Choices. Life is filled with them. And truth be told being able to choose is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Being able to choose helps us grow; it can also lead us down the wrong path. And choices always have consequences.

Even Jesus made choices. I often wonder when He was growing up…did He think about the choices He would have to make when He became an adult? Did He hope He would be able to make the right choices when the time came? Those might have been his human thoughts, but we know God doesn’t make mistakes, so His choices were always correct.

The apostles chose to follow Jesus, and all of them but John were martyred for that choice. So many people in Jesus’ day chose to follow Jesus. Then there was the rich young man, when told that leaving his wealth behind was the choice he had to make to follow Jesus, chose to walk away. That was his choice.

Choices have consequences. But know this: We each have a small piece of God’s creation where we live and work and worship. And it’s within that small portion of God’s creation that we have choices to make. Choose to be like Jesus in all that you do. And some day, when you stand before Jesus, he will say: “Well done! The consequence for your good works is entering the kingdom that was chosen especially for you!”