Tag Archives: choices

November 24, 2025 · 5:49 AM

Guarding Your Birthright

Pete Rose was one of the best to ever play baseball. They nicknamed him “Charlie Hustle” because of how aggressively he played the game. Even though he retired in 1986, he still has the record for most hits of any player. He was a shoo-in for the hall of fame until 1989. He had been managing the Cincinnati Reds after he retired from baseball when he decided to not only gamble on baseball, but also on games he was managing. He was given a lifetime ban from baseball for it. He traded his place in the hall of fame for the thrill of gambling. His choices left him with a lifetime of being on the outside looking in.

In Genesis 25 we read the story of Isaac and Rebekah having twins. There was so much turmoil in the pregnancy that Rebekah asked God what was going on. He told her two nations were inside her and the older would serve the younger. That prophecy came true when Esau, the older came home from hunting one day. He was starving and his younger brother, Jacob, had made a stew. He begged his brother for a bowl, but Jacob negotiated with him. He said, “First sell me your birthright (the rights of a firstborn)” (AMP). He disregarded the blessings that came with his birthright for a moment’s satisfaction. Instead of a double portion of his inheritance he received a hard life.

Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value].” If you and I are not careful, we can do the same thing. If we’re so focused on the temporary earthly pleasures and desires, we can forfeit eternal blessings. Just as Jacob was looking ahead, we should too. How will the decisions today affect eternity? Are we protecting the gifts that God has given us or are we trading them for convenience? What we set our mind on has a lot to do with our decisions. When you set your mind habitually on heavenly things, your decisions will be made with eternal impact in mind. Guard your birthright with every decision you make.

Photo by Ave Calvar Martinez on Pexels.

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May 19, 2016 · 1:27 AM

Pride And Correction


I went to small, Christian, high school with a graduating class of 16 students. During my senior year, as I would walk down the hall, I would jokingly yell out, “Out of the way, underclassmen! There’s a senior coming through.” It got to the point I had one of the underclassmen walk in front of me and do it for me. We would laugh and I would tell him, “Thanks for showing your proper respect.” We would then go to our classes and do it again after the next bell.

One afternoon a teacher pulled me aside and said, “I’ve been hearing you call out for people to get out of your way and I don’t like it or think it’s funny. In fact, I believe it’s the sin of pride.” I was shocked and embarrassed. I started to push back and said, “It’s just a joke.” He told me, “It’s not really a joke. I’ve watched you over the years and this isn’t you. You’re losing the respect of others, including myself. Pride is serious.”

I had a choice to make. I could tell him he was overreacting and keep on doing it or I could listen to his correction in love and change. I thought about it all night before I prayed, “God, if by doing this I’m committing the sin of pride, I ask you to forgive me and help me to be humble.” I didn’t do it again, and I even stopped the underclassman from doing it for me. I explained I was wrong, that I asked God to forgive me, and that I was sorry I got him involved. It was humbling to be corrected so boldly, but it was necessary to my future.

It’s not fun being corrected by someone else, especially when you’re on the wrong. Everything in you wants to fight back, justify your actions, and to keep doing it out of spite. That’s not God’s plan though. Proverbs 10:17 says, “People who listen when they are corrected will live, but those who will not admit that they are wrong are in danger” (GNT). We all are in need of correction from time to time. What really important is how we respond to it. I may not like it when I’m corrected, but if I’m wise, I’ll listen to it and correct my ways. That’s God’s plan for each of us. None of us are above correction, but all of us have a choice in how we respond to it.

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March 2, 2016 · 5:41 AM

Eat Your Broccoli

  
If you’re like me, you like to be given a choice. You don’t like to be told what you’re going to have. I guess it stems from my childhood. When my mom said, “You can’t leave the table until you eat your broccoli.” I usually sat at the table all night watching the TV from there. Knowing you can only whip a child so much, she tried a different strategy. She’d say, “You can eat your broccoli or you can go to bed.” I didn’t like either choice, but at least I had a say.

She learned that even if I didn’t like the choices, I liked having the chance to choose. God gave Israel a choice, and He gives the same one to you and I. In Deuteronomy 11:26 He said, “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse!” (NLT) It seems like an easy choice on the surface. Who doesn’t want to be blessed by God? But choosing the blessing in this scenario was like eating your broccoli.

The blessings that God gives come when we surrender our life to His will. We have to give up living like we want to live like He wants. God was telling the Israelites and us, “If you will live the way I’m telling you to, I will open up the windows of heaven and pour out blessings on you. But if you live like everyone else on earth and choose a life that is not different, you will be choosing the curse.” The blessings come at a cost, but that cost is good for you just like the broccoli.

In II Corinthians 6:17, Paul reminds us that God said, “Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD.” We are called to be in the world, but not to live like the world. We are held to a higher standard as children of God. When we are willing to live the way God wants us to live, our lives will produce love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and faithfulness. The choice is yours and no one else can make it for you.

