The Choice is Yours

In middle school, our Vice Principal always closed the morning announcements with this quote: “Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.”

I thought of this as a check on my attitude—that regardless of what happened in my day, I had a choice in how I viewed my circumstances, how I reacted, and whether I had a good attitude. To this day, I still think about this quote, view it the same way, and am still convicted by it.

As I have walked further in my relationship with Christ in adulthood, I see this quote through a new lens. As Christians with free will we have so many choices to make on a daily basis and can choose to follow Christ or not. Below are some choices we as Christians should be challenged and encouraged to make daily:

C – Choose Christ

The most important decision we make in our lives is whether we choose to put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior. But our walk with Jesus does not end there. It’s just that, a walk, and we must choose Christ daily, not only at the point of salvation. Choosing Christ daily means forsaking our ways, resisting temptation, overcoming sin, and seeking God. We should look back at the cross as a reminder of the price Christ willing paid for us, a check on our pride, but also as a source of complete joy knowing we are fully forgiven. Choosing Christ daily may be difficult in certain moments as we battle against our pride and flesh, but it is a blessing, as Christ promises through Him, we “might have life” and “have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

H – Choose Humility

While we have our own expectations and plans for our lives, our plan and will pales in comparison to God’s plan. God is our Creator and sovereign over all. His will and plan reign supreme. As Christians, we should humble ourselves, repent over our sin, and choose in humility to submit to God’s plan for our lives and His Kingdom. We live to glorify and honor Him, not for ourselves and earthly pleasures.

O – Choose Obedience

Humbling ourselves before God and submitting to His will enables us to choose obedience. In humility and submission to God, even when things did not make sense from their perspectives, Noah obeyed and built the ark and Abraham obeyed and left his family and homeland to go to Canaan. We should choose to obey God’s command daily. This could be watching the words that come out of your mouth, pursuing purity, checking your attitude and reaction to difficult circumstances, or witnessing to someone as the Holy Spirit directs. While obedience takes many different forms, it means submitting to God’s way and obeying God’s commands.

I – Choose Immersion in the Word

Psalm 119:105 says God’s Word is a “lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” and Psalm 1:2 says the blessed man meditates day and night on the Word. We need God’s Word to teach us the truth, show us God’s character, and guide our steps in following Christ. Without God’s Word to convict us and steer us in the right direction, we would forget God’s faithfulness and fall into sin, just as happened to the Israelites throughout the Old Testament. Choose to read your Bible daily, even if just a verse, to show and remind you of the truth and to strengthen you. God’s Word is true (John 17:17) and “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

C – Choose God’s Character

When trials, pain, and suffering come, choose to trust in God’s character over your circumstances and the lies the enemy wants you to believe. In your pain and suffering, the enemy would have you believe you are alone and God has forgotten you. This is not true. God is our Creator. He is sovereign and has a perfect plan. He is faithful and intimately knows us and loves us deeply (see Psalm 139)—to the point of sending his only Son to the cross to die for us. We see God’s character on display throughout the Bible. Even though the Israelites sinned and faced trials and tribulations, not once did God forsake them. He provided for them every step of the way, from providing manna in the wilderness to guiding them by fire and clouds in their journey to the promised land to being among them in the tabernacle and temple to speaking to and guiding them through judges, kings, and prophets. He was faithful. He has not changed (Malachi 3:6) and He still is always with us today (1 Corinthians 3:16, Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20). Take comfort in God’s sovereignty and faithfulness and choose to believe and trust in Him in difficult seasons. He has a plan and will never forsake you.

E – Choose Evangelism

Finally, Christian, go share the good news as Christ commanded (Matthew 28:19). There are people who are truly hurting. Their hearts may be softened and understand their pain and that they need something beyond themselves and this world to save and help them; they just don’t know that their Savior is Jesus. And there are others who may have hardened hearts and are blind to their pain and suffering, but they too are hurting from the weight of sin—they just may not know it. We have the solution and must share it. Choose to share the love and saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Now, rephrasing the quote my middle school Vice Principal so wisely shared…

“Make it a faithful, obedient, and submitted life to Christ, the choice is yours.”