A Matter of Choice by J. R. Davis During the many years of attending church I have heard it said, "We are free moral agents." This means we are individuals that have the right to choose between good and bad, and in effect, to choose our morals and our very way of life. We are creatures with the ability to make decisions that often determine our own destiny. There is no dispute with this since we prove everyday we have the option of choice and ultimately make our own decisions. As Christians, we have our Great Heavenly Father who leads and guides us. However, He is not our Great Heavenly Puppeteer, pulling on a string here and there to force us to do His bidding and will. Instead, He does pull on the heartstrings to urge and direct us into the proper choice that only we can make. He is also our Lord and Master. However, we are as servants bound with paper handcuffs, fragile and easily broken. We must go to the Garden of Eden to find the earliest choice made by man. The question often arises, "Why did God plant that tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden anyway?" The answer is, "It's a matter of choice." It should be noted that in the Garden of Eden, God planted so many more good things of which man could partake than He did bad things. All the blessings of life were there except for only one tree. God's mercy provided everything in abundance for man's use and enjoyment, barring only one item, the tree, which man must avoid. We are not unlike Adam. Even today we are surrounded by the abundant blessings of Christ. More than we need! Yet, we are tempted by and choose that which is least beneficial and even unnecessary for our lives. Any criticism of Adam should quickly subside in light of our own poor choices. Man has the innate God given ability to choose. Our choices have the potential for good or evil. History has been formed by a simple choice made by certain men or governments. Lives have been changed by a simple choice. Souls have been saved or lost by the most simple of choices. One of the greatest compliments God could pay to man was giving him the ability of choice. It is also one of the most awesome responsibilities accorded to man. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Ones philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. . . . In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility." Viewing the awesome effect of man’s ability of choice, let us consider these points: 1. Do we need laws to make our choices for us? It has been said, "Laws are for the lawless." Certainly we would not want to dwell in a land void of rules and regulations. Chaos would reign everywhere. Ideally it would be paradise on earth if all behaved in the manner of "do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Yet, as we yearn for the "sweet by and by" where perfection resides, we look around us and realize we live in the "nasty now and now." Christians ought to be the epitome of law abiding citizens because of Christ, who lives in us. 2 Corinthians 3:3, proclaims, "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart." We ought to behave as holy emissaries, conducting ourselves as veritable ambassadors for Christ. Doing this, we declare to the world that we respect the laws and rules of man, not because of fear of man’s punishment, but because we through conscious choice have proclaimed our liberty of the letter of the law and do that which is right for fear of God! We make our decisions to do that which is right, so all the world may see that Christ in us makes a difference. 2. Does fate interfere with choice, or does choice interfere with fate? First of all, what is fate? Is it some predetermined unalterable force that drives our lives inexorably toward some unseen path? Or is fate a fable created by those who make poor choices? Certainly, we all wish to blame someone or something for the messes into which we get ourselves. Yet, the Christian may rely upon God who is "our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1). Excuses are not necessary. God understands how frail we are. He, as a gracious Father nurtures, protects and guides us in the way we should go. We just need to be sensitive enough to make the choice to follow His will. By choosing His way, we interfere with this ambiguous enigma called "fate." 3. Can man’s choice interrupt the will of God? The famous painting of "Jesus at the Door," shows no doorknob. It is explained that the doorknob is on the inside and it is we who must turn it and let Him inside. So it is with the will of God in many circumstances of our lives. The Lord patiently waits for our decision. He waits for us to make the choice. I believe God has a route for us to follow. Sometimes we follow His way and other times we do not. He does not always force His will to be done. We must desire His will to be done and pray God to help us to make the choices He desires us to make. Often men choose on the basis of carnal requirements. Even Jesus had to submit the will of the flesh and pray, "Not my will, but thine, be done." (Luke 22:42). What happens when man interrupts God’s plan by implementing his own? Sometimes great disasters follow, other times small ones. Just because we make bad choices, interfering with the will of God, does not mean the Lord cannot work around it in another manner. It may take time, but usually good will come, even out of disaster. I do not pretend to understand the will of God and why things work out as they do. What I do know is what Romans 8:28 proclaims, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Finally, we all must make choices. We make right ones and wrong ones, but make them we must. To not make a choice on a matter is in itself a choice. Fear of error in a choice is a possibility. A strong desire to do right coupled with biblical precepts help in our decisions. The power of choice is given to us and is God’s merit of confidence in His creation. Note the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969), an American religious leader, "It is this way. The Lord, he is always voting for a man; and the devil, he is always voting against him. Then the man himself votes and that breaks the tie." Consider the following to help in your power of choice: Choose to love rather than hate Choose to smile rather than frown Choose to build rather than destroy Choose to persevere rather than quit Choose to praise rather than gossip Choose to heal rather than wound Choose to give rather than grasp Choose to act rather than delay Choose to forgive rather than curse Choose to pray rather than despair. - Draper’s Book of Quotations More Bible Study Lessons