(Chapter 9) God and Me in Twenty-Three (2023)

God and Me in Twenty-Three (2023): What do we all have in common?

What do all these people have in common besides all being human? Billy Graham, Frank Sinatra, Adolf Hitler, George Washington, Mike Hart, Donald Trump, Michael Jackson, Adam & Eve, Vladimir Putin, Jezebel, John Wayne, King David, Johnny Cash, Alexander the Great, King Charles, George Jones, Marilyn Monroe, (take a breath) Babe Ruth, Queen Ester, Paul the Apostle, Hillary Clinton, George Clooney, Joe Biden, Whitney Huston, Brad Pitt, LeBron James, Serena Williams, Tom Cruise, (take another breath) Napoleon Bonaparte, Tom Brady, Father Abraham, Denzel Washington, David Beckham, The prophet Isaiah, Tiger Woods, Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee, Abraham Lincoln, Moses, and yes, even Jesus the Christ himself.

I’ll give you a minute to think about it…… okay time’s up. What do we all have in common? Here’s a little hint…

Joshua 24:15 (NIV)
¹⁵ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Do you see it yet? God has given each person the freedom to make our own choices. He will not override the choices we make because they are bad or because they don’t align with his will.  Here is a case in point…

Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV)
¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Adam & Eve made a bad choice and all mankind continues to suffer the consequences. Take some time to look back over the names that I listed above. Just like Adam & Eve made their choice, everyone on this list has made lots of choices in their lives, some good and some not so good. Were those choices beneficial for themselves, others, or society in general?  Or were those choices harmful?

(I’ve had choices, since the day that I was born. There were voices, that told me right from wrong.
If I had listened, no, I wouldn’t be here today. Living and dying, with the choices I made.
I guess I’m paying, for the things that I have done. If I could go back, oh Lord knows I’d run.
But I’m still losing, this game of life I play. Living and dying, with the choices I made.)

What you just read are the lyrics from a song recorded by the famous country music singer George Jones whose name happens to be on that list above.  It’s pretty obvious that he wasn’t very pleased with the choices he had made in his life. There is a happy ending to his story however. George asked The Lord to forgive him for the bad choices he had made and he received Jesus as his personal savior before he passed away.

If you are like me, this causes me to think about the choices I have made in my life. I’m still living with the effects of many of those choices, both good and bad. I pray that the bad choices I have made are not continuing to affect others, although I’m sure that some do.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NIV)
¹⁹ This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many
years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.