To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God…Show me your ways O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.” ~Psalm 25:1,4,5
In preparation for being in San Francisco this fall and taking a tour of the infamous Alcatraz prison, I took the opportunity to read the memoirs of William Baker who served time at that place. As I read his many stories, I could see that he always did just what he felt like doing – he was rash and reckless, making consistently bad choices until he found himself in solitary confinement in Alcatraz.
But even more interesting was to read his thoughts about his younger, and only brother, who served as a Baptist pastor for his whole career life. I confirmed this by reading about him on the net – he pastored in Chicago, travelled the Holy Land and wrote a book. He had children and grandchildren “…most of them sturdy Christians, with some of them becoming missionaries and carrying the gospel deep into faraway lands” (pg. 172). Obviously, his life was the result of many choices that took him toward the Lord.
Both boys with the same background and influences, but the choices took them in dramatically different directions. We don’t have to labor hard to make the application here. Life is made up of many little choices that take us either toward or away from the Lord. My way? God’s way? How are you doing in the choices that lie before you right now?
“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God…Show me your ways O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long” Psalm 25:1,4,5.
Today – make the right choice! It sets the table for a fresh encounter with God.
Pastor Leon Throness
