Choose
Choose you this day whom ye will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15
When I was about six years of age, I chose to cut my hair. I was at school and my bangs were hanging in my eyes and bothering me. So during a movie,
I leaned down underneath my desk and cut them off. It was not the wisest choice, but the annoyance was removed, and I promptly forgot about it.
What a surprise I had when I arrived home and my mother expressed her shock at my appearance! I wondered, How did she know?
Now I am older and, hopefully, wiser. I have learned that though some of the choices we make may seem small or insignificant, they can still have obvious
effects on our lives. Though my hair-trimming session did not cause any long-lasting damage, I am sure my appearance suffered for a time.
As Christians, the choices we make every day can have a big impact on our spiritual lives. Some choices may not seem like a “big deal” at the time,
but their effects over time can be immense. As a young person, I learned that the music I listened to affected my attitude and my spiritual condition.
Listening to worldly music caused me to start adopting attitudes of the world, and longing for worldly things. In contrast, when I turned on Christian
music and listened to songs about God’s love and Heaven, my soul would thrill and I would feel His peace. I also learned that reading the Bible
and praying on a regular basis affected my relationship with the Lord. When I made the effort to spend even a little time with Him, He would meet
me in a special way. These may not seem like big choices—selecting a radio station, opening the Bible—but oh how they can add up! Those
types of seemingly small decisions are what determine the relationship we will have with the Lord.
There are many choices we are faced with each day that can draw us nearer to God or cause us to drift away from Him. As Joshua said, “Choose you this
day whom ye will serve.” Let’s daily choose Christ!
Dear Lord, There are so many choices to make each day. Sometimes I cannot see how important each one may be. Please help me, in every situation, to make the choice that will draw me closer to You. Amen.