Make Your Choices - God's Love at Work - Week of December 26
Make Your Choices
By Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of December 26, 2021
God’s promises are full of life. Evergreen. They invite us to choose life daily (Deut 30:19, Prov 18:21). And increasingly so, because God is a builder.
King David said in Psalm 119 to "Place your hands of strength and favor upon me, for I’ve made my choice to follow your ways" (verse 173 TPT). "Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your Word makes my pathway clear" (verse 105 TPT).
So, we must receive God’s Word and be definitive in our choices to stay on course for destiny purposes. We must firmly decide and stand on God’s faithful promises to deliver (redeem) us. His truth will set us free, and we can move forward joyfully.
Acts 2:28 NIV tells us that "You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence."
God has big plans for us. Plans He made before we were ever born. They are better than we can imagine, and they will happen in ways we do not fully know yet.
Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV reminds us by saying, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,' declares the Lord, 'and will bring you back from captivity...'"
It is joyous to choose our Savior—to exalt Him over sin’s separation. Trust and obedience in our Lord is our best “yes” that will lead to expressions of ultimate victory and honor.
To be sure, God has ways of getting us there when our hearts are inclined toward Him.
For me, an everyday action item turned unusual a few weeks before Christmas. Like countless others, I had made an online purchase, hoping it would be delivered intact and without delay. But about the time I expected the package to arrive, I received a phone call instead. Caller ID revealed the retailer from whom I had made the purchase. I had a sense they were calling because an issue arose. Sure enough, the polite woman on the other end was a supervisor, who explained that the package had taken a different route by mistake. I had prayed over the package from the beginning, as the contents were rare and no longer manufactured. The delay wasn’t a big issue for me, and I realized I had to trust God to help it arrive intact after taking a detour. The supervisor graciously offered to express mail the package to me and also include a $50 gift card toward a future purchase.
Sometimes, the unexpected is part of our total package as we follow Him. Sometimes, God makes situations better than they would have been.
God has taught me that we can settle for the faithful provision of Isaac, or we can expect His unexpected provision through Boaz—an add-on gift that God sees and knows and waits for the right time or season to release.
Sovereign God’s greater blessings are out front, up ahead, and right before us. As we choose to do life His way, we will come into His greater blessings. We will receive them when God knows we are ready and when He is ready, according to His timing and way. God’s expressions of increase that were once hidden will be revealed. Until then, He tests our will and our loyalty to Him, even in our thoughts, attitudes, and works.
We must be secure in knowing our true riches are found in Christ alone. He is our greatest Treasure, and we are His chosen treasure (1 Peter 2:9). All else is less, including our own ways. Let’s remember this as we go into 2022 with our eyes wide open to Him, seeking Him first as we faithfully step into what’s ahead. Let’s believe Him for all else to be added to us rightly by His Spirit, while we serve Him (Matt 6:33).
Pray with me if you will…
Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your supernatural serendipity. May I be more like You reflected through Your daughter, Ruth. May I always be led by Your Holy Spirit and glean increasing blessings Your way so that my joy may be full and Your overflow can work through me to bless others. Thank You for growing me in faith, truth, and love. Rid me of anything that tries to stand between us. Thank You for perfecting my path (2 Sam 22:33). Thank You for building and expanding me for Your glory. I trust in Your hand that strengthens me as part of Your body of Christ to be the light of the world.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name,
Amen.
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ.
