3/29/2010

Choices

God knows all … the beginning to the end. When He created man, He knew that man was going to fall. He knew that man would need a Savior. He knew how it was all going to end – before He scooped up that first handful of dust. When God created you, He knew you. He knew your likes & dislikes long before you did. He knew the choices you would make in your life and He knew how far you would have to sink in sin before you would reach out to Him.

He could have pre-programmed us like little toy robots. But He didn’t. He created us with love and allowed us free will. We were given the ability to choose. Our most important choice is whether to love Him or not.

Over the course of the past few weeks, I’ve been in a real spiritual desert. Most of us get to that point in our relationship with God where we feel dried up and thirsting. We know that the Living Water comes from God’s Word, and yet we either don’t seek Him or as in my case, when I would attempt to read the Scriptures, their meaning eluded me. Has this ever happened to you? I would read & read, and if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought my Scofield Study Bible was written in the original Greek. I suspect that my biggest problem was that I was going to God with my head so full of ‘stuff’ that I don’t think I could have heard Him if He were standing right beside me shouting. After awhile, I couldn’t tell if what I thought I heard was from Him or from my own cluttered mind. The frustration would get so bad that I would start to think, ‘what good will it do to read the Bible today, I’ll be just as confused when I’m done as I am right now?’ Let me tell you, those little demons can talk awful loud sometimes. If we’re not careful, we can allow them to drown out God’s still small voice.

It occurred to me really early in this desert that I have a choice. I can choose to just go about life and reassure myself with ‘the Bible is too difficult. I just can’t understand it.’ And before long, it would sit on the shelf gathering dust. The crossroads I encountered sounds so small and uneventful. But in a spiritual desert, it can make all the difference between spiritual life & death. I had a choice to make. Every day I had to choose whether to seek God or not. Did I choose to love Him enough to seek Him? Eventually, the fog began to clear and His precious Words started to sink in like much needed water on a dry & thirsty land.

God knows my weaknesses. He knows when I wander astray. He patiently calls me to come back to Him and waits for me. He wants to embrace me with His love and pour out His blessings on me. He loves you too. He has so much to give you, but He leaves the choice up to you. Are you seeking Him? Do you thirst after that Living Water? Find a quiet place and get alone with God. Tell Him your difficulties and frustrations. Ask Him to help you. Ask Him to make Himself real to you through His Word. Then get quiet and wait on Him.

I love my family. Honey and I make time each day to sit & talk about the things that are important to us. Mama and I talk about once a week, and I can hardly wait for the calls. I anxiously wait to hear what’s going on back at home, and I keep a mental file of all the funny things that have occurred during the past week so I can share them with her. The same with my kids. They check in about once a week, and I enjoy hearing about their lives so much. If you love someone, you want to spend time with him or her.

God knew us before the world was ever created, and loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to earth to be the Sacrifice for our sins. That was the choice that He made. Do you love God? Does your Bible reflect that love? It’s His love letter to you. Do you spend time talking with Him each day? Praying is really simple. Just start talking to Him, and then spend time listening as you read His Word.

“For God so loved the world, (you & me), that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever, (you & me), believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (parenthesis, mine)

Love is a choice. He made the choice to love you. Do you feel Him in your heart, calling you to come closer? If you’ve never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, now is the time. If you have already accepted Christ, maybe God is calling you to draw closer to Him. He wants to pour His love out on you. Choose to seek Him. Learn what it feels like to say, “My cup runneth over.”

Have a great day and may the Lord bless you.

2 comments:

Cary ~ My Wool Mitten at Serenity Farms said...

Good morning! I found your blog while visiting Tom's blog at A Farmers Journal. Thank you for sharing your heart and day to day struggles and joys....what a blessing to read this Good Friday morning!

Lee Ann said...

Hi Cary! I am so glad you stopped by to visit us at Mountain Home. And I truly appreciate your sweet words. Isn't God awesome?! His love & patience is what sustains me in the hard times, and fills me with joy on the days when smiling seems like such a chore. This weekend we celebrate the fullest extent of His love for us. I pray that you have a wonderful Resurrection Day! This is only the second time in the almost 10 years that I've been in Vt. where we have had a true spring on Resurrection Day. I'm feeling so blessed right now, I can hardly contain myself!

Stop by and vist whenever you get the chance and may the Lord bless you.