CHOICES

Have you ever made a mistake or a wrong choice? Sure you have. We all have. Many times we are reluctant to admit it though, because of our pride. We have many choices to make in our lifetime and, unfortunately, we don’t always make the right ones.

Many times we have to live with the choices we make, and sometimes terrible consequences come from wrong choices. But thankfully, sometimes there are things we can do to fix what we messed up when we made a bad choice, and hopefully, we learn our lesson and move on.

I remember a song from years ago that my dad loved. It was about choices. In fact, that was the name of the song; “CHOICES.” It was written by Billy Wayne Yates and Michael A. Curtis and was recorded by George Jones. My dad recorded a karaoke version of the song a few years ago. It went something like this,

“I’ve had choices Since the day that I was born
There were voices That told me right from wrong
If I had listened I wouldn’t be here today
Living and dying With the choices I made”

Simple words, but so full of meaning, and they probably reflect the feelings of many of us who have made bad choices in our lives. No matter what we’ve done in our lives we can always make better choices and turn many things around.

Of all the choices we face in life, the most important choice we’ll ever make is whether or not to follow Jesus. That choice will determine whether or not we receive eternal life, or burn in hell fire, and yes, we do have to choose. Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me (Matthew 12:30).” If we don’t choose Jesus we are rejecting him. He said he is the only way to be saved, but that choice is ours (John 14:6).

Many people are planning to give their life to God and be saved, but they keep putting it off for one reason, or another. It’s human nature to put off decisions that cause big changes like this one does. I’ve talked to some who are trying to become better people before they approach God, and ask for salvation. Believe it or not, some are even waiting until the tribulation comes.

Don’t wait! Tomorrow may be too late. Life is so unsure. James 4:14 says, “What is your life? It is just a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.”

Every day, people die. Many of them had great plans for their future, but they die without notice, never even coming close to realizing their dreams and plans. Don’t let that be you. Make the right choice now, while you still have time.

The last verse of that song says,

“I guess I’m payin’ For the things that I have done
If I could go back, Oh, Lord knows I’d run
But I’m still losin’ This game of life I play
Living and dying With the choices I made”

That may be your story, but it doesn’t have to end that way. Don’t live your life with regrets, and don’t die without knowing Jesus. Don’t die without being born again. Repent of your sins, and Jesus will forgive you. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Turn away from sin and be saved. It’s the only way. There are only two choices; Jesus and eternal life, or Satan and eternal death. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). We’re not promised tomorrow (James 4:13-14). Make the choice today.

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6

DON'T LET SATAN USE YOUR PAST AGAINST YOU

I’ve said and done things in the past that I’m not proud of. Some things I’ve done, I’m downright ashamed of. None of us are perfect. We have all said and done things we shouldn’t have. We all have a past that we don’t share with just anyone, and there are probably some things we have never told any other person at all.

Secrets are dangerous, though. We’ve all seen it on T.V. shows and in movies, and we’ve read it in books where someone blackmails someone because they know a secret the other person doesn’t want anyone else to know. We can’t change our past, but we can secure a peaceful future without the worry that someone will call us out.

My suggestion is, don’t keep secrets. Here’s why. Satan knows every bad thing we have ever done, and he WILL tell on us when it suites his purpose.

A while back my daughter was visiting a friend. A guy that I’ve known for many years was there and he brought up my past. He asked her if I had ever told her that I drank when I was younger. Well, I’m not proud of that part of my past, but yes, I had told her.

I’ve been honest with my children about my past, hoping they would learn from my mistakes. Plus, I refuse to be one of those Christians who pretend they have never done anything wrong. What if I had not told her about my past? What would she have thought of me if she had found out about it from someone else?

Romans 8:1 says, “So now, there is no condemnation to those who are in Jesus Christ, who do not walk after the flesh, but after the spirit.”

That is, No Condemnation from God. People may condemn us, but there will be more who appreciate our honesty, and they can see the changes God has made in us when they know our past. There’s no shame in admitting we are human. If we’re honest with others, and with ourselves about our failures, we’ll be more understanding, and less judgmental when we see others do something wrong.

When we’re following Jesus, we leave our past behind, but we do need to remember the past so we don’t make the same mistakes again. Remembering that God has forgiven us for our past sins will help us to share those failures, mistakes, and bad choices with others. Our past lives, before we were born again, can serve as proof to others that God can change their lives too, just as he did ours.

When I was young, I gained great inspiration from the small glimpse that the Bible gives us into the life of the Apostle Paul before he met Jesus. I realized that, if a person like him could be saved, then there was a chance for me. He was ashamed of his past and the terrible things he had done, but he shared them with others to show the power of God to forgive sins and to save us. Our testimony is one of the best witnessing tools we possess. People can argue about our interpretation of the scriptures, but no one can argue with our personal experiences with God.

We don’t have to give a seminar, or write a book, or put up billboards to let the whole world know all our secrets, but we need to be honest about our past, especially with those who are closest to us. Then we'll never be put on the spot and embarrassed by Satan, using our past against us. Be honest. Take away his ammunition. Don’t let him use your past against you.

