"The CHOICE is yours!"
[image credit]
The devotional in "FOCUS" begins with this thought in the very first paragraph and I found that this expression stayed with me. Yet I must add that the entire devotional (5-6 paragraphs)is spot-on and exceptional in its content, thought provoking and searching with the ending questions. The concluding paragraph is the best truth that every person needs ending with "May we commit to CHOOSING more of Him" (Jesus) ! Amen, Hallelujah! I especially appreciate the "Focus Tip" on CHOOSING His ways over ours - I'm sure most of us need to do this more, from our decisions to our actions, we should remind ourselves that we have a choice and then CHOOSE Jesus - every time.
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." |
In the book description, you will see the entire title better than you can read it on the image. The additional part "... to live and lead with More Joy, Ease, and Purpose" is very appealing to me and coincides in my month long journey into JOY (that I mentioned last blog post). My search also turned up many series of churches doing "The Choice is Yours" in their sermons. It was in that search that I discovered another book with that title, that is Christian.{I'm considering this one 😉 used copy, because it's from 2011 and much has happened in our world since 2011} Yet I noticed that the "twelve choices" presented "that can strengthen or weaken our walk with God" (depending) do not change or grow old because these "daily decisions will bring joy and purpose to your life" still and that's how the "choice is ours" because walking with God is a daily decision as we CHOOSE - because it is a choice. Choosing to live the Christian life well does not just happen by accident and end up where we hope to be. Clearly the most important CHOICE is to CHOOSE Jesus & receive the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, with a clear understanding that we need a Savior and to be redeemed from the sin in our lives that only Jesus can do.
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:
- choose to be real
- choose to live by faith
- choose to listen to God
- choose to talk to God
- choose to let go
- choose to press on
- choose to be joyful
- choose to be strong
- choose to succeed
- choose to serve
- choose to speak wisely
- choose to be filled with the Spirit
|
Good advice and great choices captured in this book "The Choice is Yours"
<>
Now back to my initial reason to search and research "the choice is yours" and share the Scriptures for this week's One Word: CHOOSE ... I did link (connect) in my last blog post to the Bible Hub for the Topical definition with a full page of information and verses that include the One Word: CHOOSE; whereas the book "Focus..." usually chooses verses that do not include the One Word, and I shared them also in that blog post near the end. However, the first verse given in the book DOES include CHOOSE and is often the one that is familiar or considered to be a well-known verse (at least the last part):
| " 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 |
Often we don't CHOOSE to read the full context and the book chooses to share the NLT version of Deuteronomy 30:19. This verse is Moses speaking. You can read more here in The Voice (or the full chapter here). I'm sure that Pro-life uses this verse starting with "Now Choose life" and hopefully we do, but it's a choice.
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!
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 ..." |
It's at this point the comment picks up.
But the most important part I seem to have overlooked:
"... Because He lives in us, we have authority ..."
|
[the comment fits here; and I CHOOSE this part to end my thoughts]
| "... We are able to experience a setback and still believe in victory." ... |
And "a setback is a setup ...
for God to work
... for a comeback"
And God's Resurrection power in us!
so let's "release what is not ours to carry & give it to Him instead!"
Powerful and eye-opening message - thanks 💚
"God, when we see wrong, help us toCHOOSEright.When injustice demands silence,let me speak,When violence seeks apathy,let me act.When busyness produces chaos,let me find peace.{knowing God calms chaos}For You guide us and You give us strengthto boldly stand, speak, and act."🙏(prayer words are from the other book I have:"40 Days, 40 Prayers, 40 Words..."B.REYESCHOW
