Good morning, everyone.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 3:13, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.”
The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost contains these famous lines, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Theodore Roosevelt once said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” And Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “It is the characteristic excellence of the strong man that he can bring momentous issues to the fore and make a decision about them. The weak are always forced to decide between alternatives they have not chosen themselves.” Finally, Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy said, “I was not so committed to financial success that I was willing to abandon my principles and priorities. One of the most visible examples of this is our decision to close on Sunday.” As we know firsthand, making a decision can be a monumental act. Think about some of the big ones you have made. They have overwhelmingly impacted and shaped who and what and where you are in life. Likewise, some of the decisions we made, and then changed, have been instrumental in molding us, too.
In the Christian walk, many of our decisions play out in some ways similar to how Pilate handled the beaten, accused Jesus. Having decided that Jesus did not deserve to be held or punished, Pilate was set on releasing Him. But then came the onslaught of pressure and persuasion, goading Pilate to reconsider his decision. In weakness and cowardice, he chose what was chosen for him, and that made all the difference. Lacking the principles and priorities to stand up and do what was right, he caved at the foot of the most momentous of moments. Now, you might not wilt under duress, but rest assured your decisions will be tested. The temptation to go back on what you know is right will be presented somewhere along the way. But God is wanting you to prevail, and His Spirit can make a way out for you, whether it be to hold on or run away. Let Jesus be glorified again and don’t give in to the father of lies.
As we seek Him today, seek God and His wisdom for what to do, and then keep yourself walking in the Spirit of righteousness.
Have a terrific weekend.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
