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222 August 9th
Every Choice Matters
Don't kid yourself; every choice matters. – MT
Do you live as though every choice matters? Most of us don’t. That’s how we get into the “messes” we get into and can’t get out of them. Our everyday, moment to moment decisions have become so routine and automatic that we literally forget that we can make other choices. Interesting isn’t it?
How might this apply to everyday life? We could pick from a variety of things: our thinking, speaking, and viewing habits. We could check our tendencies toward kindness or sarcasm with those around us. Of course, all of our addictive behaviors would be impacted if we lived as if every choice mattered.
o Do you usually think rationally? How much of the time do you feel you operate with the “mind of Christ?” To the degree that you do, that’s fantastic. To the degree that you don’t, you’ll see an increase of depression, anxiety, and hostility issues in you every day life.
o Do you speak as Christ would have you speak? Do you curse a lot, a little, or not at all? How does your speech glorify God?
o What kind of “stuff” do you allow entrance into your mind and memory? Do you watch questionable movies, soap operas, and Victoria Secret advertisements? Do you get absorbed in to police shows about crime and abuse, or stuff that is even more degrading and seedy?
o Are you kind to those around you or do you tend to be more sarcastic?
o What are some of the addictive behaviors that control your life? Do you eat too much, drink too much, watch too much TV, work too much, or stay busy all the time? Have any of these gotten to the point where they feel out of control? Does it seem that you can’t act or choose differently?
According to Romans 6 we are no longer slaves to sin. What that means is we have choices. We can sin, but we can also choose not to sin. It may not seem as though we can make different choices, but we can!
What do you think might happen today if you made a concerted effort to live by, “every choice matters?” If you started to say something sarcastic to your spouse or child, you could stop and say, I have a choice here. Do I want to be sarcastic or do I want to be kind? That seems like an obvious choice, doesn’t it? But if you’ve practiced the habit of being sarcastic for a long time, it has become so familiar and routine that you could easily believe you no longer have the ability to choose. But, truly, you do!
You can change. You can make new choices. God wants to help you change. It showcases His glory when we change. It won’t be easy; especially if some of these things are life-long habits. But, change is possible. You only have to ask for God’s help and then, live your life moment by moment remembering that every choice matters.
You and God can do this!
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