Your Choice

2 Samuel 13:32

“But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, ‘My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom’s expressed intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar.”

I do have lazy days. Sometimes a treat after a full week, and sometimes just to break free from responsibilities. It’s my rebellious ME-times. Sleep indulgence, zero-nutrient meals, plates piled up, cityville for hours, messed house, kids watching tv all day, and no one takes a bath, hahaha!! And usually when the clock strikes 5pm, I rush around to patch things up in prep for my husband’s coming home from work. I’d feel guilty, unnecessarily stressed and overly disappointed. So different when I choose discipline. I’d start early with God’s word, prepare the house for the day, write this blog, spend quality time with my kids in homeschooling and supervised dvd watching, facebook peeks and play during lunchhour, attend to my curriculum writing assignment while the kids take their naps in the afternoon, prepare myself and the house for our family nights, and end the day thanking God for a full day. The obvious difference was how I chose to start my days: God or Me.

God orchestrated that I start this week with this chapter. Holy Week is meant for us to remember His death because of our sins, and David’s family life here was experiencing death because of sins as well. His son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar, and Absalom had him pay for it with his life. In both instances, they used their unsuspecting father as accessory to their crimes. This royal family’s downfall started with that one night stand with Bathsheba. ‘The sword will never depart from your house’ was God’s judgment. David’s sin weakened his hold to discipline his sons. And so Amnon fell in the same snare. He lusted over his beautiful sister and was deaf to her pleadings, disregarding his, her and the family’s honor, and defiant of God and His law. Lust proved unsatisfying and it did cost Amnon his life. To think he could have been next in throne. What a foolish exchange! Absalom took another route. He did not make one loud flare up. Instead he chose to nurse his seemingly no-big-deal bitterness for two years until it grew to his brother’s murder, making him flee and be far from his family and all royalty for three years. Maybe he was hoping his father would exercise justice. To God’s grief too, he did not. In not choosing discipline, by default, David brought death to his sons. What a fatal exchange :<

John 10:10 reads, ‘The thief only comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ If there’s one visitor you’ll welcome into your home, who will you choose, the thief or Jesus? We all knew how sin will ruin our lives: illicit relationships, disobedience to parents, insubordination to our leaders, lying to our friends, even laziness at home. But how come we still choose to be blinded with its temporal, deceitful pleasures? Is it worth exchanging our peace, joy, family, and integrity with? We do have a choice. Everyday. Forgiveness or Bitterness? Repentance or Rebellion? God or Ourselves? Life or Death? I pray we all take time this week to reflect on our choices and His. The Cross was a choice. He died that we might live. Isn't a full life with Him better than sin's empty offer? What's your choice.