Monday, November 10, 2008

Choices

I'm easing back into life after holiday.

While away, I read this beautiful excerpt from the Max Lucado book, When God Whispers Your Name. It's titled The Choice, and it eloquently states how we can choose exhibit the fruits of the spirit.

The Choice - Max Lucado

It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I am free to choose.

I choose Love.... No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose Joy.... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose Peace.... I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose Patience.... I will overlook the inconvenience of the world. Instead of cursing the one that takes my place, I will invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for the moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose Kindness.... I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose Goodness.... I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose Faithfulness.... Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose Gentleness.... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it only be in praise. If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer. If I make a demand, may it only be on myself.

I choose Self-Control.... I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my Faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.




25 comments:

Denise said...

Welcome back sweetie. Thanks for sharing this, very beautiful.

Joy Junktion said...

I hope you had a wonderful 'holiday' with your family.

Today I choose to accept God's love and live in the joy and freedom that it holds.

Bless you,
Cindy

a Tonggu Momma said...

Boy... do I ever need to work on the gentleness. Thanks for the sweet devotional. I hope you enjoyed your holiday.

Gretchen said...

Oh that ol' Max...He nails it every time.

Nice to see you back, my friend.

The Abbott Family said...

I'm so glad you go to have a holiday and I hope you enjoyed your time.
I thank you and the Lord for your encouraging posts. It seems when ever I am struggling or just having a rough day, the Lord uses you and your posts to encourage me and get my focus back where it needs to be. Thank you for allowing the Lord to work in your life therefore encouraging me in mine!

About Nancy said...

Love the Fruit of the Spirit! Thanks!

Kimberly said...

Welcome home! You have been missed! :) I hope you had a wonderful time!

Thank you for sharing this! I need to be making these kind of choices daily!

Anonymous said...

Welcome back, hope you had a nice holiday!

This is one of my favorite Lucado writings; I had it posted on my wall at work for a long time. Thank you for reminding me of it again.

Anonymous said...

Awesome. I love that.

{darlene} said...

Thank you for posting this! I need to staple it to my headboard.

misty said...

i was just writing in my jouranl this morning about the choice & decision i have to make with each day & with each action - its all up to me. thank you for sharing this, very good!

Anonymous said...

Very inspiring!

Aunt Angie said...

Well you have chosen my favorite author of all times...and one of my fav books of his. The choice is ours...I choose JESUS! I am so thankful that HE gave us a choice and I am glad that He offered salvation!

This was a blessing---and I am glad you are back!

Joyfulsister said...

Wow..This is so beautiful, I love the Joy one, I've been doing a series on Joy on my blog and reading this just enhances my joy even more. Thanks for sharing this today.

Hugz Lorie

Ronel said...

Very well written and put!! I have missed reading you posts yet since you have been gone I have not blogged myself... I guess I took a bit of a holiday, too.

Welcome back!!

Aspiemom said...

What a great post and an excellent reminder! Thanks for that. Welcome home!

Vixbil said...

Welcome back and thank you as always
xx

Shonda said...

Great words of wisdom. Thanks for sharing this as I am encouraged to be more alert to my choices instead of having reactions.

Engrafted by His Grace-
Shonda

Jamie said...

Oh, this is so good! Something I really needed to read!

Welcome back:)

Jennifer said...

Welcome back! I hope it was a blessed holiday for you and your family!
Another good post...

Jennifer

Joyfulsister said...

I really was blessed reading this.. Thank you for posting it I will keep it where I can see it and be reminded !!!

Beautiful my sistah *smile*
Hugz Lorie

Anonymous said...

So glad you are back! This is beautifully worded and thought provoking. Thank you for the encouragement this morning!

Happy Mommy said...

I hope your holiday was wonderful! This was a great post! I choose peace as well!

Happy Mommy said...

I hope your holiday was wonderful! This was a great post! I choose peace as well!

Lindsay said...

I am a Max admirerer and love to read his take on living the life of a Christian. He always puts things so "matter of fact."

You have a great blog ... thanks for stopping by mine :)

Blessings to you this Sunday!

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