Him or Me?

Daily.  Moment by moment.  An ongoing reality in each of our lives.

Making choices.

It all boils down to this:

You are my refuge and my shield;  I have put my hope in Your Word. Psalm 119:114, NIV

The choice?  Putting our hope in God and His Word.  Resting in confident expectation rooted in Him.  It’s hard, though, isn’t it?   To choose to lay down our own dreams and desires, our own wants and longings … to let go of good things when best doesn’t seem to make sense … to live out the faith we so easily speak and write about … to seek Him above all else, even family and ministry.

I’m in the midst of some big choices right now … looking at all sorts of opportunities and praying for wisdom and direction.  It’s hard to say “No” to ways to minister, difficult to turn down places to encourage others.  But the choice isn’t to do ministry or not to do it … it’s bigger than that.  The choice isn’t even to trust God with whatever ministry He has given or will give … it’s even bigger than that.  The choice is this … to love Him more or to love me more.

If I love Him more, I’ll lay down all of those things, those dreams, those opportunities, those desires … believing that He is sufficient.  Trusting in His refuge, His strength, His plan.  That’s what my heart longs for – to love Him more.  But far more often than I care to admit, I love me more.  I choose me … in a thousand little ways and many big ones.

So today, I’m crying out as I lay down me and I’m uttering the words of the Psalmist:

Sustain me according to Your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed. Psalm 119:116, NIV

What choices lay before you?  Do you love Him more?

{a repost from the archives … amazing, isn’t it, how often we find ourselves in the place of choosing – Him or me?}