When you committed your life to Christ, this was a choice you determined to make. No one can do this for you; following Jesus is a personal commitment and a personal decision (Joshua 24:15). For many, this is the only choice they will make. In reality, we must choose repeatedly throughout our lives to follow Him. Being a disciple is not a one-and-done kind of deal.
We choose to commit our lives to Him, and then we must spend the rest of our lives choosing to follow Him because following Jesus is a choice we make every day (Luke 9:23). When the rubber meets the road, many choose to take the off-ramp. Making a one-time decision is easy; a lifetime commitment is something exponentially more.
Whom will you serve?
Every day when we wake up, we must decide whom we will serve that day. As we drive, work at our jobs, go grocery shopping, or interact with our families, we are constantly choosing whether or not we will serve God (Romans 6:16). Our emotions and desires, our anger and self-centeredness are significant barriers to living the life we were created to live — a life that looks like Jesus.
One of my commitments I review every day is a reminder to pause and pray before I speak. This is not a habit I have acquired quickly, nor is it one that I’ve mastered. However, I have noticed that I am now slower to lash out at someone, and I can more easily let trivial matters drop rather than pursue them through ridiculous arguments. These are choices I have to make several times throughout my day, and they are all part of learning what it means to follow Jesus.
Taking thoughts captive
In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, we are instructed to “take every thought captive”. This can be one of the most difficult choices we make. It is far easier to make the right choice when we know others will be watching us. But inside of our minds, no one is watching. Somehow, the fact that God knows our thoughts doesn’t bother us as much as it would if our friends and family knew them (Psalm 139:2).
Thoughts happen so fast that it can seem impossible to arrest them and prevent ourselves from thinking in such a manner. The Bible tells us we should focus on things that are beautiful and pure (Philippians 4:8-9). It has been my experience that when we fix our minds on God, His beauty, and His service, our thoughts are better and less prone to sinful encroachment. Remember, following Jesus is a choice.
The converse is true as well. If we fill our minds with things that are not of God, we will have trouble keeping unhealthy thoughts from entering our minds. The key to controlling our subconscious thoughts, then, is to choose carefully what we consciously think about (Colossians 3:2).
The choice is ours
The things we say, what we think about, and the actions we take all result from our choices. We don’t live our lives by accident; we choose how we will conduct ourselves (Proverbs 16:3). If we want to follow Jesus, then we must make intentional and consistent choices to do so. We have no excuse for not following through on our commitment. Whether we follow Jesus will be based solely on our choices (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Your first choice is before you. Will you choose to renew your commitment to Him right now? We are responsible for our choices every minute of every hour of every day. Following Jesus is a choice, so let us choose wisely. Let us choose Christ (John 15:4-5).