February 11th Reflection - A Choice - by Bill Lynch

Sirach 15:15-20

If you choose, you can keep the commandments,
   and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.
He has placed before you fire and water;
   stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.
Before each person are life and death,
   and whichever one chooses will be given.
For great is the wisdom of the Lord;
   he is mighty in power and sees everything;
his eyes are on those who fear him,
   and he knows every human action.
He has not commanded anyone to be wicked,
   and he has not given anyone permission to sin.

Reflection- A Choice
God comes to us in flesh and blood. God comes to us in Jesus. God comes to us in spirit. God comes to us in the Holy Spirit. God comes to us and has created us and has worked out a plan to save us from our sinful ways. Humans have sinned since the Fall. We have chosen to sin. God had given us a choice from the very beginning. A choice in choosing life or death. Through our own selfish greed to take full control of our lives, we, as humans, have decided to eat of the fruit that we thought would save us with our own efforts, and with a new wisdom. But, we left God out of this picture.

God created us to be his own and to live under him in his Kingdom. God created us to be in relationship with him in eternity. God created us and chose to give us choices. So, as this passage from the book of Sirach expresses; God has set before us fire and water. God has set before us life and death. God has set before us the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life.

Yes, God has come to us and we have a choice. God has come to rescue us and save us, but we have a choice. Surely God knows our every action, but in God's way, God has given us the choice.

Look to Jesus. Look to that cross on which he died for your sin. Look at that tomb from which Jesus came forth. An empty tomb. Look, seek, knock, think, pray, but always know that God has come to you to save you and give you a wonderful choice.

Choose life this day. Choose life in Jesus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTmJXH7-BKM

Prayer
Lord, you have come. Yes! You have come to me to save me. You have come to me to offer a choice. I believe and follow you. You chose me and I choose you! I love you, my Lord, my Savior, my Creator, my Source of Life... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen