What to expect on God’s path (5)
2020-10-05Philippians 2:16 NLT
We must be prepared to give up instant gratification for long-term achievements.
Paul wrote: ‘Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.’
Nothing is more important in life than the choices we make. The Bible says, ‘Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain’ (Genesis 13:12 NLT). Lot prospered for a while, but in the end, everything he worked for was destroyed. Then, ‘the LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him: “Look around from where you are…all the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever”‘ (vv. 14-15 NIV). Lot chose to settle in the wrong place and lost everything, but Abraham chose the right direction and gained everything.
When we’re faced with a choice, it’s a good idea to get into the habit of asking ourselves a few questions: ‘How will this choice affect my character and my self-respect? How will this choice affect my family and people who might look to me for a role-model? How will I feel when I tell God about my choice?’
The Bible says: ‘We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race before us and never give up. We should remove from our live anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect’ (Hebrews 12:1-2 NCV).