January 18: Of Choices

Genesis 37:1-38:30

Matthew 12:22-45

Psalm 16:1-11

Proverbs 3:27-32

The funny thing about choices, they aren't all good versus bad.  Some are choices between two goods - those are great, but for some reason still cause people great stress.  Kid got into two wonderful colleges…oh no, which one to choose?  Two offers of employment?  Parent takes you to the toy store to pick out your birthday present?  Tough, right?

Then there is the other side - the choice between two evils.  Surgery or chemo?  Pay rent or buy enough food?  I still remember the old movie, Sophie's Choice.  Those who saw it will know the two terrible alternatives she had to choose from; those who didn't will be horrified should they choose to look it up.

This is why we have such great reason to be grateful to God.  He makes it easy for us.  In today's psalm, it is pretty clear we aren't choosing between two goods or two evils where God is one of the choices - we are choosing between good and bad, and common sense would suggest the choice was obvious.  Consider: "…apart from You I have no good thing…those who run after other gods will suffer more and more…You make my lot secure…I have a delightful inheritance."

Here's the funny thing, though - as good as we know we have it with God, you ever notice how hard it is to consistently do the right thing, make the right choice?  Thankfully we have the psalmist's further reassurance - the Lord "counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me".  What we have to do is "keep [our] eyes always on the Lord" so that we "will not be shaken", so that our hearts are glad and our tongues rejoice, our bodies rest secure.  

Father, thank You for making the choice between You and everything else so easy, so simple.  Even so, give us the guidance we need to make the right choices each day.  Counsel us so we will not be shaken.