The Choice is Yours

There were also two criminals led out with Jesus to be put to death.  When they came to a place called Skull, the soldiers crucified Jesus and the criminals - one on his right and the other on his left...One of the criminals on a cross began to shout insults at Jesus.  "Aren't you the Christ? Then save yourself and us."

But the other criminal stopped him and said, "You should fear God! You are getting the same punishment he is.  We are punished justly, getting what we deserve for what we did.  But this man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

Luke 23:32-33, 39-43

Making a choice is one of God given ability we all receive, the Bible itself contains lot of stories that narrates how man was given the ability to make a choice.  In Genesis the story of Abel and Cain both sons of Adam. Abel chose to obey God while Cain chooses to sin by killing his brother Abel.  And God allows him.  In the Book of Numbers, the story of the 12 spies which are compose of group of Israelite chieftains, one from each 12 tribes who were sent by Moses to scout the land of Canaan during the time when the Israelites were in the desert. When they came back majority of the spies gave reports with unbelief but Joshua and Caleb believed that it is indeed a Promised Land as what God had promised them. 

Even King Solomon was given a freedom to choose, when God asked Solomon in a dream on what God can give him, Solomon chose to ask for understanding heart to judge God's people, wisdom and knowledge and the ability to discern between good and evil, instead of choosing wealth and any other things. In the New Testament the story of Peter and Judas, both of them deny Jesus, Peter chose to seek mercy but Judas seeks death. And God allows him.

The story of two criminals hanged together with Jesus at the Calvary, each of them was given a choice, the first one chose to condemn Christ while the other chose to ask forgiveness and decided to follow Christ.

Most of these stories reflects that the choices they made have an eternal impact or consequences in their lives which in turn give us an important lesson that God allow us to make our own choices.

I'm 12 years as christian converted from the Campus Ministry, these twelve years is filled with many lessons of God's faithfulness, each day of my life God allows me to have freedom of choice, I made bad choices and when I do, I reap the consequences of the choices I made.  Bad choices produces in me an attitude of pride, self pity, insecurity and most likely unhappy spirit, bad choices rob me of the joy that God wants me to have.  Whereas the good choices I made enables me live life of unrestrained joy, pure hope and peace.

God love us so much, His great love is powerfully shown and demonstrated by the death of Christ on the cross because of our sins.  God doesn't want us to do the same in response to what Christ did because never we can outdo or atleast equate the sacrifice He made no matter how much we tried, but I believe that the best response to what Christ did is gratitude, It is something that should motivate us or compel us to choose to do what is pleasing in the eyes of God.

What is your choice today? God wants us to follow Him, do what is right instead of doing what feels good. God wants us to be faithful to Him, he wanted us to believed in Him even when situations hurt us or disappoint us.  God wants us to be committed to Him and keep on going to the path of faith even when our hearts is tired.  God wants us to allow him to be Lord of our lives, instead of giving ourselves the job to take control of our lives.  In all our situation we always have a choice but whatever choice we made it can either build us or break us maybe not today but in the near future. The choice is yours.