Make Good Choices!
“Let us choose what is right;
Job 34:4 ESV
let us know among ourselves what is good.”
“I want to do what is good, but I don’t.
Romans 7:19 NLT
I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”
From a young age we are taught that we should do what is right and not do what is wrong. The directive my generation usually received from parents and teachers was “Be good!” When my children were little, I often instructed them to “Behave!” Now, young children are told, “Make good choices!” Whatever the mandate, the intent is the same: We are supposed to do what we know is right and avoid doing anything that’s wrong.
Easier said than done, though. We all struggle with this, even as adults. The apostle Paul did, too. Even though he wanted to do good, he still found himself doing wrong (Romans 7:19). Why is this? Why do we keep making bad choices even though we know better? As Paul explains, we all have a sinful nature that tries to lead us astray. It’s part of being human, and it’s a battle we fight every day.
Our spiritual self knows what God expects and wants to obey, but our earthly self fights against this. And let’s not forget the forces of evil that try to sabotage our efforts as well. Satan loves to lead us into wrongdoing and then overwhelm us with guilt afterwards, convincing us that we are too sinful to return to God. No wonder we struggle! But Christ came to liberate us from all of this:
“In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant,
Romans 7:23-25 TLB
but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin….
Oh, what a terrible predicament I’m in!
Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature?
Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord.
He has set me free.”
“I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart. I will put my spirit in you and will see to it that you follow my laws and keep all the commands I have given you.”
Ezekiel 36:26-27 GNT
As followers of Christ, sin no longer has mastery over us, because Christ’s Spirit dwells within us. That’s good news! Christ paid the price for our sins — all of them. We are already forgiven for our transgressions, even the ones we haven’t committed yet, because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. So we can let go of the idea that we are too sinful to come to God:
“Once you’ve received Christ as your Savior, you are accepted before the Father forever. And because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in you and the Word of God to guide you, you can live in a manner well pleasing to the Lord.”
Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life
God meets us where we are, and then He begins transforming us into the image of Christ. This is a long, slow process, but the Holy Spirit gives us the help we need to succeed and the power to obey whatever God calls us to do. When we accept Christ, we become free not only from the punishment of sin, but also from the hold sin has on us.
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
Philippians 2:13 NLT
So what does this mean, exactly? Because we all know that even as Christians, we still sin. If we have all this power inside us, why do we struggle so much? Well, I’m no expert, but I think it means this: The Holy Spirit will lead us into God’s perfect will, but we must surrender control of our lives to Him.
Ah… So now we see the problem. If we want to do the right thing, we have to quit trying to do it on our own. We have to learn to offer up every aspect of our lives as a living sacrifice to God. We have to let go of everything — all our hopes, dreams, plans, and desires — and allow God to use our lives however He chooses.
“Presenting your total being completely to God is never easy. In fact, there’s nothing more challenging in life than that. For this reason, it’s important for you to understand that offering yourself as a living sacrifice is not a onetime experience.”
Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life
To choose godliness is to choose persistence. We have to persevere through trials and mistakes. We have to humble ourselves again and again and say, “Your will, Lord, not mine be done.” This is a daily commitment we must choose to make. And it’s not easy. The reason we still sin is not because we don’t have the power to resist — it’s that we don’t choose to access the power that we have been given.
“As long as we exist on earth, we will be tempted to take back control. So when you fail, do not despair or run from God. Instead, renew your commitment to Him. Climb back on the altar and set your will on allowing Jesus to work in your mind, heart, and life. Because the true test of godliness is not in avoiding falling but in getting back up again.”
Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life
“It’s easy to slip into a quiet rebellion — going about life in your own way. But the time comes when you have to choose who or what will control you. The choice is yours. Will it be God, your own limited personality, or another imperfect substitute? Once you have chosen to be controlled by God’s Spirit, reaffirm your choice every day.”
Chronological Life Application Study Bible
So if it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to control us, then what’s left for us to do? Our job is to let Him. Rather than trying harder to control our behavior, we need to focus more on drawing close to God. It’s a tough, confusing lesson that I am being taught every day, because I like to figure things out. My math brain wants God to tell me step-by-step exactly what He wants me to do then let me go off and do it on my own. But, as I am becoming painfully aware, God doesn’t work that way.
More than anything, God desires a relationship with us. He wants us to keep seeking Him every day. This means He usually will not give us the big picture, just small glimpses of His plan. If we try to go off and do everything on our own, we will fail. He knows this. We, unfortunately, often have to learn this lesson the hard way. God sees everything. God knows everything. God has the power to do anything. On our own, we do not. So we need Him. We need Him every minute of every day in order to fulfill His amazing plans for our lives. We need to stay connected to Him so that He can transform our minds, hearts, and lives.
So how do we make good choices? We choose to focus on God. Anything that helps us to do this will be the right choice, because the result of spending time with God is godliness. Here are a few examples that have helped me learn to draw closer to God:
I can choose…
Wonder over Worry
Prayer over Panic
Promises over Problems
Gratitude over Grumbling
Humility over Hubris
Grace over Grudges
Obedience over Obstinance
Devotion over Despair
Worship over Woes
Stillness over Stress
Wisdom over Wandering
Trust over Trepidation
Faith over Fear
Hope over Hurt
Love over Loneliness
God over Glory
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. “
James 4:8 ESV
This week’s Scripture passages remind us that we make good choices by choosing to draw near to God. When we do, the Holy Spirit empowers us to do His will and draw others to Christ. God created us to fulfill His perfect plans for our lives, so when we surrender control to Him, we can accomplish more than we ever thought possible. On our own, we can’t always make good choices. But we can choose to seek the One who can give us that power. Sometimes this is hard to do, and sometimes we will fail. But we must never give up. We must choose God every day, because He first chose us.
“Today you must decide who you will serve….
Joshua 24:15 ERV
You must choose for yourselves.
But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
References:
- Chronological Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2012.
- Stanley, Charles F. God’s Purpose for Your Life: 365 Devotions. Thomas Nelson, 2020.
Images:
- Good Choice/Bad Choice featured image taken from “Consequences for Kids | Character Education.” YouTube, uploaded by Jessica Diaz, 4 December 2019, https://youtu.be/LLZZYf_mlOA.
- Right/Wrong Sign image by Fathromi Ramdlon from Pixabay
- Made Good Choices (colorful background) image taken from “Make Good Choices.” YouTube, uploaded by Serena Says, 16 July 2020, https://youtu.be/sBOva3sWR_M.
- Heart image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay (edited)
- Head image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay (edited)
- Make Good Choices (black background) image taken from “make good choices.” YouTube, uploaded by Philip Mann, 6 March 2015, https://youtu.be/LmoYYE6Rz28.
About The Author
Christa
My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!