do it by your choices.

That little word..choices..keeps coming up, doesn't it? When you were a small child, you learned how to make choices. Did your mom let you pick out what to wear? Did you help choose what to serve for dinner? As you've aged and matured, your choices are far more important, and far more revealing.

You'll see and feel the importance of your choices from here on out. You will choose a career..a car..a friend..a spouse..a home..debt..activities..integrity.. Will you push the envelope a tiny bit further each time you stretch the truth to someone? Will you become accustomed to stretching the truth?

Your choices - big decisions or smaller ones - will reflect your character, morals, standards. If you are a Christian - a follower, a disciple of Christ - those around you will pay attention to the small decisions you make. They'll expect your larger choices to be made in the same way.

Are the choices you made today reflective of Christ? Will someone doubt Him because of the way you reacted to someone? Did you laugh at that man you saw at the grocery store? Did you "share" your work with someone? Did you lie to the waiter at the restaurant to get a discount on your meal?

Someone is watching and listening to you - LOTS of someones are watching and listening to you. Make your choices reflective of Him! See people the way He does!

Today is the first day?

I'm sure we have all heard the saying "Today is the first day of the rest of your life". While that is one of those things that you kinda think "Duh, of course it is! Can't go back and start over!", it is also one of those epiphany moments when you see the proverbial light bulb.

Today, indeed, is the first day of the rest of our lives. Many of us (me included) are making plans for the future, whether it's college to prepare for a career, a boyfriend who may be THE one.. maybe it's an apartment you are looking for to move to after college. Or maybe you've decided to sell your house, and you gotta figure out where to go from here. Maybe it's time to look for another job, instead of the one you've had for a while. Hard decisions, all of them.

But today is also the day that you will choose to live out your faith or not. You will choose - either by doing, or by not doing - to put God in your life, your choices, your attitude. Do you see Him when you look at others... you know, annoying girl in your class..or the instructor who didn't cut you a break...the woman at Walmart who wasn't dressed in a manner that you would be...the driver who cut you off as you were late...the girl who made a rude gesture to you...the student who tried to cheat off your paper...the angry customer who snapped at you... Far, far too often, we choose to make fun of these people, or to bad-mouth them behind their back. It's easy to see something or someone and make fun of it...but I think that often speaks more to our character than whoever is on the receiving end of our jokes.  How many of us watch "reality" television shows, only to laugh out loud at their missteps?   Probably not so much like Jesus, huh?

[John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believed on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.]

Best I can tell from reading the Bible - "the world" meant everyone. EVERYONE. Not just the handsome guys or pretty girls, or the ones successful in business. Not only the wealthy. Not just the classy or kind. Not only the ones who make pretty good life decisions. Not just "us"... but also "them"...including Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, Susan Smith, Timothy McVeigh, OJ Simpson....and billions others.

We are ALL sinners. Some of us choose Jesus, some of us do not. But the death of Jesus was for every single, solitary soul that is born on this earth.

I hope today is the first day of the rest of your life that you choose Jesus. Put these into practice today: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. [Galatians 5:22-23]