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6

FOCUS ON JESUS, NOT ON SIN

As I’ve said before, I was raised in church, and I was taught to believe in God, but I was 19 years old before I truly got to know Jesus. That was quite some time ago. Much has happened since then, both good and bad, but Jesus has always been there for me. There were times I didn’t think so, but looking back, I can see his fingerprints all over my life.

I’m ashamed to say it, but, I haven’t always been faithful to him. Like a lot of people, I’ve always wanted to be a perfect Christian but no matter how hard I tried, I could never reach that goal.

I’ve always wanted to do right, so when I would fail God, I would begin to focus on those failures and try to do better in those areas. As failure after failure piled up I became overwhelmed with the task of trying to do better. All my attention was focused on me.

That’s the wrong way to live a Christian life. The focus should always be on Jesus, not on ourselves. In focusing on ourselves we lose sight of him, and before we realize it, we’ve spent years trying to do it all on our own. We can never clean ourselves up, but too often we try, not realizing that there is a better way.

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.”

If we seek God first, everything else will fall into place. He will fill us with his spirit and give us the power to do right.

As we pray and study the Bible, God will instruct us on how to live a Christian life. When we fail, we should ask God for forgiveness and move on. Sure, we need to remember how we got into that situation and avoid it next time, but we don’t need to keep beating ourselves up over what we did wrong. When God forgives us, he doesn’t hold that sin against us, so we shouldn’t either, nor should we allow Satan to.

Focus on Jesus, NOT on your sins. God will help you to obey him. Follow his teachings and the teachings of his disciples in his holy book, the Bible. We need to walk with God as his early followers did. This is where we need to start. Focus on Jesus, and before you know it, you’ll be like Jesus. In 1922, Helen Howarth Lemmel wrote a song called “The Heavenly Vision (Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus).” The words of this beautiful hymn express that thought perfectly.

“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Look Full In His Wonderful Face
And The Things Of Earth Will Grow Strangely Dim
In The Light Of His Glory And Grace”

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6

THE KEY TO A LONG, HAPPY MARRIAGE

In 2023, my wife and I will celebrate twenty-eight years of marriage. To some, that may seem like a long time. To others, it may seem like just a blink of an eye, but in today’s society, staying married for twenty-plus years is not that common anymore.

Recently, several of my Facebook friends have celebrated being married between Twenty and Thirty years. Congratulations guys. I recently heard of one couple who was about to celebrate their eighty-first wedding anniversary and another couple who had been married for eighty-three years. According to Wikipedia, the record for the longest marriage in modern times is almost ninety-one years.*

When I hear couples share their secrets to a long marriage, it’s never a cookie-cutter answer, but what they all say always boils down to the same thing; Commitment.

Sadly, these days, marriages are getting shorter and shorter, with some lasting only a year or so, while others have ended after only a day. I read about one that lasted only 15 hours. So sad.

I was watching a movie called COURAGEOUS and one of the characters said, “Divorce comes with the territory.” Another character said something like, “Only because we make it an option.” I totally agree.

My first marriage ended in divorce, so I understand there are bumps, valleys, hills, and mountains in every relationship. That’s why, when I married again, my wife and I both vowed that divorce would never be an option. We had our share of problems, and yes, our marriage was tested. Humans are selfish creatures. Times change, and so do people. Sometimes we get caught up in the cares of life and lose sight of the big picture.

That’s where Commitment comes in. We have to be committed, not only to the marriage but to each other as well. Some people with bad marriages stay married for the children, but if both people are not committed to each other, the marriage can’t be a happy one.

When two people get married, they vow before God to “have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward, until death parts us.” Then, quoting Jesus in Mark 10:9, the minister says, “Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one put asunder.”

In the previous verse, Mark 10:8, Jesus said, “the two will be one flesh: so, then they are no more two, but one flesh.” No wonder divorce is so painful. It’s unnatural. After being joined together by God, splitting “One Flesh” into Two again is devastating to both people, and neither of them can ever be the same again.

To prevent this unnatural split, it’s vitally important to be committed to the One who created marriage in the beginning; the same day he created Adam and Eve. (Genesis 2:21-24)

I’m sure there have been long-lasting marriages where God was not put first, but, I’m sure those relationships would have been awesome if they had put him first. God wants to see long-lasting marriages, but he also wants those marriages to be happy ones. He loves us, and he’ll work with us as much as we’ll allow him to.

Time and time again, I’ve heard, “Marriage Takes Two,” but really, marriage takes three. The Man, the Woman, and God. I’ve also heard, “In A Marriage, It’s Give And Take; 50/50,” but actually, each person has to give 100% to make it work. God will definitely give 100% if we allow him to be part of our marriages. So think about that for a minute. That’s 300% being put into it. A marriage like that will stand the test of time. It will be a happy marriage, and it will last until death separates the couple.

So the secret to a long and happy marriage is Commitment. Commitment to God first. Then Commitment to our spouse. Commitment to the union, and Commitment to the vows we made before God. Simple? Maybe; Maybe not. But, “With God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_the_longest_marriages

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6