The Choices I Make

I often find myself having to explain the choices I make. I’m not talking about defending bad choices, either. I’m talking about having to explain my reasons for making good, clean choices in my everyday life. Why, do you ask, would that be something I have to do? The answer is because I find many people in my life don’t understand why my everyday choices now are so different from what they used to be or from the choices the average American would make.

Since I gave my life to the Lord just over three years ago, my decision-making process has changed. I have to admit, at times my old life looks a lot more fun, at least on earth. But those tempting “fun” things will only gain temporary satisfaction. I know what it’s like to be completely satisfied in Jesus Christ. If you compared me to the average 20-something, even my decisions before I was born again wouldn’t seem that bad in the comparison. However, I definitely did not make godly choices back then.

Now, I want every choice I make to be godly. Some would say this means that as a Christian I’m required to follow a specific set of rules and guidelines to ensure my way to heaven someday. That’s not the case. My place in heaven is secured, and God has assured me that He will love me no matter what my choices are. I am living a new life with the freedom I've found in Christ, and through the Holy Spirit now living in me I can make choices that honor God. Colossians 3:5-8 says, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." This passage is one of many that gives clear direction for how those living for the Lord should conduct their lives.

God does forgive and grant grace for sins committed. That may prompt you to ask, “What difference does it make then if you choose what any average person would, even if it’s not the most godly choice? God will just forgive you anyway!” That’s the wrong approach, and commonly called “cheap grace”. Romans 6:1-2 says, "What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" For as Romans 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."

As a Christian, when I sin I strive not only to confess it, I repent of it, too. Repentance goes one step farther than confession—it means that I choose to turn away from the sin and never do it again. Does that guarantee that I will never commit that sin again? No. But God looks at the heart. He knows my intentions. If my intentions are to make a godly choice, and I fall into sin, He knows. If I say I’ve turned away from sin, but think I can secretly hold onto it, God would know that, too. 1 Chronicles 28:9 says, " '...serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts."

So what motivates my decision-making, then? One thing alone: I love the Lord with all my heart. If you truly love someone, do you desire to do things that would hurt him or her? Of course not. It is the same in my relationship with the Lord. He paid such a high price for my sins already that I cannot imagine doing things that would cause Him pain. Unfortunately, I’m human and will still sin. But the pain I feel for hurting Jesus through my sin is what brings me to repentance.

I would like to share some examples that would illustrate this. When I go to the theater, I choose not to see movies that are full of bad language, sexual scenes and language, or intense sinful violence. One, Jesus himself would not choose those movies. Two, there is absolutely no reason to fill my head with that kind of negative input, when there are so many better ways to spend my time. This approach goes into other media forms for me, too. I avoid TV shows like “Desperate Housewives,” which is heaped in immorality, or “The Bachelor” and shows like it that make light of marriage and choosing a mate. I also choose not to listen to certain types of music or radio stations whose DJs promote things like excessive drinking and premarital sex on the air.

Another example is that I’ve chosen to save myself for my future husband. And I’m not just talking about sex here. It goes beyond that. I don’t push the limit to see how far it can go without crossing a particular line. That’s also the wrong approach – I’d just be begging for temptation then. Has this taken practice? Yes! Have I made mistakes? Yes! It’s hard to change your thought process about the physical side of relationships when you’re already in your twenties and have crossed lines before you became a Christian that you wish now that you hadn’t. But God has forgiven me completely for the past, and I choose to live my future differently.

Yes, making choices like these takes thought and more work and planning than the bad choices. It’s a lot easier these days to be exposed to negative input than it is not to. It takes work and preparation sometimes to avoid it. I research movies before I go to them, for example. But all that work pays off when I know that Jesus is looking down at me and smiling, delighted with my choices and that I would put Him first in my life. And that is the goal toward which I strive every day.