CHOOSING

Hebrews 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

You have probably heard some version of the following statement: “Your life is the result of the choices you have made.” There is certain validity to that summation of life. Life is made up of decisions. Some decisions are more important or critical than others. Some choices, however, will affect a person’s life for its duration. More importantly, some decisions will have a bearing on our eternal destination or rewards. What might be the criteria for our decisions? Imagine a person choosing to suffer rather than to have pleasure. Our Scripture tells us that Moses made such a decision. Being reared in the court of Pharaoh, Moses had access to the best the world had to offer. His people, on the other hand, were the “people of God.” His people were oppressed and downtrodden. They were a poor and crushed society of people, slaves to the Egyptians. If Moses identified with them, his treatment would be similar to theirs. This was his choice. He was not driven from the courts of Pharaoh. There was something he desired more than comforts and convenience. Moses had an appetite for the will of God. He had a vision for the people of God. Every day we make choices. Will we read our Bible and spend time waiting on the Lord? Will we go to church this Lord’s Day or spend it in leisure or labor? Will we be kind to our family members or treat them with disrespect? Will we honor the Lord with our resources or use our means only for our personal pleasure? Will we share our faith with others or deny them the opportunity to hear? Those decisions only represent the many decisions we make each week. One criterion for our decisions is revealed in Moses’ choice. If we make soft choices or decisions based on our comfort or ease, the pleasure will be “for a season,” or short lived. It may even result in perpetual regret. However, if we make the hard choices that require sacrifice or difficulty, the benefits will be enduring, and the reward could be eternal. The choices are up to us. We must choose to receive Christ by faith, as Savior. In doing so, we are choosing the narrow road over the broad way. We are choosing to identify with Christ and His people rather than to identify with the world, and we will forever be grateful for that decision.

A devotional thought by Pastor Smith of Mt. Zion Baptist Church