“Who are those who fear the LORD? He will show them the path they should choose.” (Psalm 25:12, NLT)
Though it is common to hear in American History classes stories about Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the thirty-second president of the United States, his wife Eleanor is not as well known. But, let me tell you, she was an amazing woman in her own right. Eleanor Roosevelt was known for her intelligence, her great ability to speak publicly, and her love of people. On one occasion, Eleanor Roosevelt gave the following piece of wisdom:
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” (Tim, Kimmel, Little House on the Freeway, p.143)
The choices you make reflect your core beliefs. They express your values, your ethics, your goals, and your attitude. Your choices will expose your righteousness or your sinfulness. They will even declare whether you are faithful to God. Poor choices often cause problems. Choices made without reflection can doom entire families or nations. Wise choices will bring healing in the long run. Choices made from a pure faith will declare one’s love of God. If you look at peoples' lives from beginning to end, their choices will usually determine their fate.
In the scripture for today from Psalm 25, David speaks about choices. He begins verse 12 with a question, “Who are those who fear the Lord?” (Psalm 25:12). Essentially, David is asking for a way to prove a person is faithful. In the second half of the verse, David explains a way: by looking at the choices a person makes. According to the second half of the verse, the Lord shows the faithful the path they should choose, and they choose it. The faithful person is the one who chooses to follow God’s path, to follow God’s direction, to be obedient to the guidance of the Heavenly Father. That is how you know who truthfully “fears the Lord”, i.e. respects the Lord. The faithful soul chooses to ignore all the competing voices of life and instead follows God’s direction.
This is Amy’s story.
“My name is Amy and I am 40 years old. My life before I met Jesus was, at the very least, as mess. A mess that only Jesus could clean up. I grew up in a broken home without any knowledge of who Jesus was, but a knowing there was a God and with a dream of being a cosmetologist and one day owning my own salon and one day my own beauty products. I became a teen mom, a teen wife and then a teen stripper.
After having two more children by two different men, I found myself divorced, a prostitute, using drugs, giving my money to pimps, and had to give up custody of my three kids to my abusive ex-husband who was also on drugs. I was suicidal. I lost everything. I lost my kids, my house, my vehicle, the dog, and most of all I lost myself.”
Though torn apart by a lifetime of poor choices and hating herself, one day a man named Eric told Amy, “But Jesus loves you!” That day, Amy and Eric threw away her “work clothes”, and Amy began to make different choices; faithful ones. She ended up at a place called Destiny House in Prescott, Arizona. There, she met other women who got out of the sex trade, other women who had found forgiveness and grace in Jesus.
Recently, Amy wrote this: “I have identified and acknowledged behaviors that I developed due to my past. I am able to concentrate on me and my healing. I am receiving counseling and most important I am growing in Christ and gaining knowledge and wisdom of God’s Word. I have support and understanding from other women that have been through similar circumstances.”
Amy’s choice to follow Jesus has shaped her new reality. As she works through her past mistakes and sins, as she grows in Christ, her life and choices will tell her new reality: she is now a child of God. She loves Jesus. She is no longer living in sin. Her healing has begun.
Your past choices inform who you are. They are defining you, even in this moment. However, from now on, your future choices will confirm the direction you have taken. Your choices always reveal your heart. When Amy chose to follow Jesus, she broke from her past sinful ways. This shows in her life today.
Your past choices will at times haunt you. Your mistakes may follow you. Your present choices will partly determine where you will be in a few years or maybe forever. Today’s scripture reading is a reminder that God wants you to succeed in life. God wants to be closer to you. The Lord will “show you the path you should choose”. Choose it. There are other paths in life that will take you where you do not want to go. God’s path always ends with wholeness, healing, and hope. You, however, need to choose that path… today… and tomorrow.
When you come to a fork in the road, ask God which way to go. Seek God’s direction. Then follow God’s word. Choose to follow Jesus. Choose to be faithful. Choose to be loving. Choose a holy life. Choose the right path.
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” (Tim, Kimmel, Little House on the Freeway, p.143)
The choices you make reflect your core beliefs. They express your values, your ethics, your goals, and your attitude. Your choices will expose your righteousness or your sinfulness. They will even declare whether you are faithful to God. Poor choices often cause problems. Choices made without reflection can doom entire families or nations. Wise choices will bring healing in the long run. Choices made from a pure faith will declare one’s love of God. If you look at peoples' lives from beginning to end, their choices will usually determine their fate.
In the scripture for today from Psalm 25, David speaks about choices. He begins verse 12 with a question, “Who are those who fear the Lord?” (Psalm 25:12). Essentially, David is asking for a way to prove a person is faithful. In the second half of the verse, David explains a way: by looking at the choices a person makes. According to the second half of the verse, the Lord shows the faithful the path they should choose, and they choose it. The faithful person is the one who chooses to follow God’s path, to follow God’s direction, to be obedient to the guidance of the Heavenly Father. That is how you know who truthfully “fears the Lord”, i.e. respects the Lord. The faithful soul chooses to ignore all the competing voices of life and instead follows God’s direction.
This is Amy’s story.
“My name is Amy and I am 40 years old. My life before I met Jesus was, at the very least, as mess. A mess that only Jesus could clean up. I grew up in a broken home without any knowledge of who Jesus was, but a knowing there was a God and with a dream of being a cosmetologist and one day owning my own salon and one day my own beauty products. I became a teen mom, a teen wife and then a teen stripper.
After having two more children by two different men, I found myself divorced, a prostitute, using drugs, giving my money to pimps, and had to give up custody of my three kids to my abusive ex-husband who was also on drugs. I was suicidal. I lost everything. I lost my kids, my house, my vehicle, the dog, and most of all I lost myself.”
Though torn apart by a lifetime of poor choices and hating herself, one day a man named Eric told Amy, “But Jesus loves you!” That day, Amy and Eric threw away her “work clothes”, and Amy began to make different choices; faithful ones. She ended up at a place called Destiny House in Prescott, Arizona. There, she met other women who got out of the sex trade, other women who had found forgiveness and grace in Jesus.
Recently, Amy wrote this: “I have identified and acknowledged behaviors that I developed due to my past. I am able to concentrate on me and my healing. I am receiving counseling and most important I am growing in Christ and gaining knowledge and wisdom of God’s Word. I have support and understanding from other women that have been through similar circumstances.”
Amy’s choice to follow Jesus has shaped her new reality. As she works through her past mistakes and sins, as she grows in Christ, her life and choices will tell her new reality: she is now a child of God. She loves Jesus. She is no longer living in sin. Her healing has begun.
Your past choices inform who you are. They are defining you, even in this moment. However, from now on, your future choices will confirm the direction you have taken. Your choices always reveal your heart. When Amy chose to follow Jesus, she broke from her past sinful ways. This shows in her life today.
Your past choices will at times haunt you. Your mistakes may follow you. Your present choices will partly determine where you will be in a few years or maybe forever. Today’s scripture reading is a reminder that God wants you to succeed in life. God wants to be closer to you. The Lord will “show you the path you should choose”. Choose it. There are other paths in life that will take you where you do not want to go. God’s path always ends with wholeness, healing, and hope. You, however, need to choose that path… today… and tomorrow.
When you come to a fork in the road, ask God which way to go. Seek God’s direction. Then follow God’s word. Choose to follow Jesus. Choose to be faithful. Choose to be loving. Choose a holy life. Choose the right path.