I read a devotion this morning on a blog that I stumbled across. I was very impressed with the author's writing style and voice. It reminded me of my own, quirky brain ;)
The blog was about our choices and how each choice we make shapes us and either brings us closer to God, or further away from God. It was very good, and you can check it out here.
“… every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.”
The only thing that I would have added to her devotional is that sometimes, we make the right choices for the wrong motives or reasons. In those cases, the actual decision was good, and can lead us to where we need to be and can draw us closer to God, but our motives and wrong reasons for making the decision will, at the same time, be leading us away from God. At that point, your wrong motives are waging war against the fruit of the Spirit and putting a wedge between you and God. Consequently, you made the right choice, so you are technically on the right path, but since you have the wrong mindset and priorities, you are hindered from the growth you could be having.
I think sometimes, God leads us in the right paths, even when we don't know it. He uses even our sin, to keep us where we need to be. He may not want me to make a decision for the wrong reasons, but if he wants me on a certain path, he will get me there, even if I have the wrong attitude about it. Then, he will slowly peel off the wrong attitudes, priorities, and motives, so that the decision I made (the one that was the right decision the whole time) can be more effective, because now I am rightly focused on him, with right thinking and the right attitude.
These are my musings on the subject. What are some of your thoughts?
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Father God in Heaven,
I thank you for this day and for everything in it. I thank you for the time to blog and freelance write and for the time to clean the house and exercise. I thank you for our puppies and the joy they bring us. I thank you for Taylor and the wonderful man/friend/husband he is. Thank you for how he helps me and challenges, and even for the things that make me mad, because that helps us both grow too.
I thank you, God in Heaven for all of my family and friends and for the roof over my head, food to eat, and clean water to drink.
God, I don't want to make wrong choices. I want to know the right choice clearly, and take that choice, that route, instead of taking the wrong one and having to make U-turns. Forgive me for making choices that have the potential to turn me unto a hellish creature, and at times, they have. Give me clear knowledge of where and how that has had previously in my life, and show me if and when it is ever happening presently, or in the future. Help me know the truth about it, see it clearly for what it is, and correct it and get it right with your help, God in Heaven. Please also help me not to think that every big (or little) decision I make is wrong. Help me not to feel guilty for things that are not against you, falsely "convicting" myself for whatever reason. Help me also know where I have done this or am doing this, and help me recognize when I'm doing that in the future too. Help me to be aware of what choices have led me astray, and which one's haven't, correctly perceiving the truths and events of my life. Please help me with these things, and all that goes along with it, Father God in Heaven, as you know exactly what I struggle with and need help with. Thank you, God in Heaven.
I pray that you will help us consciously be good stewards of all that's in our lives. Forgive us for not doing that like we should.
Please help me to know your correction and discipline rightly. I think I don't have a sound view on it and I ask that you reveal it to me clearly, so that I can understand it from the right perspective. Correct all my wrong views. And forgive me for them.
Please lead me in your truth and teach me. For you alone are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long, God in Heaven. Please lead me in your will and your righteous paths, Father God in Heaven, and help me to always chose whats of you, whats most pleasing to you, and most glorifying to you, and whatever your will for me and my life is, God in Heaven. And in each decision, help me know which choice is the right one, the one that fits the discription above, and help me to chose that one each time, instead of going my own way.
I ask and pray for all of these things and all I need, in Jesus' name, with faith in you, in and through the faith and trust I've asked you to fill me with constantly; of and to you alone always, God in Heaven, thank you for everything, amen.
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