Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.” Luke 18:28
Peter says this in contrast to the example of the rich young ruler who chose his possessions over the opportunity to follow Jesus. Looking for assurance that the apostles have made a wise choice. Before we proceed further, I encourage each one of you to answer the following questions to yourself.
1. Think about 3 decisions you made in your life where, if you had made a different decision, you would have a completely different life today.
2. How do you think your choices impacted your life?
3. Have you ever felt your choice was not yours?
I believe that in the above verse Peter is showing The Power of Choice. Yes Jesus called him & at the same time he chooses to follow Jesus. This verse is the confirmation from Peter that he need eternal life. He need Kingdom of God. Life is not always easy. There will be moments in life when decision-making is tough. Many times the thought of the unknown and what lies ahead in our lives paralyzes us because we cannot see it. But unless we move on the chosen path, we will not know where it is leading us. The only thing we can control is making a choice; consequences are something we have to deal with later. But fear of the consequences should not stop us from making a choice. The choices we make define us as a person. Deuteronomy 30:15 “Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death. We grow up thinking that we are powerless. So we listen to the outside world to tell us what to do. We live by a social manual. If something doesn’t go right, we are supposed to complain. If the majority says it’s right, it must be so. If someone acts a certain way, they are “this” type of person. If an authority figure says something, we must obey. If a doctor recommends something, we must listen. Whatever food the supermarkets are selling, must be good enough for us to eat. We don’t question anything and we keep letting the people in power decide our fate. SO HERE IT IS… You are a FREE person. You do not belong to anyone and no one has the power to control you, unless you let them. You have the free will to decide how much power you give to the outside world to control your feelings, your attitude, and your behaviours. YOU HAVE A CHOICE IN HOW YOU RESPOND. If someone makes fun of you, you have the choice to take it personally and fight back or to move past it as it has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with their own inner pains. When you take up all of your mental focus on seeing the bad, you leave no room for seeing the good! What purpose does it serve to focus on the bad? It doesn’t even make you feel better so there is absolutely no point. But unfortunately, no one teaches us in school or in our life that we have a choice to believe, think, and do what we want…instead, we get taught the very uptight and limited rules of our culture at a very early age. I encourage you to become aware of your inner power. To own your freedom to reevaluate your inner belief system, let go of outdated ideas, and learn new ways of thinking! Let go of thoughts that keep you negative, limited, and miserable! The only thing that is stopping you are your own beliefs about what is right, accepted, normal, and possible…just a simple belief. Do you want to live on the negative or positive side of life? Do you want to take responsibility for your actions or do you want to blame others for where you are? Do you want to focus on the ugly, dark side of life, or the good, bright side of life? YOU have a choice. Embrace this gift. You were born with it for a reason.
Let’s Pray:- Lord Jesus, we believe that you have called us to Follow you & in your name we declare to stand still in our heavenly calling…in Jesus name we pray. Amen!
Sol.Priti.jain.