The Greatest Choice

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

Just. Justly. 

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3 

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice [for wrongs repeatedly committed]. Proverbs 21:3 (AMP)

Doing what is ·right [righteous] and ·fair [just] is more ·important [preferable] to the Lord than sacrifices. Proverbs 21:3 (EXP)

This is a simple concept. Do what is right and acceptable so that you don't have to ask for forgiveness. However, too often we find ourselves making the wrong choice and doing the wrong thing..... and asking God to forgive us. 

This past week a person made a series of wrong choices. Her actions were not that of righteousness or justice. And those choices had deadly consequences. I found the comments posted on the news story interesting. So many spoke of what a great person she was. Some were quick to judge her for her actions. And some were just saddened by it all. A few mentioned the wrong choices she made that led to the consequences of her death. 

Actions do have consequences. What we do not only affect us personally, but others get caught up in those consequences as well. 

The lady mentioned above made wrong choices. I'm not judging, just stating the facts. She broke specific laws, and her actions caused her to lose her life. How many times have I made wrong choices? How many times have I chosen to do what I wanted, rather than what was acceptable to the Lord? 

Doing what is right is more preferable to the Lord than having to ask for forgiveness. Doing what is just is the right choice — 100% of the time. 

The act of doing what is just

is the greatest choice one can make. 

God Approved

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 19. Here is what I learned.

·I hope my ·words [The words of my mouth] and ·thoughts [meditations of my heart] ·please [be before] you. Lord, you are my Rock, ·the one who saves me [and my redeemer]. Psalm 19:14 (EXB)

May the words that come out of my mouth and the musings of my heart meet with Your gracious approval, O Eternal, my Rock, O Eternal, my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (VOICE)

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer." A sweet prayer, and so spiritual that it is almost as commonly used in Christian worship as the apostolic benediction.

Words of the mouth are mockery if the heart does not meditate; the shell is nothing without the kernel; but both together are useless unless accepted; and even if accepted by man, it is all vanity if not acceptable in the sight of God.

We must in prayer view Jehovah as our strength enabling, and our Redeemer saving, or we shall not pray aright, and it is well to feel our personal interest so as to use the word my, or our prayers will be hindered. Blessed Kinsman, give us now to meditate acceptably upon thy most sweet love and tenderness. The Treasury of David

Today as I was thinking over this verse, I had a good example of how my thoughts don’t always reflect God and His Word. 

I heard one of my neighbor’s kids crying and screaming in the hallway and stairwell. That happens often, when they are told “no”. I immediately thought.. again! But then I heard the ambulance pull up with the fire truck and police cars. I then learned that one of the kids had fallen out of the second story window. 

I had to stop and realize that my original thoughts were not only based on a wrong assumption, but they were not godly either. I should have compassion and understanding. I should show love and kindness to my neighbors... no matter how loud their kids are. I talked with my neighbor tonight and the little boy is ok; just a bump on the head and sore. 

My thoughts and words need to  pass through God’s sieve, so to speak. My thoughts and words are to be acceptable to God. My attitude, actions, and what I articulate, need to be God approved! 

To create a positive day, I must meditate on God’s Word so that my thoughts and words will be God approved. 

God's Protection

Yesterday, I was reminded again of God's protection. I saw my chiropractor and enjoyed a massage. After my massage, I remembered a question I had for my chiropractor, Dr. Moore. I waited as he finished with his last patient, and then we discussed my question.

On the way home, I heard on the radio about an accident at an intersection which I use very often. Just then an ambulance went passed... on the way to the accident scene. I took an alternate route home.

This morning I read in the paper, that a man was killed and four were hospitalized due to the accident. That's when it hit me. If I had left immediately after my massage, I would have been VERY near the intersection at the time of the accident. Once again, God delayed me to protect me from being hurt.

Creating a positive day involves being led by God and not fretting about a delay or a change of plans. Often God is working behind the scenes and is protecting us from dangers which we can't see, or have any knowledge.

