Life’s Choices

by Jason Hardin
via In God's Image

Life is all about choices. Some of those choices are relatively inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. “What do you want to eat for lunch?” But it’s not an overstatement to say that some choices are immeasurably more weighty because they will impact the rest of your time on earth and shape your experience of eternity. Psalm 119:30 describes one such choice. “I have chosen the way of faithfulness.”

Faithfulness. Think about that word for a few moments. Faithfulness is steadfast loyalty that provides the foundation for trustworthiness. God is faithful (I Corinthians 1:9; 10:13; II Corinthians 1:8), and he often describes life as he intends it to be as “the way.” Put those elements together, and we’re left with a powerful phrase: “the way of faithfulness.” Just like there is a “way” you must travel in order to get to Disney World or Niagara Falls, if you’re going to be a faithful imitator of your Father in heaven, you must walk “the way of faithfulness.” But what does it look like or sound like to be on that “way”? We don’t have to look any further than the verses surrounding Psalm 119:30. Just listen to what the psalmist prays.

• “Give me life according to your word!”
• “Teach me your statutes!”
• “Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.”
• “Strengthen me according to your word!”
• “Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law.”
• “I set your rules before me.”
• “I cling to your testimonies, O LORD.”
• “I will run in the way of your commandments.”

The way of faithfulness is traveled by those who live according to God’s word. They are hungry for his statutes and thirsty for his precepts. Like clay in the potter’s hand, they have yielded. “Make me. Make me understand.” They are often preoccupied with thoughts of God’s wondrous works. They are standing strong in the strength that the Lord supplies. They don’t flirt with that which is false or filthy. The longer they live, the more they appreciate God’s grace. They take his rules seriously. They cling to his testimonies. They run in the way of his commandments as he sets their hearts free. How? It’s the choice. They’ve made the choice. “I have chosen the way of faithfulness.”

Who knows how many relatively small choices you’ll make this week?

• "What am I going to wear?”
• “Which route will I take home?”
• “At what temperature should I set my thermostat?”

But no one can make the Psalm 119:30 choice for you, and few (if any) things matter more. “I have chosen the way of faithfulness.” Have you made that choice yet? Are you walking that way? If not, what better time to start than today?