Choices we make in life define who we are. Everything in life is about decision making, and which road we decide to go down. It is our decisions and choices in life, much more than our conditions in life, that form us and allow us to accomplish our goals and purposes. Someone has said that it is only in our decisions that we are truly important.

Spiritual Awakening and Spiritual Growth

Choices we make, and our decision making define our spirituality and spiritual growth. Remember that there were two trees in the Garden of Eden:

(1)The Tree of Life, and

(2)The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Everything with God begins with a choice, and a decision. The Tree of Life gave eternal life, just as the cross of Jesus does in the New Testament. The Tree of Knowledge was forbidden by God " and yet it was the tree Adam and Eve chose.

Note that they only had ONE command: "Don't eat from this one tree." This later evolved into The Ten Commandments, plus hundreds of other laws and rules to go along with it. The result was stated by Paul: "None are righteous " no, not one." A U.S. Supreme Court Justice recently said, "We now have over 10,000,000 laws " to enforce The Ten Commandments." Does anyone keep all the laws? Most of us just don't get caught when we break them. The fact is this: man cannot live by laws.

We Make Choices and Decisions Every Single Morning

I truly believe that the first few minutes of each day are the most important. It is here, before our feet even hit the floor, that we make choices that will 'rule our day' in a positive way, or 'ruin our day' in a negative way. It is here that we make the choice to live in faith, love, grace, expectancy, and self control this day " or we make the decision to live in guilt, fear, conniving, anger, unforgiveness, or revenge this day.

I often think of Robert Frost's soul-searching poem:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

And sorry I could not travel both . . .

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I

I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference.

(To read the short poem: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken_(poem)

The Old Testament vs. The New Testament

In the Old Testament, people lived by laws and rules " by standards of right vs. wrong. In the New Testament, we are given the choice, and the decision, to live in God. We are called to believe him, and trust him in what he says in the gospel that Jesus came to bring. If we do, we live abundant, powerful, God filled lives (John 10:10, Matt 11:28-30, etc.) If we don't, choose God's gospel way, and instead continue to only live by law, then Paul says we live life under a curse (Gal 3:10). The choice and decision is ours.

The Old Testament was based on human behavior to achieve righteousness. The New Testament is based on God's imparted righteousness in us based on our belief in the finished work of the cross of his Son. The two cannot be combined. Jesus said not to pour new wine into old bottles. We must choose between the two. We must decide to live in one or the other. Trying to live in both is like mixing the rules of football with the rules of baseball. They just don't mix. Thus Paul says to 'rightly divide the word of truth.'

Heaven vs. Hell

Heaven and Hell are also choices we make. God doesn't just assign us to one place or the other. If we choose to believe God and trust him in life, then we go heaven. If we choose to turn our back on God during life, then we would feel very uncomfortable going to heaven. We just wouldn't belong. So, God has created an alternative for those who choose to live without him in their earthly life, and this choice is called Hell.

Faith and Belief in What God Says

All the choice we make, and our decision making that define our spirituality and our spiritual growth come down to our faith and belief in what God says. Paul says the gospel is intended to transform our minds. He says we are to fellowship in the gospel. Jesus says we are to repent of all other beliefs " and believe his gospel. If we choose to do this, we live in the glory, love, truth and grace of God. If we make the decision not don't do this, then we live a life that can seem like Hell on earth.

The gospel causes us to respond to God positively. Hebrews 4:2 says, "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them who heard it." In not living the gospel of God we choose and decide to live in the wisdom, theology and reasoning of man. There are really only two choices. Jesus says our 'job' or our 'work' is to believe him (John 6:29).

God vs. Good

We human beings seem to worship knowledge. We pride ourselves on knowing right from wrong " good from bad. And most choose to live in GOOD, rather than making a decision to live in GOD. Thus, most people choose to live from The Tree of Knowledge even today " and this includes most Christians.

Life Is a Test " Each and Every Morning

Each morning when your feet hit the floor you make a choice how you are going to live life: (1) God's way, or (2) your way " man's way. It's the same choice Adam and Eve had. Nothing has changed in this regard. What decision are you making. Jesus says we are to 'deny ourselves' (Lk 9:23). We are to live in GOD, not just in doing GOOD. As The Gospel Coach, I know this means to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15). These were the first words out of the mouth of Jesus when he started his ministry. It was what filled his heart and mind. Does it fill yours?

The word 'repent' simply means to change our thinking, our decisions, and the choices we make. In the Old Testament, repentance mainly dealt repenting from sin, and this was still the ministry of John the Baptist (Mark 1:4). But Jesus' ministry was all about our belief. He said we will be judged for our beliefs (John 12:46-48). Again, he says, "Repent and believe the gospel." He never mentions being judged for our sin. Decision making, and choices we make that embrace correct gospel belief will always produce a better life each and every day " and a life with less sin.

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