Life's 3 Biggest Choices

Life's 3 Biggest Choices

One Saturday I was helping my son, J.T., dig worms from the mud in our backyard. After a while I noticed that J.T. was carefully picking something out of the bucket. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm taking the rocks out so they don't hurt the worms."

It got me thinking that our lives are like that bucket. And to keep the rocks from hurting us or hindering us from achieving our two greatest goals in life (to love God and love others), we need to make three key choices.

I'm not talking about the choices we make every day: when to get up, what to wear, what to eat, and what emails to answer. While these daily decisions have some importance, they don't do much to influence the two life goals Jesus gave us.

However, we can make several key decisions every day that do impact every facet of our lives. These are the three greatest choices we can make in life:

1) Surrender your life completely.
2) Steward your uniqueness wisely.
3) Serve others passionately.

Here they are in a nutshell.

Life choice 1: surrender your life completely

Offering your body translates into surrendering everything in your life - your heart, your mind, your strength, your soul, your dreams, your desires, your insecurities, your past, your present, your relationships, your finances, your jobs, your kids, your pride, and your potential. It includes asking God to help you sort out the rocks as well. What has come into your life along the way that's hindering you from reaching your goals?

God made and planned every day of your life before you were ever born. You owe it to him to offer back for his use what he has given you. Surrendering your life means giving God full control. The Bible says, "Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God" (Romans 6:13 NLT).

I'm reminded of a group of guys Jesus asked to follow him. Because they loved Jesus, they didn't think twice about following him. They didn't waste time worrying about their careers, their incomes, or their identities. Instead, they made the most significant choice they could with their lives - to surrender everything and obey.

That same choice is set before us today. God loves us too much to make us his puppets. He gave us free will. That means we can choose whether we we'll obey him. It's our nature to want to be in control, but when we surrender that control to him, we will discover that God will help us. As Philippians 2:13 (NLT) says, "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."

Surrendering to God completely helps answer the question: Whom will I live for, God or myself? This may sound like a paradox, but the benefit gained from surrendering is freedom. When we surrender, we become free from our past, free to live each day for God, and free to fulfill our true purpose in life. The surrendered heart is free of regrets, worries, wrongs, and wounds.

The bottom line is this: only you can be you, and only you can choose to surrender your life completely to God, rocks and all. Will you?

Life choice 2: steward your uniqueness wisely

You and I have been entrusted with a lot. God has given us our talents, our time, our passions, our money, our experiences, our relationships, and our vocations to manage and maximize for his glory. We have a responsibility to use what we have to bless others.

I don't know what God has given you, but I know he made you special for a purpose. He has given you talents to help you make your life count. As the Bible tells us, we must be sure to use whatever gifts God has given us. "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully" (Romans 12:6-8).

We must be careful to invest these gifts in ways that will yield the greatest returns - as determined by God's measuring stick. God says our gifts have value whether we are reaching five hundred people or only one person. The point is that we invest them for God and not for short-term return.

Stewardship is not ownership. An owner takes control and often focuses on blessing himself first. An owner looks to gain more for himself, while a steward aims to gain more for his master. It's vital that we remember we're stewards, not owners. We have nothing that hasn't been given to us by our Master. As stewards, it's our responsibility to use what God has given us to glorify him and bless others.

What unique things has God loaned you? What are your talents? What passions has God entrusted to you? What experiences have you had that can bless others?

Life choice 3: serve others passionately

Once we surrender our lives to God and begin living as stewards rather than owners, this last choice becomes really easy. Serving others is simply following Jesus' example.

When we share our resources with others in need, we're serving God by serving people. The Bible says, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord...Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality" (Romans 12:11,13). And Jesus said, "If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded" (Matthew 10:42 NLT).

Not only is blessing others a great way to live our lives, but, as an added bonus, it always blesses us in return - often even more than it blesses the person we sought to serve. Serving is less about what you do than whom you do it for. The Bible says that when we serve in Jesus' name, we will be rewarded.

Choosing to serve others passionately means putting others' needs in front of our own, loving them, and giving as Jesus would. Serving God by serving others gives us lasting fulfillment, knowing that we're following Jesus' example. Will others see the heart of a servant through your life? The choice is up to you.

Paul wrote, "I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day, Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God" (Philippians 1:9-11 CEV). That's my prayer for you, too.

Having fun being YOU!