Choose You This Day

Well, hotdog, friend! Now, I am so doggone glad you showed up here today. Grab yourself a good, comfy chair on this here ol’ front porch because I’ve been waitin’ for someone to share this here truth with before it comes burstin’ out like a lil’ ol’ rascally squirrel that got caught jumpin’ right out of a feed barrel because we’re about to be moseyin’ on into a moment that plum lands on the heart like a big ol’ hoot owl that swooped down and perched right on the porch rail, starin’ at you right straight into your soul. Matthew 16:15-16, where Jesus asks, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” and Simon Peter answers, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” That there ain’t no group answer. That ain’t no committee vote. That there’s one lone man standin’ in the dust, speakin’ from the deepest place way down in his chest.

To deepen this here truth, let’s add another Scripture that fits in like a well-worn Bible fits a prayin’ hand. Joshua 24:15 says, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” That there verse reminds us that faith sho’-nuff’ ain’t somethin’  inherited like Grandma’s quilt. It’s plum chosen. It’s real personal. And it’s yours.

When Jesus asked Peter that there question, He wasn’t pollin’ the crowd. He was plum lookin’ Peter square in the eyes. And, friend, that there same question comes to each one of us. We can’t answer for our spouse, our children, our cousins, or that there ol’ uncle who still likes to argue out loud with the radio. We can’t borrow someone else’s faith like an ol’ coat we grab on the way out the door. Our relationship with Jesus is as personal as a lil ol’ raccoon that found the hidin’ place for your back porch snacks and refuses to share ‘em with any other critter.

Some folks think they need a pastor, a priest, or a spiritual middleman to speak for ‘em. But Scripture plum tells us otherwise. First Timothy 2:5 says there is one mediator between God and mankind, and that is Christ Jesus. That there means you don’t need somebody else to carry your prayers like a mailman with a heavy letter sack. You have direct access to the Father through Jesus. Your faith is plum your own responsibility, your own choice, your own answer.

Peter’s confession was real bold. “As far as I am concerned, You are the Christ.” Friend, that there’s the kind of answer that grows real deep roots. That there’s the kind of answer that stands real firm when life shakes like an ol’ barn door in a big windstorm. And that there’s the kind of answer each of us must give, not someday, not eventually, but plum personally and confidently.

Father, thank You for calling each of us to know You personally. Give us courage to answer with clarity and conviction. Draw our hearts close, deepen our faith, and help us walk in a relationship that is real and rooted. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Well, now, what do you think about that, friend? That there’s a whole lot of porch talk for you to be thinkin’ about for today, ain’t it? It is my prayer that you can be walkin’ away from here with a good understandin’ that is clearer than a pond after the mud settles, braver than an ol’ rooster that thinks he’s the boss of the whole barnyard, and steadier than an ol’ Mesquite tree that has weathered more storms than one human lifetime can ever brag about. Your sincere answer to Jesus really matters more than any other answer you will ever be asked to give, and it is one answer that can be given only by you.

With joy,

Gwen