Saturday, November 28, 2015

Thanksgiving Choices and Choices to be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend Y’all!!
My family is together. Some flew from far away. Some reside only in our hearts. The table is spread with a feast beyond compare. Other gatherings are to come. The kids, Mom and even Dad have a much needed break from sports and school.

I am thankful for all the typical things like family, fellowship, food, freedom and faith. However this year, I am especially thankful for the Word. 

About two weeks ago I started reading one chapter of Proverbs a day that correlated with the day of the month. I have read 12 chapters now and I have noticed a huge truth: 


God met me in His Word right where I needed it most and spoke to me specifically about my life, me deepest desires and my struggles. The verses I need at the moment jump out at me for the word of God is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). 

The Word will speak to you the same way if you seek His council and spend time with Him everyday. Think you don’t have time? I don’t think you have time NOT to. 

I have been blessed in three ways since I took the challenge to read a chapter in Proverbs everyday. My past, my present and my future have been put in perspective and it is all about the choices I’ve made or will make in the future.  

Past
While reading, I saw the verses I had previously underlined or highlighted. They still speak to me, but at the moment I underlined them, they were speaking to me about a specific situation I needed at that moment. One, for example:

Proverbs 20:19 A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much. 

Proverbs 18:7 The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives. 

Proverbs 18:8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the innermost parts.

Proverbs 26:20 Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. 

You can only imagine what was going on in my life and the life of my family as you read these verses. I had to fight the urge to speak about the situation with friends and family (to get them on my side, of course), but since I did not, the situation was snuffed out quickly. It could have blown up like the Hindenburg if my husband and I did what we really wanted to do which was talk to the individuals involved. It would have made us feel empowered to defend our rightful viewpoint. However, we decided to follow the Word! We were SO blessed because we denied our selfish desire and followed God.

Here is a related fable: 





A lion, king of the jungle, was being challenged by a skunk to a duel. The lion kept refusing. The skunk continually antagonized the lion and boasted he was the best. All the animals in the jungle told the lion to duel with the skunk, beat him and shut him up, but the lion refused saying, “I know I am the strongest. You know I am the strongest. You know I could snap and crush the skunk in an instant. However, if I fight the skunk, everyone will know I fought a skunk, because not only will I have won, I will also stink.”  

 Not stinking has many advantages in public and in your heart. 

Present
While reading now, verses are jumping out at me that I need for the situation I am living at the moment. For example:

Proverbs 1:5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.

Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for the lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed. 

Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 20:18 Plans are established by seeking advice…

Proverbs 20:27 The human spirit is a lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being. 

God has placed something new on my heart, but jumping in with both feet without adequate information is not wise. I am in the seeking and gathering phase of this endeavor.  


Future 
My future depends on the choices I make (see PAST paragraph—that was a good choice). My thoughts often ponder Deuteronomy 11:26, “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the Way.” Much of the book of Deuteronomy is filled with God telling the people through Moses to make a choice. We are not puppets. We have no strings that the Lord micromanages our every decision. It is up to us! 

Proverbs 1:29 They will look for me but will not find me since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord, since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke.

Proverbs 3:31 Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways.

Proverbs 8:10-11 Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Choosing God’s way is not easy. It takes submission. Submission is choosing what is contrary to your self and your desires, and choosing to obey God’s way. Denying ourselves was a theme started with Adam and Eve. The Bible is full of stories of men and women who did not choose wisely, but the rest of the story is that God gives grace and forgiveness.

Your Choice
Do you wonder how you can choose wisely when your life is already a mess? Do you wonder if making different choices will even make a difference? Are you resistant to making wise choices because of what your family or friends will think? Do you think the path you are on is permanent?

  1. Choose to find all your choices. Read the Word and gain knowledge about what path to take. Deuteronomy is very clear about what good choices and bad choices produce. Would you vote for president without knowing anything about a candidate? NO! No one blindly votes without any knowledge at all. Most people take away 50% of their choices when they identify solely on one side or the other. Why would you do that in your own life...take away 50% of your choices? Research the good and bad choices for yourself.
  2. Choose encouraging friends to help build you up! Get an accountability partner. 
  3. Choose to start over if you make a bad decision. No one is doomed unless they choose to be. 
  4. Choose to make goals that you can see before you everyday and that are attainable. 

My dears, life is all about choices. I’m not saying I have always made the best choice, but I have learned from them because I apply Proverbs 24:32, “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw.” Do you choose to learn a lesson or choose to stay on the wrong path doing the same thing over and over hoping to get different results?  


Ponder your choices this season. Blessings! 

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