WE HAVE A CHOICE

It is indeed a challenge for us but God calls us to always conduct ourselves according to what is pleasing in His eyes. It is important that we always reflect in our lives the righteousness that the Lord God expects of us. Though, hard let us always equip ourselves with the Word of God and be constantly reminded that in Christ we can do everything. We sometimes hear people say, "I don't have a choice." The truth is that we always have a choice, it's just a matter of deciding what choices we make. It's time we realize this and not take for granted the fact that we are always confronted with choices and we have to own every single decision we make, be responsible for it and be ready for whatever it brings about. This is definitely the case for all of us and there is no exception to this. Today's 1st reading tells us exactly just that. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Romans 6:12-18

...Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 

Today's psalm reading reminds me of several occasions in my life when I almost got bitten by a dog. So I know exactly how it feels to be in that situation when you are face to face with some kind of danger and don't know what to do but just wait for that impending doom. And I am also aware of the unexplainable feeling of joy and relief when you are spared from it. It is of greatest consolation knowing that we have a God who is always ready to rescue us in times like these. Time and again, history has always displayed the undeniable mighty power of God in each and every generation from the time of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and up to the present time. We should be able to see how God is working in us in the same way that He did for our ancestors. The life of the patriarchs and the prophets should serve as a constant reminder that God is faithful and always come to our rescue.  Today's psalm speaks of the fowler's snare and stumbled on this sermon in the internet and felt the need to share some of the important points I got from it.

            Satan is the fowler who betrays unguarded souls. He is the arch-enemy of souls, the great deceiver and prince of the power of this world who always attempt to destroy us. The devil of this day is a well-spoken gentleman: he does not persecute—he rather attempts to persuade and to beguile. There are several ways a fowler attempts to take his birds.  First, the fowler's snare is intimately connected with secrecy. The fowler, when he goes after his birds, is very careful. Therefore the fowler carefully covers up his trap so that it is utterly ignorant of his intention to take it in the trap, little thinking that the food laid there for its banqueting is really placed there for its enticement and destruction. The temptations of the world are of this secret sort to a Christian and could often hear them say, if I were perfectly convinced of its wrongfulness, I would give it up. Sin is usually hidden, and the snare is not often made apparent. We have to take care of things that are secret and the common doings of the world.

In the second place, the snare of the fowler is generally noted for its adaptation. You do not find a fowler setting the same snare for one bird as for another; he knows his bird and he adapts his bait to it. The fowler is wise and he adapts his snare to the condition of the bird which he desires to take. Satan the fowler does just the same. He will always adapt his trap to his man, and his bait to his bird. He will not tempt you all with the same temptation he would tempt me with; nor me with the temptation with which he would naturally assail another. "The snare of the fowler." A cunning enemy we have to deal with; he knows our weak points; he has been dealing with men for these last six thousand years; he knows all about them. He is possessed of a gigantic intellect; though he be a fallen spirit and he is easily able to discover where our sore places are, and there it is he immediately attacks us. If we be like Achilles, and can not be wounded anywhere but in our heel, then at the heel he will send his dart, and nowhere else. He will find out our easily besetting sin, and there, if he can, he will attempt to work our ruin and our destruction.

