PHILIPPIANS 1:9-11-And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Choices. We make them each day and throughout each day. Some are simple. Others not so. Some are routine in the daily affairs of life. Others are life-altering. But every choice made shares some commonalities no matter what is perceived as more important than others. Here are two of them showing us each choice matters in life–a lot.

First some choices cannot be undone. This should cause us to pause. An impulsive, prayer-less, and emotional choice may bring consequences regretted and unable to be changed, especially a sinful choice. Think before choosing. A decision hastily made might bring about an emotional, physical, or spiritual scar that will be with us to the grave. And if the choice was to commit sin, God forgives, but that does not mean the consequences go away. Often, they do not so be careful in choices. Make sure they are made through much prayer, waiting, and seeking godly counsel.

A second reason why life’s choices matter a lot is because we are going to see them and their consequences–good or bad–again. Remember, choices lead to actions. Actions led to investment of time. Investment of time determines what we lived for and what we lived for is going to be revealed individually to us on Judgment Day. There is a day of reckoning looming on the horizon. The choices and their results will be revealed on that Day of all Days–our personal day of judgment before the Lord Jesus. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this most important of days in the lives of every human being-For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil(2 Corinthians 5:10).We will not be judged for sins but for our choices that led to our actions in this life; actions that will reveal just what captured and guided our lives on this earth–ourselves or Christ.

So, in making choices, learn to do two things. Adopt today’s scripture as a personal prayer. Ask God to give us discernment to choose what is excellent or best in life over what is good in life. We need God’s wisdom on this for we too easily choose to engage ourselves and our time in the good things of this life at the expense of the best things in the next life. A second thing to do when making choices is ask the question, “Will we hang our heads in shame at the Judgment Seat of Christ over this choice? If we consistently think spiritually and God-centered in the choices we make in life, we will have discernment and our choices will prove to be the best over the good. And that will be met with no regret now or then.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to make decisions in life where I choose the best things over the good.”

QUOTE: “The choices we make will determine not only the life we live but the influence we have for Christ.”