CHOICES

It's funny what life will throw at you. Things frustrate you. There are a lot of things that we don't have control over in this life. A lot of why we are sitting where we are right now has to do with the choices we have made to get us to this point. Some of those choices have been really good, and some really bad. We try to focus on the good to keep our morale up and continue on in life.

When bad things happen, traditionally, we tell ourselves, “This must have happened for a reason.” how sad. We shake our heads and declare, “You know, God is going to work this out.” That is true; God will do His best to work out every situation in your life. He will reach into the middle of horrible circumstances, no matter what those circumstances may be and do His best to touch your heart and reach those around you.

Today, I want to tell you that not everything that happens to you is His will. I know this goes against popular belief, but I'm going to use my Bible today. Years of tradition have watered down the gospel, leaving it without the power God intended.

God is not to blame for the things He had nothing to do with. Your choices are not His fault. When Adam and Eve were created and placed in the Garden of Eden they had a free will. God said, “Don't eat the fruit of that tree because you will surely die.” god gave them a choice to eat or not. They chose wrongly. Why didn't God prevent them from disobeying? Why didn't He reach down and take the fruit from their hand? Some theologians say, “Well, it must have been His will.” Wrong. Adam and Eve were not forced to eat the forbidden fruit; God let them make the choice. He will not break your free will. You choose this day and every day who you will serve. You choose what you will do with your life, just like you choose the horse you want to ride.

No matter where life finds you, you can choose a wonderful future starting right now. However, foundational truths are going to need to be laid. You need to understand the free will you were created with and the choice you can make to follow Him.

Jesus said many times in the gospels that He did only what He saw the Father doing-and nothing else. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is declared the expressed image of God. Did Jesus, the image of God, ever leave a disease on people? No. Did He ever hurt anyone while carrying out His will? No. Let's take a closer look at Jesus, the image of God.

When a prostitute was brought to Him and according to law deserved death by stoning Jesus responded with love by saying “Those of you who have no sin in your life, throw the first stone.” This woman was caught in sin and they wanted to kill her. They really thought this was the right thing to do and that they were carrying out God's will and His justice. Jesus disagreed.

Jesus shows us God's heart toward a person struggling with problems and sin. Jesus stooped to the ground and started writing in the dirt and one by one the people left until only Jesus and the prostitute remained. When He stood up He asked, “Where did your accusers go?” They were gone, but why? Because they were guilty of the same things, but had not been caught. They thought the same thoughts, but never acted on them. Their hearts were bad and they knew it and when Jesus exposed their sin witho9ut accusing them they ran because they were afraid and uncomfortable. Then, what did Jesus say to the woman? “I don't hold it against you either. Gos and sin no more.” This is God's heart.

God loves you. He wants to do you right. He wants to give you a future, a hope, and a plan. In fact, He has a plan for you right now, right where you are no matter what your circumstances are in life. He wants to work in your life and it's up to you.

When we don't believe, does He give up on us? Never. He's still going to try to help you. He's going to try again, and again. Avoiding Him will only make the callouses in your heart stronger and harder. Life is rough: miss-communication with friends, a marriage heading south, business deals gone bad, x-rated addictions. We all have faults and God has given us the grace to change. Peace in this life can and will only come from God. It doesn't come from more money in your pocket, nicer cars, better horses and winning championships. Don't get me wrong, I like a good horse and winning championships, but what happens after winning? Something is still missing. I want and need peace and contentment and I cant 'get them on my own. They only come from God through Jesus Christ.

Some of you have found it. A million tons of bricks were lifted off your shoulders when you accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life. Some of you have also lost it somehow. The cares of this world have stolen your peace. You can look back at your life and see how the callouses have grown on your heart as you decided not to listen to God. God does not hold your choices against you. He loves and forgives you. He has made a way for you to walk with Him. Make the choice to follow Him.

Lord, help us to forgive a s you forgive. We don't blame You for the horrible circumstances that sin has brought into our life. Lord, we trust You to bring us out of the horrible situations because You are a good God. WE know that You are good. We know that You are powerful. Lord, change our foundations and the way we look at You so that we can have more you You and less of us. Help us to walk in this wonderful life with Your hand on us. Help us not to resist the direction that You are trying to help lead us because we must have more of You. Lord, no matter what, let our peace be in You and not in our circumstances. Amen.

Until Next Month; Ride with God.

Travis Klingeman