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February 21, 2013 · 9:23 AM

Truth or Consequences

Do you have what it takes to do what’s right when everyone is telling you to do otherwise? We all face choices like this in our lives. For some the consequences are higher than for others. Would you be willing to lose your job over doing what God told you versus what’s politically correct? Would you be willing to risk your life? Would you be willing to go to jail? The choices I’m presenting are faced by Christians all over the world every single day.

It’s nothing new. We just don’t hear about it on the news. I personally know people who would lose their lives if caught for doing what God asked them to do. The choice is, “Do I value myself greater than God’s Word?” If you value what God says above anything else, you’re willing to take that risk. You still aren’t guaranteed security just because you do what’s right. What is guaranteed is favor with God, which should be valued higher than favor with man.

In I Kings 22, King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat teamed up to go to war to retake one of King Ahab’s cities. King Ahab sent for his prophets to tell him whether he’d be victorious. The 400 prophets spoke in unison to the king and said he’d be victorious. Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet from The Lord here?” Ahab said there was one, but he always prophesied against him. Jehoshaphat said that they should hear from him too. So they sent a messenger to get him.

Here’s where it gets interesting. In verse 13, the messenger gets to Micaiah and says, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure to agree with them and promise success.” The Bible doesn’t say, but I’m sure he was instructed by someone above him to relay that message. The message came through loud and clear, “It will be bad for you if you don’t do what’s politically correct. Agree with all the others or else (My version).”

Micaiah had a choice to make. He could choose to bow to the pressure of what the rest of the “prophets” were saying or he could seek God for himself to see what God said. He chose to have a little fun. When Ahab asked him, he said, “Go ahead. An easy victory. God’s gift to the king (MSG).” King Ahab knew he wasn’t telling the truth and demanded it from him. So he told him that not only would he be defeated, but he would also be killed in the battle.

One of the men with King Ahab walked up and punched him in the face (look it up if you don’t believe me). The king then ordered that he be arrested and to only be given bread and water until he returned from battle safely. King Ahab was killed that day as the prophet had spoken. The bible doesn’t say what happened to Micaiah, but even if he spent the rest of his life in jail, he knew that it was more important to obey God than man.

What choices are you facing today? Are they opposed to God? Is it more popular to go with the public opinion? Ultimately what matters is your obedience to what God says. While its easier to follow the crowd or to do what others deem as acceptable, God’s Word is the standard for our lives. Here’s what Jesus said, “If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and no longer on the world’s terms, the world is going to hate you. (John 15:18, 19 MSG)” Where do you stand?

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February 21, 2013 · 8:43 AM

Truth or Consequences

Do you have what it takes to do what’s right when everyone is telling you to do otherwise? We all face choices like this in our lives. For some the consequences are higher than for others. Would you be willing to lose your job over doing what God told you versus what’s politically correct? Would you be willing to risk your life? Would you be willing to go to jail? The choices I’m presenting are faced by Christians all over the world every single day.

It’s nothing new. We just don’t hear about it on the news. I personally know people who would lose their lives if caught for doing what God asked them to do. The choice is, “Do I value myself greater than God’s Word?” If you value what God says above anything else, you’re willing to take that risk. You still aren’t guaranteed security just because you do what’s right. What is guaranteed is favor with God, which should be valued higher than favor with man.

In I Kings 22, King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat teamed up to go to war to retake one if King Ahab’s cities. King Ahab sent for his prophets to tell him whether he’d be victorious. The 400 prophets spoke in unison to the king and said he’d be victorious. Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet from The Lord here?” Ahab said there was one, but he always prophesied against him. Jehoshaphat said that they should hear from him too. So they sent a messenger to get him.

Here’s where it gets interesting. In verse 13, the messenger gets to Micaiah and says, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure to agree with them and promise success.” The Bible doesn’t say, but I’m sure he was instructed by someone above him to relay that message. The message came through loud and clear, “It will be bad for you if you don’t do what’s politically correct. Agree with all the others or else (My version).”

Micaiah had a choice to make. He could choose to bow to the pressure of what the rest of the “prophets” were saying or he could seek God for himself to see what God said. He chose to have a little fun. When Ahab asked him, he said, “Go ahead. An easy victory. God’s gift to the king (MSG).” King Ahab knew he wasn’t telling the truth and demanded it from him. So he told him that not only would he be defeated, but he would also be killed in the battle.

One of the men with King Ahab walked up and punched him in the face (look it up if you don’t believe me). The king then ordered that he be arrested and to only be given bread and water until he returned from battle safely. King Ahab was killed that day as the prophet had spoken. The bible doesn’t say what happened to Micaiah, but even if he spent the rest of his life in jail, he knew that it was more important to obey God than man.

What choices are you facing today? Are they opposed to God? Is it more popular to go with the public opinion? Ultimately what matters is your obedience to what God says. While its easier to follow the crowd or to do what others deem as acceptable, God’s Word is the standard for our lives. Here’s what Jesus said, “If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and no longer on the world’s terms, the world is going to hate you. (John 15:18, 19 MSG)” Where do you stand?

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