July 18

1 Chronicles, Acts 28

Life is all about choices. Whether it's what to eat or how to dress, they range from "oh that's an easy one" to some that are a bit more difficult.  As we read through the book of Chronicles, we learn that each king had to make a choice.  They were either going to obey God or reject him. They could follow in the path before them, or make a new one. Some had good role models, others didn't but either way, they had to make their own choice. We also learn in today's reading from Luke's account of the Apostle Paul's life, that Paul chose to follow another own way, breaking away from all the traditions he ever knew, and his choices weren't easy either.  His choices got him beat up, thrown in jail, tossed in the sea and eventually executed.  Since his conversion however, we see that nothing could stop him from spreading God's word and his passion fueled his mission. He made a choice and as a result, traveled over 10,000 miles in his lifetime as a missionary spreading the The Gospel. Paul knew in his heart that the Gospel is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).  So as I was reading all of this, I was trying to piece it together and apply it to my life.  I remembered that God has given us free will and we have the choice to behave like some of the kings in 1 Chronicles who followed their fathers and rejected God, or, like Paul who realized his responsibility and pushed forward to advance God's kingdom.  I could have easily followed in the footsteps of the generations before me and passed down to my children eyes that don't comprehend what they see and ears that don't understand what they hear, and lived my life with a hardened heart, but God had a different plan for my life. I believe he has a unique plan for everyone reading this blog. As Jesus has touched all of our lives, I pray  that we recognize the person God will put in front of us today who desperately needs to hear the message of The Gospel and about how much Jesus loves them. Then, let's pray they make the right choice.

Randi