But now, I have to go back to that expression "the choice is yours" - which I found out is/was a song, movie and a book (maybe more than one) but I found the one above in that image in the beginning (I didn't purchase it; & I don't think it's Christian, but it could be, I'm not familiar with it or the author). I went on a search of this well-known expression "the choice is yours" and found the previous. But I do like the book's description, and have decided to share it here:
| "We all make decisions, big and small, every single day. But how often do we do so while operating on autopilot, telling ourselves we “have to” or “should,” or that we “don’t have a choice?” Why do we limit ourselves and relinquish our power to something or someone else? What’s possible when we remember that the choice is ours? In this inspiring and user-friendly book, The Choice Is Yours: A Simple Approach to Live and Lead with More Joy, Ease, and Purpose, expert executive and life coach Stef Ziev helps us identify what drives our choices and understand their impact through a new lens. With humor and grace, she shows us how to embrace personal responsibility, empower ourselves to take ownership of our thoughts and actions, and transform the negative beliefs that weigh us down into energizing choices that lift us up. Using real client examples, as well as her own, Ziev illustrates how being more conscious about our choices creates profound, meaningful, and powerful change inside and out. Ziev offers a straightforward and proven approach to help us recognize our triggers, release our blocks, and make decisions that are aligned with the truth of who we are and what we really want. She reminds us that whatever challenges we face, we all have the authority to choose our responses and curate the direction and quality of our lives and leadership. Ziev provides practical tools and reflection exercises that support us to bring more intention to the choices we make, so that we have more power over the results we create. Isn’t it time to take a stand and choose to live and lead with more joy, ease, and purpose? The choice is yours." |
Here are this book's & author's 12 choices, which are clearly expanded on in each chapter of her excellent book and I'm sure it is backed up with scriptures and applicable examples:
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| " This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now CHOOSE life, so that you and your children may live " Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV |
The meaning of "the choice is yours" according to a linked in person is "you are solely accountable (responsible) for every action you make and every emotion you have" which means "it's up to you", "it's entirely your decision". Really? Dr. Anita Phillips shares a video from a conference in 2023 (almost an hour long) on "The Choice is Yours". The message of these words sounds like it's an empowering one but truthfully I have to agree with an article that added "for some". When I read "the choice is yours", I often think that it may be or it may not be a choice, depending on your circumstances, or the situation. I guess that I'm a 'half-empty' kind of person rather than a 'half-full'. In some cases, as this one article I read states "it's an empty message" ..." for those whose only choices are compliance or punishment." I would rather that it's a choice of empowering the person rather than overpowering them; and to make more choices available whenever possible helps to assure that "the choice is yours". The Free Dictionary did not help me with this idiom, but it did show so many other expressions there are with "choices". The phrase "the choice is yours" seems to indicate that there is the freedom to CHOOSE to make the decision between two or more options. I hate to be the one to state this but sometimes people do not (or may not) have the freedom to CHOOSE. Which brings me to my point that God gives every human being the free will to CHOOSE. And free will is a huge topic of discussion for another time and place!
I don't have "Bible Study Tools" Plus but if you do, they have "The Choice is Yours" that starts out with "Life is filled with choices and decisions." and shares key scriptures like the one from Deuteronomy 30:19. Looking through all the Scriptures given for CHOOSE and the various sermons or series I discovered, I'd have to say that the CHOICES are endless (but that's not entirely true) there just are many; and so I CHOOSE to look at a few, but center in on a few from well-known people to me: 1) Max Lucado, 2) Rick Warren and one that was not known to me in a series called 3) "Recalibrate" (but that one will take quite alot of time, unless I just look at Week 6, which contains "The Choice is Yours" on Day 4, from Romans 6:15-19, which I did but it doesn't give content, just discussion questions, so I need to be more familiar with it and I'm not) easier to just read and FOCUS on the devotion on CHOOSE by Cleere Cherry Reaves.
It was better to just CHOOSE this rather than venture off on my "search" on the expression yet maybe the books might help me understand why the mere mention of this stirred something deep inside of me about our choices and the right to CHOOSE. I do realize that this is not the intent of this particular devotion nor of this expression, however, I feel led by the Holy Spirit (at times) to just go with where He leads me and this is where I ended up. The "choice", in my opinion, is not always our choice, nor do we always have control over the choices; yet our choices, or who we choose, or what we choose; does always have its consequences. Free and fair are the key words; and things are not always fair, and usually many are not free - the cost is immense in many choices we make or may make. At times, we make the wrong choice; at times we are stuck with the choice forced on us by others - in this case, I'd have to say we were not free to CHOOSE. I've seen far too many suffer because they were not free to CHOOSE or their choice led to many more poor choices, impeding what or who they CHOOSE after that and for the future or in the way that they CHOOSE later. God is fair, but human beings fail often in this and now governing authorities & countries do, too. We should not presume that we can CHOOSE for all others; if that was the case, God, in His Omnipotence, would not have given we humans a free will to CHOOSE.
I will pray about this and hope you do also. Meanwhile, on a lighter side - read either Pastor Max or Rick. And just be thankful that you can CHOOSE and that you CHOSE JESUS!
It's at this point the comment picks up.
But the most important part I seem to have overlooked:
[image credit Pastor Rick's]
Which book, or choice mentioned above might you CHOOSE, or any other options?
😉
{in the time after pulling this together & setting up publishing, I went to read comment
on that last CHOOSING blog post & replied, but it kinda made me reconsider posting this
because I had a fresh perspective. That's the benefit of sharing what you read
and getting other people's input. It was highly valuable & refreshing!
It also had me rereading the actual devotional & focusing on something new:
| ... "In our culture, we tend to negate our own authority in an attempt to earn it before walking in it ..." |
| "... Because He lives in us, we have authority ..." |
| "... We are able to experience a setback and still believe in victory." ... |
"God, when we see wrong, help us to
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Bless you for your visit and encouraging words! I thank you and I am humbly blessed by YOU and the time you spend with me... Peace, "Mazmagi" Peggy