Choices

Jim:

Luke 5:12-26
I find part of verse 12 and 13 to be interesting. Here a leper approaches Jesus and says, “’Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’ Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I do choose. Be made clean.’” In his ministry Jesus made choices and evaluated situations. It reminds me of the conversation where Abraham convinces God to spar Sodom if there are ten faithful people found there. God, and God in Jesus, is approachable, is willing to enter into our lives in ways that are meaningful to us, based on circumstances. We say that God is unchanging, and that is true of God’s nature and overall plan for creation, but day to day God makes choices and reacts to events and the choices we make. This may seem scary to some, the thought of God reacting, but to me it is a source of great comfort. God can never become outdated or trapped in patterns that lack relevance. God is able to keep up, indeed to keep ahead of us and our actions. Jesus choose to heal the leper, he responded to the needs of that moment with the appropriate action. He was not limited as to what he could do.

Daniel 6:1-15
Daniel had a choice to make as well: should he abide by the interdict that forbade prayer to anyone or anything but the king, or should he continue to pray to God in faithful devotion? He chose to remain faithful to God. It was the right decision, even though it put him in an awkward situation. Sometimes being one of God’s people will put us at odds with the world, or with our friends. Those are the times when we see that faith really matters, that it has significance, that it is not easy or of no importance. Our relationship with God challenges us to do God’s will even when we would rather do something else, or when it sets us apart from the world.

2 John 1-13
The writer of 2 John wanted his readers to make good choices. There were many who would try to deceive them about the faith, but they were called to choose the truth, the gospel of Jesus Christ as it was first delivered to them, and in so doing to love one another.

I wonder what choices we will each be called on to make today, and I wonder how God will respond.