I’ve often asked, “What are my choices?” Whether it’s in a restaurant, a doctor’s office, or in life in general, we all want to know about choices.

In life there are two choices–and only two choices.

You can characterize these choices in a number of ways: these choices are “life or death,” Godliness or ungodliness,” “right or wrong,” or–my favorite way of describing my choice–“God or me.”

When the choice is “good or evil,” “right or wrong,” or “God or the devil,” the choice seems fairly easy. Who would choose “evil,” “wrong,” or “the devil?”

When the choice becomes “God or me,” the decision becomes very different and very difficult. “Me” always seems to get in the way.

The very first psalm in the psalter (there are 150 of these) describes the two choices. It’s as if those who put the collection of psalms together wanted to set up the reader for the kinds of choices we have to make everyday. We all make a daily decision whether our choice will be God or self. The psalmist wanted to present that choice with the good or bad consequences that go with the decision.

The reason the choice is so difficult is because of the “me” involved. It’s so very difficult to get my selfish nature out of the way.

We are like the seed that fell among thorns.

“. . . all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced” (Mark 4:19).

Doesn’t that verse describe all that you deal with? Who doesn’t experience the worries or life? Who isn’t lured by wealth? Who doesn’t struggle with the things this world constantly places before us?

The Apostle John described this same kind of temptation–the temptation to think exclusively of self and to leave God out of our lives.

“For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our own achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world” (1 John 2:16).

Since we all struggle with this choice, we need help. We need God’s Spirit at work within us. We need’s God Word in our hearts. We need to pray that we will more and more want the things that God wants.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

We must take up the words of the hymn, “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give, I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live.”