In the next place, the fowler's snare is frequently connected with pleasure, profit, and advantage. In the bird's case it is for the seed scattered on the ground that he flies to the snare. It is some tempting bait which allures him to his death. And usually Satan; the fowler, uses a temptation wherewith to beguile us. "O!" says one, "I can not give up such-and-such a thing, it is so pleasant. Sir, you never knew the charms of such-and-such a pursuit, otherwise you could never advise me to relinquish it." Yes, my friend, but it is just the sweetness of it to you that makes it the more dangerous. Satan never sells his poisons naked; he always gilds them before he vends them. He knows very well that men will buy them and swallow them, if he does but gild them beforehand. Take care of pleasures; mind what you are at when you are at them. Many of them are innocent and healthful, but many of them are destructive. It is said that where the most beautiful cacti grow, there the most venomous serpents are to be found at the root of every plant. And it is so with sin. Your fairest pleasures will harbor your grossest sins. Take care; take care of your pleasures. Cleopatra's asp was introduced in a basket of flowers; so are our sins often brought to us in the flowers of our pleasures. Satan offers to the drunkard the sweetness of the intoxicating cup, which rejoices him, when his brain is rioting in frolic, and when his soul is lifted up within him. He offers to the lustful man the scenes and pleasures of carnal mirth, and merriment, and delight, and so he leadeth him astray with the bait, concealing the hook which afterwards shall pain him. He gives to you and to me, each of us, the offer of our peculiar joy; he tickleth us with pleasures, that he may lay hold upon us, and so have us in his power. I would have every Christian be especially on his guard against the very thing that is most pleasing to his human nature. I would not have him avoid every thing that pleases him, but I would have him be on his guard against it. Just like Job, when his sons had been feasting in their houses. He did not forbid them doing it, but he said, "I will offer a sacrifice, lest my sons should have sinned in their hearts, and should have cursed God foolishly." He was more careful over them at the time of their feasting than at any other season. Let us be the same. Let us remember that the snare of the fowler is generally connected with some pretended pleasure or profit, but that Satan's end is not our pleasing, but our destruction.

In the next place, sometimes the fowler very wisely employs the force of example. We all know the influence of the decoy-duck, in endeavoring to bring others into the snare. How very often Satan, the fowler, employs a decoy to lead God's people into sin! You get with a man; you think him to be a true Christian; you have some respect for his character; he is a high professor, can talk religion by the yard, and can give you any quantity of theology you like to ask for. You see him commit a sin; ten to one but you will do the same, if you have much respect for him; and so he will lead you on. And mark, Satan is very careful in the men whom he chooses to be decoys. He never employs a wicked man to be a decoy for a good man. It is very seldom, when Satan would decoy a Christian into a snare, that he makes use of an open reprobate. No; he makes use of a man who is pretendedly religious, and who looks to be of the same quality as yourself, and therefore entices you astray. Let a bad man meet me in the street, and ask me to commit sin! The devil knows better than to set him at any such work as that, because he knows I should pass by directly. If he wants his errand well done, he sends one to me whom I call brother; and so through the brotherhood of profession I am apt to give him credence and pay him respect; and then if he goeth astray, the force of example is very powerful, and so I may easily be led into the net too. Take care of your best friends; be careful of your companions. Choose the best you can; then follow them no further than they follow Christ. Let your course be entirely independent of every one else. Say with Joshua, let others do what they will, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord."

Note, once more, that sometimes the fowler, when he faileth to take his bird by deceit and craft, will go a hawking after it—will send his hawk into the air, to bring down his prey. It often happens, when the devil can not ruin a man by getting him to commit a sin, he attempts to slander him; he sends a hawk after him, and tries to bring him down by slandering his good name. Do with the slanderous hawk what the little birds do, just fly up. The hawk can not do them any hurt while they can keep above him—it is only when they come down that he can injure them. It is only when by mounting he gets above the birds, that the hawk comes sweeping down upon them, and destroys them. If any slander you, do not come down to them; let them slander on. By the grace of God, let them say what they please against you, never answer, but go straight on. All shall end well, if the character be but kept clean; the more dirt that is thrown on it by slander, the more it shall glisten, and the more brightly it shall shine. The surest way in the world to get rid of a slander is just to let it alone and say nothing about it, for if you prosecute the rascal who utters it, or if you threaten him with an action, and he has to apologize, you will be no better off—some fools will still believe it. Let it alone—let it keep as it is; and so God will help you to fulfill by your wisdom his own promise, Let us bless God that it is written, "Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler."

We should stop doing the sinful thing that we really don't want to do because we have already been saved. We are no longer bound to the yoke of sin and death, we are free. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M 

Psalm 124:1b-3. 4-6. 7-8

R: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

2 Had not the LORD been with us — when men rose up against us, 3 then would they have swallowed us alive. When their fury was inflamed against us. (R) 4 Then would the waters have overwhelmed us; the torrent would have swept over us; 5 over us then would have swept the raging waters. (R) 7 Broken was the snare, and we were freed. 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Luke 12:39-48

...You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” .....Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. .....Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.