Life is filled with choices. A few choices are basic! Once they are made, they provide the foundation for the rest of life’s choices. If the foundational choices are not made in place, the rest of life is a constant struggle. Let me be specific. Here are two foundational questions that provide orientation for the rest of life. Who am I? Who is in control in my life?
For a Christian, the answer to number one depends on grasping God’s love and God’s forgiveness. Warning! If we make love easy or forgiveness cheap, our identity in Christ will be constantly blurry. This is not an easy love that says “You’re OK” and “I can put up with you like you are.” This is love that acknowledges problems and the necessity of change. This is no unconditional love. This is love that rightly expects obedience and commitment.
Impossible? That is where God’s forgiveness enters. What is impossible with us humans is possible with God. God’s forgiveness affirms our identity in Christ. Warning! Do not make this forgiveness cheap and unconditional. Do not fall into Satan’s trap of thinking that God is so loving that forgiveness is automatic and universal with only an unthinking acknowledgement of God’s existence. God’s grace is extended at great cost, and is faithfully accepted only with intense, unending gratitude.
Who is in control in my life? First, I must establish that I am not! Jesus Christ is Lord. The Bible is God’s Word. Here we see the written word and the living word. God reveals himself to us so we can understand him. When we see God for who he really is, we see ourselves as we really are. When we see God in all of his glory, we rejoice that he is willing to take care of our every inadequacy, fault, flaw, sin, shortcoming, and weakness. It is not about us, God is in control!
Today as I worship among God’s people, I seek to be reminded of these basic truths. I want to be reminded of who I am. I want to be reminded that God is in control. Basic life choices! Without these in place, the week ahead can get pretty rough and intense. With these in place, a lot of other life choices will also fall into place!