What will you choose?, by Ryan

I was fortunate enough to attend a number of (four I think) Promise Keeper (PK) conferences in my pre-teen and early teenage years. I really looked forward to those because I got to spend a weekend with the guys, to include my dad (and grandpa at three). There are some very good memories of camping out, eating boxed lunches, and hearing stories during the car rides. Although I can't recall many specifics of what the numerous speakers had to say, I do remember most of the themes of the conferences as a whole (one of the last things a teen guy wants to do is take notes lol).

We are faced with countless choices on a daily basis: what clothes to wear from our wardrobe, what to eat for each meal (plus snacks if you're like me), what media to consume, how to treat our boss(es) and co-workers, how to spend the little free or down time we get...the list goes on. The choices that we make each day impact other parts of that day and in some cases future days. Some choices are obviously more important than others - in the short list I made a few sentences ago, how we treat people at work has more of an impact than what we eat for dinner that evening.

The theme of the 1999 PK conferences was "Choose this Day," based on Joshua 24:15 which says: "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." I enjoy this passage in Scripture because Joshua is giving the people a good pep talk. He reminds them what God has done for them and is charging them up to serve God going forward. It reminds me of an energetic coach trying to hype up and motivate the team as they are getting ready to take the field. In verse 15, Joshua gives the people a choice: serve the pagan gods or the one true God. Joshua declares that no matter what the people choose, he is choosing Yahweh. After Joshua gives them warning that God is holy and jealous, they proclaim that they want to choose to serve Him also. This chapter concludes with Joshua making a covenant with the people and explains to them that they are all witnesses for each other for their decision.

With it being somewhat early in the new year still, it's a good time to reflect as to what we are choosing. In 2018 and beyond, I want to choose the Lord daily because it is a daily choice to serve Him. There may will be days that I stumble, but our God is a God of love and forgiveness. I'm very grateful for knowing and having these guys in my life to keep me accountable on what I'm choosing.