We always have a choice!

Wednesday May 16 2012

1Thessalonians 5:18.  “ No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

The longer I live, the more I see the struggle of trying to maintain a thankful attitude.  It is often difficult to adhere to Paul’s advice. 

I have learned part of the secret is in truly knowing who God is and believing that He is Sovereign.  If God is truly in control then we know we were created for His enjoyment and delight.  He keeps us from harm. 

I have a friend who explains God’s Sovereignty with the analogy of the classroom and teacher.  As a teacher, there are times when the classroom can become chaotic.  Everyone seems to be louder than usual and out of their desks and as you look around, you see the confusion and turmoil and chaos but you know you have the ability to bring it under control. You glance around and see that everyone is safe and there is no danger of anyone getting seriously hurt.

 In wisdom, I have done this many times just to let the students think they are getting away with unruly behavior. I found it also gave me an insight to the personalities of particular students and many times it was a very interesting exercise just to be an observer.  I think this is a particularly good illustration because it brings to light that we are not puppets who are controlled by a Master Puppeteer. 

We have a free will to act on our own until, in wisdom, God intervenes and urges us to move away from harm’s way and under His hand of protection.  We are just like the children in the classroom who have the choice to listen to the voice of the teacher or continue to be rebellious and boisterous and disregard the warnings and instruction of the teacher.

Prayer for today: Oh Lord, help me today to be silent enough to hear your voice and not ignore it. I am thankful to you for all that you have done for me and for watching over me.  Thank you for loving me enough to allow me to make wrong decisions from time to time but thank you even more for letting me know when it’s time to let you guide me in my decision making. I can only see a small portion of my life but I know you can see the whole picture so help me to be thankful, always and rely on you in every circumstance.  In Jesus name, Amen.