"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love". - 1 Corinthians 16:13
The closing thought in a Weekly Walk survey of 10 Choices: A Proven Plan to Change Your Life Forever is this—you choose to make these choices with a surrendered will. You don't choose with your mind, although you have to understand. You don't choose with your emotions, though ultimately it helps to want to make the choices. Ultimately you choose with your will. So you have to have a surrendered will. Every one of these choices has been presented from God's Word to your will. Without the surrender of your will, I can predict you have not really made any of these choices. The choices you have made have come about, whether you fully realized in or not, by the surrender of your will. Each of these choices has presented a decision between God's will and your own way. The surrender of our will always comes down to saying, "Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done."
First Corinthians 16:13 breaks down into four great challenges to help us in our choices: "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."
1: Be watchful. Pay attention. Take a stand. Don't compromise. Engage. Participate. When he made these challenges, the apostle Paul was wrapping up his first letter to the Corinthian church with what it takes to following Jesus over your lifetime—a long obedience in the same direction.
2: Stand firm in the faith. Be determined. Certain. Resolute in your commitment. There are many ways to fall; one way to stand. Root yourself in Christ.
3: Act like men. The equivalent today might be something like, Don't whine or waver or wallow with excessive emotion. Choose your course and stick to it. Don't let your feelings rule your actions.
4: Be strong. Don't be weak or passive. Engage your will. Step up. Don't be indifferent. There's a lot on the line here. Life is short. Take a stand. Fly the flag. Live for Jesus.
The conclusion in this study of 10 Choices is to make this one choice: I will stand for Jesus Christ.
What you choose today? is what you live for tomorrow!