by: Dr. Allen Domelle
Hebrews 11:25
“Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;”
You make choices every day. You choose every morning whether or not to get up when the alarm goes off. You choose which route you will take to work. You choose whether or not to respond to situations in which you are involved. You choose to obey or not obey the speed limits along the route you travel. You choose to read or not to read the Scriptures every day. Every day you are making choices that carry ramifications. Some of the consequences of those choices are life-changing, and others affect the rest of your day. In essence, every choice you make is a life-changing choice.
Moses made a choice that at the time of the decision he never understood the impact it would have on his life and on the lives of others. His choice literally changed the course of eternity. At the time he made that decision, I’m confident he thought it would only be for the moment, but it became a choice that eventually resulted in Israel being set free. There are three choices that we learn from Moses’ choice which you must make.
First, you must choose your associations. When Moses refused to be called the “son of Pharaoh’s daughter,” he was making a choice to associate with God’s people. There must come a time in your life when you choose for what you want to be known. Do you want to be known as a Christian, or do you want to be associated with the world? Every Christian must at some point in their life make it clear to everyone around that they are a Christian. Your neighbors and work associates should know that you are a Christian. Your family should know that you want to be identified as a Christian. This choice tags you and will determine what life you are going to live.
Second, you must choose your pleasures. Moses chose to get His pleasure from doing right. You can choose the pleasures of sin, but they will only last for a short season. You can only straddle the fence for so long. You need to make it clear from whence your pleasures will come. You can choose to get your pleasure from the affairs of the world, or you can choose to get your pleasures from serving God. You can choose to get your pleasures every Saturday from going to the lake or sporting activities, or you can choose to get your pleasures from seeing people saved through soul winning and bus calling. Every day you are going to make the choice from where you are going to get your pleasures.
Third, you must choose your identity. Moses wanted to be identified as a man sold out to God. Friend, at some point in your life you need to choose your identity. Your identity becomes clear by your choice of associations. One of the reasons you need to stop praising the modern day Balaam’s who have no holiness standards and won’t use the King James Bible is because your praise is a choice of identity. Why not make your choice for the old paths? Choose to identify with those who have walked down the old paths in past years, and choose to identify with those who are walking down those paths today. It makes your identity clear.
Just like Moses, you will never know the impact of these choices on eternity, but make no mistake, it will not only affect your future, but it will also affect others. Be wise with your choices because you have to live with their results the rest of your life.