Do I realize the significance of my choices?
The Bible is filled with vivid examples of the tragedy and the glory of personal choices.
Lot chose what he wanted and got what he deserved.
Abraham let God choose for him and he got it all.
I began to compare Pharaoh's choice with God's choice. God's choice brought the wonderful promise of deliverance to a cruelly beleaguered people (Exodus 3:8-10). But deliverance did not immediately appear on the horizon and the peoples' lot became harder than ever.
Heart-broken Moses did not understand and I could sense his anguish (Exodus 5:20-23; Exodus 6:9). However, from our perspective now, we can see the reason, the wisdom and the exquisite timing of God's choice. Not only would God's sovereign power and victory be displayed before the Egyptians but the Israelites themselves would experience God's protection and provision (e.g. Exodus 9:26) and know that they could follow Him with unquestioning trust.
If the Israelites had been delivered at once, they would have left Egypt as paupers but instead, were richly bribed to leave (Exodus 11:2; Exodus 12:35-36).
Then there were the surrounding nations who would be dangerous enemies to the Israelites but great fear fell upon them when they heard of all that transpired in Egypt (e.g. Joshua 2:9-11).
We read often that Pharaoh chose to harden his heart (Exodus 8:15, etc.) until that fateful day came when grace ended for Pharaoh.
God respected Pharaoh's choice and confirmed it (Exodus 10:1).
Pharaoh had deliberately chosen his own path and must walk it to the end. God let him have what he wanted with all the consequences.
We are given the awesome power of choice, the frightening power of God-like freedom to choose; and we need to realize the stupendous responsibility of choices which can carry eternal permanence.
Lot ... Pharaoh ... Achan ... Balaam ...
Joshua ... Rahab ... Esther ... Paul ...
and through all of history ... more names than we can recount -- and our world and their eternal destinies are still affected by their choices.
Every day I face choices -- big choices and small choices -- some barely noticed but still choices.
I look back over the years and remember so many choices. I still feel the pain and regret, the "what might have been" of the unwise choices.
I still revel in the security of the times I embraced God's choices.
Yet, with all that history, I wonder if I invest the time to truly realize the everlasting significance of my choices?
With love & prayers,