Rhapsody of Realities Daily Devotional
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome DSc., DD
THE GIFT OF CHOICE
…I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Our heavenly Father is so gracious and kind; ever loving. All He does and seeks to do is bless you. He knows every detail about your life. He knows your address. He knows where you are, and what you go through, and His plan is to see to it that you’re triumphant always, no matter what the trouble is.
Even when you make mistakes, He makes every effort to correct you and help you. He’s more passionate for your well-being—your success, prosperity, and joy—than you could ever be. Sadly, He doesn’t always succeed at ensuring that His children live as He planned for them to live. You might ask, “How’s that possible?”
The reason is that He doesn’t run men’s lives; that’s why He makes the effort. Otherwise, He would have just “pushed the buttons” and everything He wants for your life would just become. He’s Almighty God! He’s got the power, but He doesn’t function that way. He gave a man a gift, the gift of personal will; the gift of choice.
You can choose to love God; you can choose not to love Him. You can choose to serve Him; you can choose to serve yourself. The choice is yours. And because He gave it to you as a gift, He doesn’t usurp it or take it away from you.
Romans 11:29 says, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” How He functions is seen in our opening verse: He gives you all the information you require to make the best choices. He tells you the best choice to make but never forces you to make it.
However, it’s the reason judgment is a necessity. Without the right to choose, judgment wouldn’t be necessary. But because He gave man the power of choice, man would have to be judged for the choices He made. One day, God would have to show what was right and what was wrong; He’d show every man whether or not they made the right choices and decisions. You’re accountable to God.
This is why it’s important that you live your life in Christ every day because if you live your life in Christ with the consciousness of His salvation, living in the Spirit through the Word, you’ll not be judged. The only judgment you’ll face would be for your reward. And in that judgment, the Bible says every one of us will be praised; no one will be condemned if they live in Christ. So, keep your focus on Him and use your gift of choice in His love.
PRAYER
Blessed be God who has deposited in me the power to make wise, right, and perfect decisions in line with His divine destiny for my life! The Word is my all-time guide, and Christ has been made unto me wisdom; therefore, I make only godly and Spirit-guided decisions, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Isaiah 30:21
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Joshua 24:15
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
John 4:1-26 & 1 Kings 1
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Mark 8:34-9:1 & Numbers 11