It is impossible for a person to serve two masters at the same time. You will be forced to love one and reject the other. One master will be despised and the other will have your loyal devotion. Your choice between God and the wealth of this world. Luke 16:13 (TPT)
The gift of free will is a treasure that God gave man from the beginning. In His wisdom, God knew the inherent danger of creating man with the power to choose. The enemy, promising the virtues of sin, is ever lurking, waiting for an opportunity to exploit this precious gift. (Genesis 4:7) Even with that as an inevitable outcome, God made us fully able to choose our path.
It seems like it didn’t take long for the enemy to make his presence known and accomplish his goal, but his schemes are not usually quickly executed. They are the work of a master who knows how to copy God, and who patiently orchestrates destruction. One choice leads us to another, and as the dominoes of fear, shame, and control take over, the stage is set for our demise. This is the ugly underbelly of evil that we all choose to ignore. It is far too painful to face the truth of our own weakness and shallowness.
Choice can go either way. Just as one decision for evil can change the course of history, one active choice for God is more transformational. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:15 (NLT) Light always pushes back the darkness, no matter how entrenched it is. Love always triumphs, even if it isn’t readily apparent in the moment. (I Corinthians 13:7)
It is love that compels us to run toward Him and not away. It is that unwavering trust and belief that He will always do what is best, regardless of how it looks, that leads us to life. At the end of the day, what we cherish and worship will either bring us life or death. What we value and hold dear, in an uncompromising, determined way, is the tipping point that causes our path to be full of light or a slow slide to hell.
Possibly the greatest challenge to choosing life is that life often doesn’t go as planned. There are disappointments, losses and unexpected challenges that undermine our ability to trust. However, if our affection is fully and unwaveringly focused on the God who loves us, we can weather the storms of adversity from the protection of His wrap-around presence. There is a recognition, not just a cognitive assent to God’s goodness, but a deep-seated strength we draw upon every time we choose Him. That is the bedrock of life, the roots that go down deep, the tree planted by the banks of living water that continually bears fruit. (Jeremiah 17:8)
When we discover that the best place, really the only place, there is life, is in His presence, we will find it easy to choose Him every time. Being with our Father is far more valuable than any accomplishment we can add to our resume. Loving Jesus well brings delight more euphoric than any endorphin-inducing drug. Dancing the dance of life with the Holy Spirit is full of surprise, intrigue and adventure. Abundant life is at stake, so why would we choose anything else?