You Can Choose
Part 2 of 2

Every day we make choices. We make them minute by minute and hour by hour. The choices we make over a lifetime will someday be reviewed. No matter how difficult your life might be, you have choices to make this minute. In the following story told by Jesus, three servants (investment counselors) had choices to make. Each servant made his choice and reaped the results.

Matthew 25: 14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21"His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 22"The man with the two talents also came. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23"His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. `Master,' he said, `I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26"His master replied, `You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 "`Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "(NIV) Matthew 25: 14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21"His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 22"The man with the two talents also came. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23"His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. `Master,' he said, `I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26"His master replied, `You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 "`Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "(NIV)

You can choose…
To help rather than hurt.
To live a holy life rather than a secular life.
To invite the Holy Spirit to become real in your life.
To be honest rather than dishonest.
To honor and cherish the important persons in your life.
To live with hope by seeing over the horizons.
To live in humility rather than living with ego and pride.
To hunger for the things of God rather than the things of darkness.
To search for wisdom rather than living in ignorance.
To mold your character to be decisive for God rather than indecisive.

You can choose…
To see the wrongs and hurts of life and want to make a difference rather than living in indifference.
To see and experience the indwelling nature of God rather than searching for Him outside of yourself.
To be a person of integrity rather than deceit.
To look inward for God rather than outward.
To live in reverence for Christ and His sacrifice rather than living in irreverence.
To accept Christ as the true Son of God who died for you on the Cross.
To find joy in the smallest of things God does.
To seek justice in the face if injustice.
To express kindness in the face of hatred.
To knock on the door of Christ’ home rather than sit outside wondering where He is.

You can choose…
To live in the Kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of men.
To be a leader in life by the way you live rather than following the crowd.
To learn the lessons of life taught by God in His wisdom rather than ignoring His wisdom.
To live each moment rather than live to live another moment in the future.
To light up your world because you have the Light of the World in you.
To live in spite of your limitations rather than letting your limitations spite you.
To love rather than hate.
To search for God’s meaning in all things rather than letting all things be meaningless.

You can choose…
To meditate on the things of God rather than on the things of darkness.
To live in meekness rather than living so others will notice you.
To bestow mercy and forgiveness on those who hurt you rather than trying to get even.
To develop your mind rather than let your mind waste away.
To minister to others who are in pain rather than believing someone else will help them.
To pray for miracles and be there to assist in the delivery.
To live a moral life rather than immoral life.
To see each morning as an opportunity to produce for God rather than a burden to bear for God.
To lay the sorrows of mourning at the foot of the Cross.
To be mystified by the mysteries of God and life.

You can choose…
To see how all things are continually made new even when it appears all things grow old and are about to die.
To live in obedience to God’s commandments rather than disregarding them.
To live as a child of God rather than as an orphan who has been abandoned.
To live as a person who has been truly rescued from depths.
To see that pain is a weapon of Satan and the darkness.
To live in peace with your brothers and sisters rather than wanting to make war against them.
To understand that persecution comes to all who love the Lord.
To reach out to the poor.
To understand that poverty of the spirit is a choice for all persons.
To seize the real power which is the love of God rather than letting that power slip through your fingers.
You can choose…
To understand we are never powerless as long as we have the power to make choices.
To praise God rather than to curse Him.
To pray to God rather than ignore Him.
To live in the presence of the God within rather than trying to find the presence of a God outside of us.
To never take pride in whom you are but instead live in humility at who Christ redeemed.
To embrace the promises of God rather than the problems of the present.
To seek prosperity of the spirit rather than prosperity of the pocketbook.
To pray for the protection of the ones you love.
To live with a purpose ordained by God rather than a purpose ordained by others.
To ask questions and seek answers.
You can choose…
To put an end to racism by ending it within yourself.
To receive the love of God through the Holy Spirit.
To reflect the shining Light of Christ love within you.
To take refuge in the arms of God when you are in pain.
To join company with Christ and millions of others who are rejected by mankind.
To join the members of the faith who are a tiny remnant.
To repent or turn away from a life of sin and darkness.
To be responsible for who we are and what we do without excuse, complaint, or whining.
To see the resurrection of Christ as our own future reality at the moment of our physical death.

You can choose…
To live in reverence and awe at all that God is.
To live so we store up rewards in heaven rather than seeking rewards on earth.
To seek to be rich in life and spirit rather than seeking earthly riches.
To live a life of righteousness rather than a life of doing what you know is wrong.
To sacrifice all that you have and are for Christ.
To stand against Satan and the darkness rather than being run over without fight for the Light and right.
To use the Holy Bible as a source of God’s truth and wisdom.
To search for the truth of God in God.
To find security in Christ’ arms rather than in the world.

You can choose…
To seek God and His love.
To live a life of self-control.
To avoid a life of self-indulgence.
To be with God or separated from Him.
To serve Christ or expect Christ to serve you.
To pray in sickness as well as in health.
To sow good seeds wherever you are or whatever you do.
To become the spiritual being that God made you to be.
To put on the spiritual armor of Christ.
To seek the spiritual abundance of Christ and His love.
 
You can choose…
To reject spiritual blindness.
To always seek the spiritual transformation and power in converting from being a secular person to being a person of Christ’ making.
To pursue the spiritual treasures of God rather than the earthly treasures of man.
To be steadfast in your allegiance to Christ.
To look to Christ for your strength rather than relying upon yourself for your strength.
To never abandon your faith in Christ no matter how much strife you must endure.
To measure your success in life according to God’s standards rather than human standards.
To stay in the arms of God when you endure suffering rather than blaming God for the condition you are in.
To surrender your life to Christ rather than keep it and battle the darkness on your own.

You can choose…
To be a person of sympathy and compassion rather than turning your back upon those who hurt.
To talk about the things of God rather than the things of earth.
To resist temptation in all its forms rather than give in to it.
To pass any test of life by relying upon the power of God rather than failing any test because you relied upon your power.
To be a person of thanksgiving who counts the blessings of God rather than a person who counts the curses of the darkness.
To face every trouble of life with a positive outlook because you can see the glory of God in the distance rather than being consumed by the darkness in the here and now.
To trust God rather than trying to live as if you do not need Him.
To test the truth of God rather than discarding it because it requires you risk you life for Him.
To try to understand all that is written about Christ rather than just chalking up so many things to mystery.

You can choose…
To tame the unrest in your soul by taking that unrest to Christ.
To turn unselfishness and pride into selfless service without complaint.
To hear and comfort the weeping.
To visit the widow for a few minutes.
To show the wisdom of God rather than speak of it.