Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Psalms 25:12 What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
Psalms 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
Isaiah 65:12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Choice is the most basic human privilege, given to us by God. Without it, we would be robots, acting out a script written in advance. The Bible tells us that all of us have sinned (Romans 3:23), so for as long as we remain in sin, we are its servants, and really have no choices of eternal value. The only choice facing us is the one above: whom we will serve. When we ask the Lord to forgive our sins, we choose life over death, and liberty over bondage (2 Corinthians 3:17, and many others). Once we choose Christ, we still have choices that face us until we leave this flesh.
Some life choices are basic for all people, but for Christians they should always be made with the view of obedience to God. The Lord has a plan and purpose for all of his children (Romans 8:28), both for the short term and the long term. Our vocation in life, our decisions about marriage and a mate, and our particular area of ministry are included. So are more immediate choices, like where we live, how we dispose of the money and time he gives us, whom we speak to about the Lord, and even the smallest detail, like what we choose to eat or not to eat, should be subject to his control. It's not that we should spend every waking moment asking God what we should do in the next moment; our choices should flow naturally from the inner guidance of his Spirit (Jeremiah 31:33).
When we do face tough choices, and our way is not clear to us, this is God's promise: Psalms 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. The following articles in this series will examine particular choices that Christians face, those discussed above and others. The Bible offers guidance for every decision we will ever have to make; all we need to know is where to look when the need arises.
If you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, these articles will not apply to you. If you would like to know what salvation means, and how you can attain it, go here.
Next: A Life's Work