Daily Devotional, Sept 12, 2023 Choices and consequences
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Galatians 6:7
Life is full of choices. From life changing ones like nurturing a career or retiring to become a full-time mom, to day-to-day ones like what to cook for dinner, or which clothes to wear. No matter the weight of the decision-making process, one thing is certain, there will be consequences.
One of my favorite preachers keeps on reminding people that everyone is free to make a choice, but they cannot choose the consequences of their choices. And this is regardless of a person’s stature in life. Every decision we make will have an impact, some we could feel in an instant, some take time to build up. Whether it is a good or bad consequence, this idea holds true: you reap what you sow.
And so as Christians, we are called to make life choices that honor God. We are being encouraged to commit our plans to the Lord, and consult Him about every decision that we make through prayers. Proverbs 16:3 says “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Even our Lord Jesus Christ modeled this, and even had a vigil prayer before he decided on His 12 apostles: “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.” (Luke 6:12-13)
When you are anchored to the Lord, you can easily discern right from wrong because you can hear His voice and know His will “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (John 10:3-4). The problem with wrong decisions is that we could seek and earn the Lord’s forgiveness, and that of the people whom we have hurt, but the consequences of that action stays. So it is so important to decide wisely and seek the Lord’s grace and guidance.
Now how about when we have the blessing of having to choose from two good options? Two choices that both honor God? Well, our Parish Priest says in that case, you should choose the more loving thing to do, and then seek the Lord once again by asking Him to bless the decision you are about to make.
You see, the Lord is such a great Father that he gives us room to make mistakes, and the freedom to make choices. But part of worshipping Him is seeking Him and His divine will in everything that we do, so that we could live out the best plan that He has for our life.
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Galatians 6:7-9 and Psalm 37:23-24 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Are you on the verge of making a lie-changing decision? Have you brought the matter before the Lord?
Conversation with the Lord: Dear Lord, please help me make you the Supreme Decision Maker of my life. Help me have the confidence to fully trust and surrender to you all the decisions that I make, and the choices that I go with. Bless my heart, as I continue to seek your Divine Will. Amen.