One of the things I have noticed lately is there are a lot of choices. I mean internet, movies, shampoo, food, “Do you want fries with that?” and today I drove by a car lot and you could actually spend all day trying to figure out what kind of car to buy and then you have to choose the color. Everywhere you look there is an advertisement telling us the choice we should make, Just so you know Maddison Avenue does a great job selling stuff ,but a poor job of helping me make good choices.
Get this and you get ? this is where you fill in the blank___________________. And you can put a lot of things in the blank and the idea is they are selling stuff that can make me happy and others like me, quite a challenge but the reality is stuff doesn’t really do that. Why would I say that? because every couple of days there is a new or new and improved version of the very thing that was suppose to make me happy and well liked. But it never turns out as good as I thought it would be. Sad, but true.
What if? We could make choices that really did bring not only happiness, but produced lasting satisfaction? That would be transformation at the level we have always dreamed of and I wouldn’t have to buy that funny smelling shampoo either. So what is the first step to that kind of a life?
Jesus Christ
Philippians 3:12-14 (ESV)
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The Apostle Paul writes these words to the Church in Philippi from a Roman prison. I find it interesting that he says that he is “straining forward to what lies ahead” That would suggest that making right choices is difficult. I have said it before and now seams like a good time to say it again, “I didn’t start well, but I am determined to finish well” That my friends is a choice that we ALL can make and this is what it looks like for me.
I Choose to:
Laugh instead of crying.
Forgive instead of holding a grudge.
Love than to live in fear. To quote Dean, a friend of mine “I would rather be real than safe.” I love that.
Have faith instead of doubt.
Move forward instead of giving up.
Learn from the pain in my life instead of becoming bitter.
Seek understanding instead of ignorance.
Persevere in spite of difficult circumstances.
Have hope for something better.
To be honest when it would be easier to lie.
To try to do my best, than to make excuses.
I think that is the kind of “straining” that Paul was talking about and I believe that is the kind of life that honors God and it is the kind of life that God honors. We All have a choice to make and I would also say that we are living now with the choices we made yesterday. If you don’t like the life you are living now, make better choices today so that the life you have tomorrow will be better.
And
The best choice you can make to start the journey to your “New and Improved Life” is Choose Jesus Christ and then follow HIM wherever he Leads. And that is the way I see it in my market.
P.S. Jesus dosent remodel your old life, He completely destroys it. The promise is new life just so you know. 🙂