Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.... But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."¹

"In Florida, two young men, eager to win the admiration of fraternity brothers, removed a stop sign and brought it back as a trophy. In Tennessee, a couple of teenagers were at a party in a high-rise apartment, and one dared the other to slide down the trash chute in the hall.

"The Florida boys were convicted of manslaughter after a fatal accident occurred at the intersection. The Tennessee boy who slid down the trash shoot was killed by an automatic trash compactor and his friend was traumatized with guilt and grief."²

Foolish choices made on the spur of the moment can lead to dire consequences. Choices made without consideration of the consequences can be equally disastrous. In fact, life is the sum total of all the choices—conscious and unconscious—we make. Choices we made years ago have brought each of us to where we are today. Choices we make today will determine where we are tomorrow, and next year, and the next, and so on.

So when it comes to making choices, as another has said, "Don't sacrifice your future on the altar of the immediate." And another, "It is choice, not chance, that determines your destiny." When making choices, it is wise in everything to acknowledge God and he will direct our path.³

And whatever you do, don't forget life's most important choice that will determine where you spend eternity. If we fail to make this choice it means we choose by default, and therein reap the eternal consequences of our sin; because we are all sinners destined for an eternity apart from God, love, and all that is good—in the place the Bible calls hell. If we want to spend eternity in Heaven with God, we need to make this our choice and act upon it by accepting God's Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior. To help you, be sure to read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

Again, whatever you do, don't leave your eternal well-being to chance. Choose God. Choose God's gift of salvation. Choose life—life everlasting.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you offer me the gift of forgiveness for all my sins and the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ your Son. With your help I choose to believe in you, to accept Jesus as my savior, and I choose to serve you all the days of my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Joshua 24:15 (NIV).
2. Michael Josephson, Character Counts, "Discipline and Good Judgment" 351.1.
3. See Proverbs 3:5-6.

<:))))><

2. To Know God and be sure you're a real
    Christian click on:

3. Donate: To help send Daily Encounter
    without charge to people around the world
    click on:

4. To send today's Daily Encounter to a friend
    click on:

5. To share your faith in a simple, attractive
    way with a friend click on:

6. For today's featured article click on:

7. This week's chuckle as seen "On the Lighter
    Side"  on Weekend Encounter click on:

8. Change Address of your subscription to
    Daily Encounter click on: