ODJ: the choice is yours
November 15, 2011
A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one (v.2).
READ: Ecclesiastes 10:1-3
A missionary friend who has lived in Uganda for nearly 20 years recently told me that his wife doesn’t enjoy their family’s annual trip to the United States. The reason? “There are too many choices there!” she says.
It’s true that—with fewer consumer products at our disposal—life in Uganda can seem less complicated than in the Western world. I’ve found, however, that I still make just as many decisions here as in the US, but they’re different.
In Uganda, where abject poverty is ever-present, I must constantly choose how I’m going to respond to the street kids knocking on my car window. Should I give food to the hungry neighbors outside my gate? What should I do for the children I know who are suffering inhumanely in ill-equipped hospitals nearby?
Where does a person begin in helping Ugandans? I still wonder after 3 years of living in this country.
Looking to Scripture for answers, I find that God gives us the same guidance whether we live in a rich country or a poor one. Ultimately, regardless of our surroundings, like Joshua, we must first choose each day “whom to serve.” Will it be the Lord or other gods? (Joshua 24:14-16).
For those who make the choice to serve and fear the Lord, “He will show them the path they should choose” (Psalm 25:12). As we follow Him and are enabled to do so by His Holy Spirit, God will direct us in matters of service and even in purchases we’re considering.
It’s true that we become the slave of whatever or whomever we choose to obey. “You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living” (Romans 6:16). Let’s choose to follow God today and reach out to others by His power. —Roxanne Robbins
How does whom or what you serve affect your daily choices? What choice do you need to bring to God today?
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this article spoke my mind while reading it,it just pointed out that we should in our comfort zone remember those out there in need in whatever ways we can,so help us God……