"Power of Choice"

 "Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?" (John 19:10 KJV)

  "Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?"" (Daniel 3:13-15 NLT)

 Hopefully I didn't bore you with my personal issues, if that is what they were; in all honesty, I feel as though that was a journey that God allowed me to go through, much like passing through a fire, and coming out the other side, pure and holy, washed in the blood of Jesus Christ! We all have our own little journeys, some worse than others; but when comes to the salvation we have been freely given, none of that stuff counts against us, but is used towards the glory of God! 

 Without getting too far into a, (very confusing,) argument over spilt milk, I will just give one example of what I mean by, used towards the glory of God. King David, who actually had a close relationship with God; as God called him, "a man after God's own heart." Yet, even while he knew God, served for God, and even shared with others the things he knew about God, he had sexual relations with a friend's wife, found out she was pregnant, tried to trick his friend into sleeping with his own wife; and when that failed, he had that friend killed, and them married his wife. 

 God forgave David, still called him, "a man after God's own heart," and still used his throne for His glory! How many of us have gone that far, even before we came into a relationship with the Lord, let alone, after? Isn't that why God had Issiah write: ""Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David. See how I used him to display my power the peoples. I made him a leader among the nations."" (Isaiah 55:3-4 NLT)

 Shifting gears, I will say this, and hopefully it does not make any sudden change of hearts. There is only so much that we can do, or not do, in this relationship and non-relationship with God. Sure, we have choices to make, one way or another; but whatever you do, God can and will, if He wills, stop you and keep you from doing, or not doing, whatever is His plan and purpose for your life! 

 Should I repeat the statement, or do you need me to put it another way? We do have limited power to make choices and go in certain directions; but ultimately, God has more power over our lives than we do; especially when it comes to the effects upon other people! We can choose to do this or that, but God can also disturb the ability we have to do anything. In the same way, we can choose not to do this or that, and God can put us into a place where we have no choice. 

 I could give you all sorts of examples, but I think you will agree, God has the final word, no matter what we think about anything; He is God, and we are not...

 "Meanwhile, Sual was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord's followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them - both men and women - back to Jerusalem in chains. As he approached Damascus in this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the someone's voice but saw no one! Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink." (Acts 9:1-9 NLT)