Every day we make a myriad of choices. We make personal choices about what to eat, what to wear, whether to work out today or not. We make choices that impact others, about what our kids are allowed to do, choices about our work that effect our co-workers, and choices about the environment that will be felt long after we are gone. Life is full of choices.
Gordon MacDonald is one of my favourite authors. He once said that “every day we are faced with the choice to surrender and trust Jesus or not. Every day is a conversion day – the day when you choose again to follow Jesus.”
Recently, I found myself in a situation that was beyond my control. No amount of charm, persuasive words, negotiation, or action could change the situation. I just had to sit and wait. Things were beyond my control.
As I sat thinking (okay, stressing) about what was going on, I heard the Spirit’s whisper, “Do you trust me?” The next day in my Bible reading, a verse jumped off the page, “No one who hopes in you [God] will ever be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3). The following day a friend, out of the blue, texted me Romans 10:11, “Anyone who believes in him [Jesus] will never be put to shame.” Things like this kept happening in the days that followed; each time I heard the Spirit’s whisper, “Do you trust me?” As I thought about the Spirit’s question and my answer, I realized the heart of the question is “What do I believe about God?” The question is not “Can I trust God with this situation,” but “Do I really believe that God is good and trustworthy?”
What I believe about God shapes the way I respond to the rest of the choices I make in my day. If I truly believe that God is good and trustworthy then I will not worry and fret. Instead, I will trust God with the situations that arise and go about my day in peace, knowing that a good God, a trustworthy God, a God who likes me and loves me, is handling things. When I came to this realization, I experienced a conversion day, as described by MacDonald, because that was the day I chose to put Jesus at the center of my life again.
When was your last conversion day? Today your life will be full of choices; the most important choice you will make is what you believe about God. Every choice hinges on that one choice, because what you believe about God has an impact on everything in your life. If you aren’t sure what you believe, take a look at the other choices you make today – they will reveal what you really believe.
This weekend our guest speaker, Rev. Al Fedorak, will be talking about Luke 9:18-27 and the choice that Jesus’ disciples had to make. Just as the Spirit asks us today what we believe about God, Jesus asked his disciples what they believed about him. I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we discover that following Jesus is all about a choice that you make every day, in the ups and downs of life.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Kirk
PS. We invite the whole church family to join us for a BBQ lunch after church this Sunday, June 12. This is a great way to meet new people and build friendships! The suggested donation is $5/person or $20/family. We hope to see you there!
