Chosen - Martin Wiles

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1:1 NLT

The ability to choose is powerful. One of my favorite poems is “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost.

 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

          To where it bent in the undergrowth;          

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

         I doubted if I should ever come back.         

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Whether Frost refers to a specific choice he later regretted or not, I’m not sure. But I know I’ve regretted a few. I’ve faced many forks in the road, made a choice, and then later wondered how life might have been different on the other road.  Perhaps only a few times in a person’s lifetime can they actually try the other road.

Paul’s fork came on the Damascus Road while he was on a mission to arrest, persecute, and kill Christians. A bright light from heaven parted his path, the risen Christ gave him an opportunity to take another road in life, and he accepted it. God chose him, but he had to choose Christ in return.

Life affords us many choices, but the most important choice we must make is what we’ll do with Christ: accept him like Paul or turn away. 

Once we choose him, he gives us many other opportunities to serve him, but at each juncture in the road, we must choose his will over ours. Having the ability to choose him is wonderful; being chosen to be his child is an even more incredible privilege.

Choose to follow and serve Christ. It’s a decision you’ll never regret.

Prayer: Father, thank You for choosing us to be Your children. 

Tweetable: Have you made the right choice? 

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Meandering Monday - Encouragement’s Magic - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again.

Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24 NLT

Every parent has dreams and aspirations for their first child.

They will change the world . . . make a life-changing invention . . . invent a cure for a deadly disease . . . be world known for their charitable acts. Mine encouraged me to be responsible and fostered it by giving me chores to do. When I came of age, they encouraged me to get a part-time job. This would teach me the value of working for what I wanted and remind me that life’s journey isn’t free. They also encouraged me to have a good credit rating and ensured I would by making me purchase an item on credit when I was a mere sixteen years old. Then there was the encouragement to attend college. This one I bucked initially but later recanted and went. My parents also encouraged me to follow God’s plan for my life. I can’t imagine having grown up without the encouragement to look life squarely in the eyes and be my best.

Early Christians needed encouragement from each other and from their leaders. Persecution was rampant. Many were losing their lives. They had heard Christ would return quickly, but so far, he hadn’t. How could they keep going when there were so many reasons to turn their backs on this supposed Messiah?

One of the best places to find encouragement is at a local church. Here, I find people on a similar journey as I am. They’ve listened to Jesus’ command to deny self, take up their cross, and follow him. They also remember his word of warning that in this world they will face persecution because they’ve chosen to follow him. But they also repeatedly hear his promise that he’ll never leave or turn his back on them. Since I can’t experience Christ with my five senses, experiencing him through fellow believers who encourage me is the next best thing.

The journey through God’s earthly kingdom is splattered with mountains and valleys, but encouragement from others helps me put one foot in front of the other.

Who needs your encouragement today?

Prayer: Father, enable us to encourage others as You encourage us. 

Tweetable: Who are you encouraging? 

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