You can read another example of God's protection on my post dated 8/28/2009; How God Used Sponges!.

Friday

Before I forget....I want to remind everyone of WEAR RED on FRIDAYs. This is an effort to show support to all our soldiers fighting around the world. For more information you can check out http://soldiersangels.org/.

Today, I see my chiropractor. Trying to make sure I'm the "best I can be" before surgery. People ask me why I continue to see a chiropractor since my back is "already messed up". That's the whole point! Since my back is so messed up it is even more important for me to see Dr. Moore. Some don't understand that chiropractors are not "back doctors". Rather they are "nerve doctors". By adjusting the spine, chiropractors release pressure on the nerves. When that pressure is released, the nerves can function properly and send the messages without interference. Since my nerves have trouble sending signals due to the surgeries and scar tissue, by seeing Dr. Moore on a regular basis, he is able to keep the healthy nerves working correctly.

Maybe this will help explain why I believe in chiropractic:  

There are multiple ways to drive into Chicago. Some days the traffic flows without too much difficulty. Yet, just a slight mishap, a flat tire or stalled car, and traffic can come to a halt. An accident can stop traffic altogether.
Your nervous system is just like the highways to Chicago. Information travels to the Brain (Chicago) via the nervous system (the highways). If there is a “flat tire” or “accident” along the way, the information stops and disease and illness settle in.
What are the “flat tires” and “accidents”? Chiropractors call them subluxations. They are caused when the spine is out of alignment and pressure is placed on the nerves.  A slight pressure for a short time causes only minor delays. Yet, as the pressure builds over time, you then have major delays leading to pain and illness.
When subluxations occur, chiropractors use specific techniques to return the vertebrae into their proper positions or mobilize them so they can move freely. During an adjustment, the vertebra is freed from the misaligned position and returned to the proper position in the spinal column. Once performed, the adjustment allows the body to heal. The accident is cleared out of the way and information is flowing freely once again. It’s drug-free, natural, and works! It’s a very simple concept: Keep the highway free of any mishaps, the information flows freely keeping the body healthy.

For me creating a positive day is doing what I can to be healthy. Being healthy involves the body, mind, and spirit. To create the ultimate positive day I need to work on all three.

How God Used Sponges!

Today I went to Target to pick up a few things. I wandered from isle to isle looking for cleaning sponges. I thought they'd be by the cleaning soaps and the dusting cloths. I spent about 10 minutes looking for sponges! I finally saw another customer and asked if she knew where the sponges were. She directed me to another area in the store. I found the sponges I needed and went to check out.
The lines were long. I tried to pick one that I thought would move quickly. But the person in front of me, had a problem. So I waited. Then it was my turn. My checkout went smoothly. Went out to my car and put the purchases in the car. I started to drive home. It had been raining all day and was a bit foggy too. I was almost home, when I heard sirens. An accident had JUST happened about 10 cars ahead of me. It was at a very busy intersection near my home. The police arrived, followed by the ambulance and fire trucks. The entire line of traffic slowly worked our way past the ambulance and accident scene. As I drove by, you couldn't tell where the cars were going. They were both heading the wrong way down the opposite side of the road.
As I continued the short drive to my home, all I could think about was my search for sponges! If the sponges would have been in the isle with the cleaning supplies, I might have been at that intersection at the time of the accident.
God is so creative. Today He used the location so sponges to delay me from arriving home so I would avoid an accident. A few years ago, God used Canadian Geese to delay me so I'd avoid an accident (but that's another story!).
The next time I can't find something in the store, or I get stuck in the "longest" line in the store, instead of being frustrated, I think I'll stop and thank God for the delay, for whatever the reason.

Today, a frustrating hunt turned into accident avoiding delay. Sometimes, we don't see the positive thing that happened because we were delayed or had to take a detour. The next time you are delayed take a moment to consider it could turn out to be a very positive occurrence! Creating a positive day is being willing to know that God controls our lives and He is working for our good.