Now is the time…… To Choose the Best

Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. Galatians 6:8

Sometimes as I do my weekly grocery shopping I wish there were not so many choices of products available. We are bombarded with great, yummy or just plain decadent; heart-smart, natural and organic, to mention just a few. Of course the healthiest choices are usually the most expensive which often puts them out of the reach of those who need them the most.

Just as in the supermarket the ‘best for you’ is often the costliest, so it is in the spiritual life. Every day I am faced with making choices for my health that my flesh doesn’t like. My body would much rather sit at the computer than go for a walk, or eat a cookie rather than fruit, not to mention reading a book rather than doing the ironing, or watching TV rather than reading the Bible! It costs me something to choose to do what is best for me. My choices also affect others.

The apostle Paul speaks about a choice that Christians need to make; we can either serve our flesh, or we can walk by the Spirit. Whichever we give in to becomes our master (Romans 6:16). As a Christian we need to be in a process of enabling our spirit to rule our flesh by denying the demands of the flesh which continually assail us. We need to reprogram by moving from flesh-driven actions and reactions to Holy Spirit-led decisions. This can only be done as we make a choice to move out of old habits and living patterns and into a brand new way of living and doing things. To do this we need to invite the Holy Spirit to help us daily to make the changes that are needed for us to live a life that is worthy of God (Colossians 3:10), one that is pleasing to him. It is a daily challenge.

There is something that is available to each one who believes in the living Christ, it is the grace of God. The apostle Paul wrote, “By the grace of God, I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10), in other words it wasn’t just him working for God and living a life that was pleasing to him, but it was the grace or enabling that he received from God by which he could do what he did.

Yes, God’s grace is available to us also, but we need to work with it. Paul also went on to say that he did not receive that grace in vain but he worked hard too. It is up to us to receive the grace from God to make good choices, but in the end we need to decide to make the right choice. I close with the choice that Joshua put to the children of Israel which still challenges us today……. ”Choose this day whom you will serve…” (Joshua 24:15). Who will be your master?

Prayer: Gracious God, help me to have a revelation of the plans you have for me so that I can make good choices for my life which will strengthen the life of your Spirit within me. Thank you for your grace which is always available to me. Help me not to receive it in vain, but to work with it for my growth in this new life. Amen