From the time we wake up in the morning until the moment we lay our head down to sleep at night, we have choices to make. Choices concerning the things we’ll do that day, the words we’ll speak and the thoughts we’ll think. The quality of these decisions will have a direct effect on the value of our lives and the purpose we give to God.
The decisions we face can of course be small or large, and truthfully there are many choices we make every day, that we’ve made a hundred times before and don’t have to think about too much. Other things we have to decide on are much larger in scope and sometimes can have a greater effect on our lives or the people around us. They can even effect our relationship with God and how we choose to live in the WILL of our lives He has for us. So no matter what choice is before us, big or small, there is always going to be some importance to what we ultimately decide. Nothing is trivial.
So how should we approach our choices?
I like what Paul says in 2 Corinthians and I believe he gives us our answer:
“Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that’s what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions.”
--2 Corinthians 5:9 (MSG)
So what Paul is saying here is that regardless of where we are in life or the choices before us, nothing else holds more importance than pleasing God with the things we decide.
Okay Jeremy, but that seems like a no-brainer. Don’t we live every day to please God? Isn’t that our purpose? To glorify Him in all we do? Paul’s kind of stating the obvious here, isn’t he?
Yes, it is our purpose to please God in all we do. And yes, Paul is stating the obvious.
Why?
Maybe because Paul realized that as human beings with finite minds, we have no clue what we might face tomorrow. We have no clue how a wrong choice one day might affect other choices we make down the road. One selfish choice on our part could possible lead to hundreds more…and the consequences could be more than we can handle.
Do you think Judas Iscariot woke up one day and decided cold turkey that he was going to betray Jesus Christ? I don’t think so. I think over time, Judas made poor choices that culminated in his decision to choose money over Jesus once the situation was available to him. And while it is true that we can’t be absolutely certain why Judas betrayed Jesus, if you study scripture closely, you can get an inkling of his mindset and impressions of Christ.
For one, even while Judas was one of the original twelve disciples, he reveals his lack of faith and belief in Jesus by what he called Him consistently. RABBI. You see, while other disciples called Jesus “Lord”, Judas never used this title. Instead he calls Jesus, “Rabbi”, which acknowledges Jesus as nothing more than a teacher.
Second, it seems pretty clear that Judas didn’t have a close relationship with Jesus. Unlike other disciples, Judas never professed his love or service to God. Instead, he quietly walked with the group, ever so intently set on keeping track of the money bag he held as their treasurer, and helping himself to the funds whenever he so desired (John 12:6).
Lastly, what did Judas decide when Jesus announced to the disciples that instead of starting a rebellion against Rome and taking a position of power as ruler over Israel, that instead He was planning to die?
Ultimately, Judas chose to believe that Jesus was not the Messiah he was expecting. Jesus’s words only seemed to confirm Judas’s disbelief and understanding of who the Messiah should truly be (as he knew it) in his view. His unwillingness to have a close relationship with Jesus and serve Him as God, had a direct effect on his quality of life. We know this because in the end, Judas chose greed over God. Even with all he had seen and experienced at Jesus’s side…he refused to truly believe.
At least until the moment he realized that he was wrong and that because of his choice, Jesus would be condemned.
“Judas—the one who had betrayed Him with a kiss for 30 pieces of silver—saw that Jesus had been condemned, and suddenly Judas regretted what he had done. He took the silver back to the chief priests and elders and tried to return it to them.
Judas Iscariot: I can’t keep this money! I’ve sinned! I’ve betrayed an innocent man! His blood will be on my hands.
The priests and elders want nothing to do with Judas, and they refuse to take his money.
Chief Priests and Elders: We’re through with you, friend. The state of your soul is really none of our affair.
Judas threw down the money in the temple, went off, and hanged himself.”
--Matthew 27:3-5 (VOICE)
Can you see now why our choices, no matter the weight they carry, are so important?
And I’m not saying you’re going to do what Judas did…not even close. But I am saying that making the choice NOW, to please God in whatever you do going forward, will have a positive impact on your life.
It’s honestly the best choice you can make.
It won’t always be easy, but it will always be worth it in the end. God deserves no less than our best in the choices we make, and neither, for that matter, do you.
