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By Mike Caton

John 7:17, Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.

Ultimately, we each have a choice to make. We have to decide whether we are going to do the will of God or not. God created man and gave him this free will in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden. Adam chose not to follow God’s will, he chose to follow his own, and he and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. All throughout history, man has had the ability to choose and you and I are no different.

The question then is will we follow God’s will or our own? In making that choice and living out that lifestyle, we can see the validity, the truth behind the choice we have made. Following God will produce a life of contentment, a life of peace, a life of joy, of love, of patience, of kindness and so forth. This does not mean the life of a Christian is perfect or without hard times. It does not mean everything always goes our way, but it means we realize there is more to life than the life we live in the body.

For those who refuse God’s will and choose to follow their own will, they are always searching for more, for something else. They might try to convince themselves that they are happy, that they are content, that they are living the good life. And maybe, in the moment, they do forget their troubles. But the reality is, those troubles never go away, and in fact they probably get bigger and bigger. They keep on looking for what they seek, but they never really find it.

So, there are the two options. We choose, Jesus says. We either follow the will of God or we follow our own will. There is no half way.

Father, help me fully follow you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works part time with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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