God's call; Our choice

By God’s grace, I get to have conversations from time to time with some godly men and women who live out His calling, meditate on His Truth, and share nuggets of His goodness with me.  The past few months have been no exception.  As I’ve heard snippets of their testimonies, and how God’s grace has gone before them and with them, and continues to sustain them, one theme has rung true in every one. God gives us a definite calling to follow Him, but it is our choice to obey Him.

These men and women, though they (like us) have endured affliction and trials, the peace and joy that flows from them is unmistakable. Their lives, though not perfect, have been marked by their choice to obey nearly every time they’ve come to a crossroads in their walk with the Lord. None of the choices were easy, and many times, the choice to obey meant suffering, but they made the choice anyway.

As I reflected on this, I thought about some of the imperatives (God’s call to us) and definitive choices to obey them displayed throughout God’s Word for us to munch on and consider as we make our choices in life:

God's call:                                           

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Philippians 4:4 ESV

Obedient choice:

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Psalm 34:1 ESV

God's call:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Obedient Choice:
Behold, God is my salvation;

     I will trust, and will not be afraid;
For the LORD God is my strength and my song,

     And He has become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:2

God's call:

Give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I Thessalonians 5:18

                                            
Obedient choice:
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
Psalm 9:1

God's call:

Do not be anxious about anything, 

by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4:6

Obedient choice:
With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
With my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
I pour out my complaint before Him;
I tell my trouble before Him.
Psalm 142:1-2

God's call:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, 

baptizing them in the name of the Father 

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

teaching them to observe all that 

I have commanded you…

Matthew 28:19-20a

Obedient choice (and this in the face of persecution):
But Peter and the apostles answered, 
“We must obey God rather than men…”
Acts 5:29

I’ve heard people gripe about how the Bible is filled with so many “do’s” and “don’ts,” but, you know what? God doesn’t force us to do anything. He is not an abusive father that binds and beats us into submission. He’s a loving Father. He knows that our obedience results in so much more blessing than our disobedience and He tells us this throughout His Word through not just commands, but also stories of actual people who chose to obey and those who didn’t choose to obey and what happened in their lives as a result.

Yes, those of us who choose to obey the Lord’s commands may have roads marked with suffering. Jesus sat His disciples down to tell them what was coming for them as a result of their obedience to His call. This was in the days before He Himself went through unimaginable suffering for their (and our) sake because of His obedience.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

Living out and being obedient to God, whether you’re serving as a missionary in Africa or as a salesclerk at Kohl’s; as a pastor or a school bus driver, is a matter of choice. You can choose to grumble and be anxious; to be discontent and sit on the biblical teaching you’ve received. But, none of those things will give you the eternal, deep sense of peace and joy that you desperately seek. Obedience is hard, but necessary, to truly know who God is and even who you are. Because, my friend, He created you with a purpose. It is your choice to join the actors on His stage and see amazing things happen in your life and the lives of others that are obedient to Him.

After the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, God gave them a choice through His servant Joshua, before they would finally walk into the Land He had promised.

                …CHOOSE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE…

                                Joshua 24:15a

No matter what the rest chose, Joshua told them what his choice was:

                …as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

                                Joshua 24:15b

God has called you and I to obedience. We can choose to obey or not. What is your choice?