Choice Matters

One thing is sure: Americans love options because we love choices! This thought came to me as I stood in front an overwhelming assortment of soft drinks! The very first of the psalms is, in the end, about the choice of paths every person chooses: the way of righteousness or not. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers" (Psalm 1:1, ESV). In essence, God says happiness comes to those who discipline themselves and choose wisely. It is estimated that we make 1 decision ever 2 seconds; many decisions we make from stored information and even unconsciously we are ever ... making decisions. You don't have to live long to conclude ... the choices we make matter! Jesus spoke of two gates; He said, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:13-14, ESV). Two very different gates described, each leading to a strikingly different end. Psalm 1:2 gives the reward for the blessedness described in Verse 1: it comes to the person whose "delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night." A blessed (happy) life is a disciplined life and a preoccupation with God's Word. Choice matters!