Simple Things

This morning I was making myself breakfast and realized that I was out of jelly for my toast. Now, I have to clarify that with saying that I wasn't really out of jelly, I have about 50 jars of homemade jams and jellys in the pantry down cellar. My first thought was 'oh boy! I get to pick a new jelly!!!'. Isn't it funny how something as simple as 'what kind of jelly will I pick?' can give us joy? (I picked red plum by the way... yummy). Wouldn't it be amazing if the really important choices were so simple, and brought us joy so easily? Deuteronomy 30:19 says: "This day I call heaven and earth as witness against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." It is simple though; GOD has given us many choices, after all, we aren't HIS puppets, but the simplest one is to choose life or death. Not the life or death we think of in the here and now sense, but the eternal life or death. We will all one day die to this life. It's inevitable. We have to choose now, what will our eternity be? We will all stand before our Maker in judgement. Will we be covered with the righteousness of CHRIST? Or we be cast aside for our rejection of HIM? I know a lot of people who haven't accepted HIM as Savior. Their reasons range from hostile disbelief that HE even exists, to conviction that they are not 'good enough' to be Christians. I think it is sad that the picture so many people have of Christians is that you have to be 'perfect' in order to 'get into the club'. That's not it at all. As Christians, we are called to be ever striving to be more like CHRIST, but GOD knows that we are not perfect... and HE doesn't expect us to be. HE just asks that we try our best and be willing to let HIM change us.

LORD, thank YOU for the simple joys of yummy jelly, quiet mornings, happy children, music to worship YOU with, and time in Your word. Thank YOU for the reassurance of eternal life with YOU. Thank YOU for all the ways YOU show Yourself in the small, everyday things. I love YOU!! In JESUS' name, Amen