Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.  Psalm 37: 3-5

  I have some young friends that come to see me from time to time. Since I don’t have children of my own, I enjoy having young people around giving me the opportunity to relive part of my youth. Although I am tired and worn out when they leave, inwardly I am rejuvenated.

  I remember what it was like when I was a child and the joy I felt when an adult took an interest in me. When they would ask my opinion or gave me an opportunity to make a decision about something I felt so grown-up and special. I remember adults who talked to me and not down to me as though I couldn’t think or speak for myself. Ever since that time I have tried to let children in my care make decisions concerning our meals and other things within reason of course.

  Only once did I let a child get the best of my good judgment. She wanted ice cream so I gave her ice cream. She wanted candy so I gave her candy. All day long she ate junk food to her heart’s delight. The next day I learned from her mother that she had a stomach ache all night. From that point on, I knew from time to time I would have to set boundaries for my young charges.

  Now I give my young friends options of food and activities that are not only fun but won’t cause them to get sick or be in any danger. When one young girl came to stay with me, I was surprised when she asked what her options were for that day. Her mother even told me that she sometimes asks her about her options. I gave her several choices and then let her choose her favorite things to do and eat. We had a wonderful day together.

  God gives us several options as to how we should live our lives. He gives us the freedom to choose those things that are helpful for us. We are also given the option to go against His will and do things that are potentially harmful to our well being and could even lead to death.
  Even Christians sometimes walk away from God and make choices that lead them down the road to destruction. They have to choose the path they will follow. Joshua issued a challenge to the Israelites in Joshua 24:14-16: “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods”.

  Those who chose to follow God were blessed by their decision. However throughout the Old Testament we read how the Israelites followed God for a time and then took another path. Each time their decision led to misery and even captivity. Time and time again they would forsake God only to come back begging Him to save them.

 We can’t follow God and the world at the same time. Jesus told us that it is impossible to serve two masters. "“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24 (NLT)

 What are our options? What will we choose? In Psalm 25:12 (NLT) we read, “Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose”.

  Even if we chose the wrong options in the past there is still hope. In 1 John 1:9 it reads, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It is never too late to choose the right option that God has set before you. I can say first hand that when you choose the right option you will never regret your decision.

What option will you choose?