Jeremiah 26:1-6 – “In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying, ² “Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have come to worship in the Lord’s house all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a word! ³ Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.’ ⁴ And you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, “If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, ⁵ to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened; ⁶ then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse to all the nations of the earth.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, the very first thing that I heard in my spirit was, “It is always a choice.”   I paused and pondered that thought. Life is a series of choices, and every choice has a consequence (good or bad).   Every choice becomes the foundation for successive choices.   Choices make choices!

In Jeremiah 21, they were under siege by Babylon. Jeremiah brought the prophetic word: “Make a choice.”   Obey and live.  Rebel and die.   They did not like the choice because obedience meant surrender to Babylon, and their pride prevented them from obeying.  Babylon was to be temporary, but death was permanent.

In Jeremiah 26:1-5, we are brought face-to-face with something some today reject.  The prophetic word has value. God reveals His plans to help us navigate the troubled waters of life.   We want God to speak, but then we pick and choose which part of what He says we will obey.  Jeremiah 26:4 emphasizes the need to obey God’s directive explicitly.   Again, choice rises to the forefront! Choices have consequences (good or bad).

God’s call requires a choice.  Godliness is a choice.  We have the hope of divine enablement to manifest the character and nature of Jesus, but it begins with the choice of surrender.   (Remember the reference in Jeremiah mentioned earlier?)

In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul, by the Holy Spirit, revealed that our objective is to be examples.

1. We are to be examples in how we talk.   (Both the words we use and the subject matter).

2. We are to be examples in our conduct.   (What do people see in how we act and react?)

3. We are to be examples in Love.   (Agape, as seen in 1 Corinthians 13 and in Jesus, is the goal).

4. We are to be examples in faithfulness.   (Both loyalty to our assignment, to others, to our faith, and to our commitment and word).

5. We are to be examples in purity.   (What do others see in us? We may refrain from certain words or acts, but what is in our hearts?)

As I think about choices, I think of my conversion to Christ.   Jesus came into the world to save people, and that included the worst of the worst (me). My choice to accept Him affects not only me and my eternity, but everyone I encounter.   My choice lets me be an example that points to Him.  That example is a testimony.   My testimony either magnifies Jesus or reeks of hypocrisy, based on my obedience, which is the result of choice.

So, choose wisely!   Choose to obey.   Choose to accept His grace.   Choose to live Him by dying to self.   Dying requires dying!   It does not include partial resurrections of certain things, acts, or attitudes.  It requires dying. The choice before is Life by dying to self or death by living for self.

I choose life by dying to self!