October 19 – Choices (Deuteronomy 30:19)

“The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.”(Proverbs 15:19)

IN WORD:
Every single moment of our lives, we face a choice. We choose when to speak and when to keep silent, when to sit and when to stand, when to breathe and when to hold our breath. We could get incredibly detailed about all of our many momentary options if we wanted to. But that’s an excruciating exercise, sort of like listening to every beat of our heart. It requires too much attention and stress. We prefer to let things happen naturally and automatically.
But Proverbs urges us to step back and look at our choices from time to time — not just the major ones, but also the little ones that determine the subtle directions of our lives each day. And its message is consistent: Righteous choices, while sometimes harder in the short term, are always easier in the long run. They lead to life. Laziness and evil put us on hard roads. The path of least resistance is often the path of greatest grief.
That doesn’t mean that righteous choices will always make things easy for us. Anytime we seek to obey God diligently and serve him with devotion, there will be obstacles. But God always paves a way for our path of discipleship. He doesn’t ever make rebellion or laziness profitable in the end.

IN DEED:
What level of diligence guides your life? Are you proactive about your choices — even the small ones — or are you herded like livestock through the fields of life, unwittingly pushed and pulled by those around you? Do you feel that God is firmly directing your steps? Or do you feel that you’re just floating with the current and conforming to the expectations of this world?
God calls for diligence. Laziness and discipleship do not mix. He doesn’t mean for us to obsess about every minor choice, but He expects us to draw a line in the sand and refuse to let the demands of the culture dictate our lives. We are to guard his plan for our lives with zeal. Don’t get off the highway. Let Him be Lord of your choices.

“Every day the choice between good and evil is presented to us in simple ways.” -William Sangster-