Salvation is a Choice

Way back in Joshua 24:15-16, Joshua said, "...choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." The People of Israel had been given a choice, whether they would serve the God of their fathers or the gods of the heathen. "...The people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods..." It is too bad that they didn't do what they said they would. 

In John 6:66-69 The Bible says that "many of (Jesus') disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." The twelve apostles heard the teaching of Jesus, what the others had said in verse 60, was "an hard saying, who can hear it?" There will always be those who will think that following the Lord is too hard and choose not to follow His Word. 

I think of Demas who forsook the Apostle Paul. Pail said in 2nd Timothy 4:10-11, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica..." (I have often wondered about Crescens and Titus) He went on to say, "Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry." Good old Luke, the beloved physician. But he also mentions Mark, who we assume was John Mark of Acts 15:36-41 fame. He had apparently made an  bad choice then shown himself useful, by apparently reversing a bad decision, to become profitable the the apostle. (You may have made some bad choices yourself. Why not reverse your decision, God will forgive you and take you back).

I will never forget the day that the Lord Jesus spoke to me and said, "make Me your choice, I am the only reasonable choice you have." I made Him my choice that day. I have never been sorry. I am reminded of another old chorus we used to sing in church entitled, I'm Not Sorry:

          I'm not sorry, I'm not sorry, I answered the gospel call.
          Jesus took my heavy load, now I.m on the glory road and
          I'm not sorry, I'm not sorry, I'm not sorry at all.

Rather I am glad! Salvation is after all a choice we all must make. The Lord Jesus paid the price at Calvary's Cross. You don't have to pay the cost of salvation. It is bought and paid for. Make your choice to repent and turn to God. Make your choice to be baptized in the wonderful name of Jesus for the remission of sins. Make your choice to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, God's wonderful saving and keeping power. (See Acts 2:36-41) Make the Lord Jesus Christ your choice.  Do it today, before it is forever too late.