Every day we make choices. Some are certainly easier than others for sure. The choice you made this morning to wear clothes was a good one and a necessary one too! 😊
When we go to the grocery store, we have a lot of choices to make. And every day the choices seem to get bigger and bigger and each of us is making a judgement as to what to buy or not. The list is endless.
Education choices
Political choices
Religious choices
Moral choices
Financial choices
How to spend our time choices
What to watch on TV or movies choices. I remember when Blockbuster video was popular there were so many choices available that it became difficult to choose!! Ugh!!
Whether we realize it or not, we are making choices all the time and as we have all experienced, some of those choices probably were not the best ones. As the old saying goes, “hindsight is 20/20.”
The Bible is the history of choices made by individuals or groups of people in light of either their relationship with God or lack of it. As a direct result of those choices, Biblical history (and secular history) documents the rise and fall of many kingdoms and dynasties.
I suppose one of the most devastating choices ever made was made in the Garden of Eden and is recorded in Genesis 3. Unfortunately, through deception the first humans succumbed to making a choice that has affected all of mankind since.
Genesis 3 English Standard Version
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You[a] shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,[b] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool[c] of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”[d] 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring[e] and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Miraculously and in spite of this great calamity, where man lost his spiritual connection to God, (man lost spirit as a result of his choice) God so lovingly had a solution! God made the second (although maybe this should be #1) greatest choice that changed history forever, in that He chose to provide an answer. It is so humbling to see God’s willingness to provide a remedy for this cataclysmic event and that it set in motion all the events recorded in the Old Testament that foreshadowed the coming promised seed, (Jesus Christ) to fulfill the promise given in Genesis 3:15.
Interestingly enough, it took approximately 4000 years before one chose to believe the message from God communicated via an angel. Her name was Mary. And that is perhaps the third greatest choice ever made that changed history forever.
Luke 1:26-38 New King James Version
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; [a]blessed are you among women!”
29 But [b]when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I [c]do not know a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”
38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
So, what we have looked at are three choices that changed history forever.
1. Adam’s choice
2. God’s choice
3. Mary’s choice
Maybe we aren’t making choices of that magnitude but our day-to-day choices do have and can have a beautiful and wonderful effect on the quality of life we live and the positive influences we can have on those around us.
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
― Corrie ten Boom
Chosen Gems 