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Choices

by Earl Johnson

The great poet, Robert Frost, penned these powerful words in the final section of his poem about choices entitled The Road Not Taken:

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

You and I make choices every day that have eternal implications for our souls. A primary choice is to love the truth of God’s word. To do otherwise is to risk delusion and condemnation (2 Thess. 2: 9-12). Jesus said that the wide gate and broad way leads to destruction and many go in by it (Matthew 7:13).

Creeds and doctrines of men, which make one’s worship empty and of no benefit (Mark 7:7), have deceived millions who believe they belong to Christ. To these people Jesus will say: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23).

The choice to serve Jesus involves a yoke. A yoke is an instrument of subjection and the one wearing a yoke is obliged to be obedient to another. For this reason, true service to the Lord is not pleasing to the carnal mind. It requires a surrender of self and selfish desires that few are willing to accept. Paul tells us that in order to be set free from sin we must become slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18). God condemned His people through the prophet Jeremiah because they had rebelliously “broken the yoke and burst the bonds” (Jer. 5:5). Joshua challenged the Israelites “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Josh. 24:15).

The fact is that every person of accountability is choosing to serve either God or Satan. We cannot serve two masters, but we all choose to serve one or the other. Our lives tell the story plainly. We are the servants of the one whom we choose to obey (Rom. 6:16). How foolish it is to declare how much we love Jesus while our lives are in rebellion to Him.

Millions who profess His name reject His authority to govern their lives regarding the sanctity of marriage, how they dress or talk or play, issues of sexual conduct and gender choice, and even the very lives of their unborn babies. Truly the yoke has been broken.

Much of this is justified by appealing to “freedom of choice.” How ironic! Yes, it is a choice—yet often it simply means choosing to serve Satan. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

The “road less traveled” is the one about which Jesus said:  “Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life and there are few that find it” (Matt. 7:14).

What is your choice today? Jesus promises those who come to Him will have rest for their souls because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Will you accept the yoke of Jesus by choosing Him as your Master? That is truly the choice that makes all the difference. 

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