Freedom Of Choice
Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your father served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua 24:15 RSV
We hear a lot about “freedom of choice” these days. But think about it. The very word choice presupposes at least two alternatives.
When Joshua asked the Israelites to “choose this day whom you will serve,” the choice he gave them was between God and the false god, Baal. Before waiting for their reply, Joshua announced his choice, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Choices are offered throughout the Bible as they are throughout our lives. Repeatedly throughout the Scripture, choices are made by God and man.
God commands man to make those choices, but only after providing him with sufficient information so that his choices will be informed ones. Because of truth in lending and truth in labeling laws, one cannot apply for a loan or buy a product in a supermarket without being furnished with certain information.
This information is necessary in making intelligent choices. God has given us information about Himself, including His holiness, man’s sinfulness, God’s provision for that sin, Jesus Christ, and scores of promises to man about what will happen if he accepts God’s promises and what will happen if he does not. Galatians 6:6–8 says, “Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
Some time ago there was a television show called Truth or Consequences. The host of the program used to say to the contestants, “If you don’t tell the truth, you will have to pay the consequences.” It is the same with choices. If you make the wrong choice, you will have to pay the consequences. But if you make the right choice, you receive all of the benefits. So it is best to choose wisely, as Joshua did, because the choices we make have the potential for affecting our lives for better or for worse.
Our Father and our God, I want to serve You with all my heart and soul. Help me, Lord, to always make wise choices that lead me into Your presence. Give me wisdom and discernment so that my life will always glorify You. I need Your guidance and help in walking safely through Satan’s minefield of temptations and sins. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).