God-given Choices for 2017

“Choose for Yourselves This Day Whom You Will Serve” (Joshua 24:15)

Each of us, as Christians, should ask himself, “Am I truly a servant of my Lord? Do I serve Him with my whole being? Do I love Him with all my heart, soul and mind?” (Matthew 22:37). Am I winning lost souls? Do I find joy in seeing my brethren prosper, esp. when they are more prosperous than I am? Am I happy living the Christian life? What about my relationship with God? Does it come from a pure and honest heart?” When we sincerely and thoughtfully ask ourselves questions about our relationship with God, we may be surprised at our answers.

Being a servant of the Lord is a great honor, true happiness is found in serving Him. We are reminded in Acts 20:35 that the Lord Himself taught it is more blessed to give than to receive. Unfortunately, selfishness is a way of life for many, and those who have selfish attitudes lead very unhappy lives.

Satan is at war with God for the souls of men. He has been deceiving men ever since the creation. Satan is constantly sending the wrong messages, placing many under bondage to him and blinding those who are under his control. In our fast paced world, it is all too easy to neglect our duty to study God’s word, pray, and serve the Lord as we should.

We must learn to seek the better things in life, and the best things truly are found in Christ. Through diligent and thoughtful study of the word of God, we will come to understand that happiness, peace of mind, joy, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith and love are found in Him (Galatians 5:22-23).

We are either servants of the Lord or servants of Satan. There is no neutral position wherein we can just sit back and wait to see who will win. The Bible is very clear as to who will win this great battle: God will be victorious! But our efforts are needed in this battle. We should be busy preaching and teaching the gospel, bringing the lost to Him before it is too late.

“So then, those who had received his word were baptized: … (Acts 2:41)

Dale Grissom, Dexter church of Christ, Dexter, MO