We make choices with every breath we take with every hour passes, every day of our lives.  It begins with waking up.  Do I get out of bed or sleep in a little longer?  Do I get up at all?  Do brush my teeth now or wait until I eat breakfast?  Do I eat breakfast or skip it?  What clothes will I wear today?  What shoes?  Well, it depends on what I need to do today.  Do I go to work or call in sick?  When you have kids still at home.  The choices multiply and get more complicated when the choices they are making do not comply or match your choices.  Who is in control or our choices?  We are.  God gave us free will to choose.  What we choose affects our lives and those lives around us.

All we choose to think, say, or do is driven by the decision we have made to follow Jesus—or not.  To follow Jesus is a commitment to be like Him in the way we live our lives.  If we choose being like Jesus then we have chosen to be one who serves, not one expecting to be served.  This or that?  Not making a decision is a choice made, too.  We have chosen to live life on our own with no help from the God who created us and loves us and wants His best for us.  Choosing has consequences.  Decisions carry responsibility.  There are only two choices.  This or that.

God does not force us into this decision to love Him back or accept His Son’s deliverance because God wants us to decide for ourselves.  He will not step in until we choose to allow Him.  Know this:  Our Father is looking over all the earth for those who have decided to follow Him with willing, excited, expectant, committed, attentive, joyful, open hearts full of Hope believing their sins are gone because of His Son, Jesus.  God looks because He loves to help, bless, lead and guide those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. THIS, or that which is not of God?

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him”(2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV). What does He want to do when He finds such hearts? He wants to strengthen them for they have chosen to drink from the Cup of Jesus’ salvation.

Matthew 20, The Message

To Drink from the Cup

^17-19 Jesus, now well on the way up to Jerusalem, took the Twelve off to the side of the road and said, “Listen to me carefully. We are on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. They will then hand him over to the Romans for mockery and torture and crucifixion. On the third day he will be raised up alive.”

²⁰ It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request.

²¹ “What do you want?” Jesus asked.

She said, “Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand.”

²² Jesus responded, “You have no idea what you’re asking.” And he said to James and John, “Are you capable of drinking the cup that I’m about to drink?”

They said, “Sure, why not?”

²³ Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. My Father is taking care of that.”

^24-28 When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

THIS OR THAT? 

Oh, momma!  What a contrast of thinking between the mission of Jesus and the mission of the mom of James and John.  Her timing, bless her heart, (as we say in the south), was astronomically and astonishing awkward!  Did she not hear what Jesus just said?  Obviously not.  Jesus just told his guys about how he will be brutally beaten and terrorized then crucified, die but then rise again on the third day. 

Mom only heard the rising again part and immediately wants her boys to be the greatest in God’s Kingdom, after Jesus, of course.  This stage mom wants her sons to be higher and greater than the rest of the disciples.  Why didn’t James and John shush her?  Mom!  But they were thinking the same thought. 

Has she not heard Jesus’ teaching or watched Him serve?  It doesn’t matter to stage moms, what matters is that their children achieve the highest praise and positions of honor.  Stage moms are prevalent today!  Back to this one…Mom has not chosen well.  She does not know what she is asking, says Jesus, who handles the awkwardness as only Jesus can.

Have you ever been in deep conversation of importance with a small group of people when a person steps in to interrupt with something so unlike what is being discussed that you feel sorry for them?  I am cringing with embarrassment for this mom!  How awkward!  But Jesus handles the situation by asking James and John if they can drink from the Cup.  The Cup is the mission of Jesus and is of greatest importance.  This presents James and John with a decision to make that will affect their relationship with Jesus/God for eternity.  THIS or that?

The other disciples get angry after the awkward asking for power and position.  Jesus reminds them—again—of what it means to follow Him, to be more like Him in every way.   “He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.”  THIS, not that of which the world expects.  THIS is the mission of Jesus sent by God, the cup of decision to save people held hostage by their sins.  Jesus will set them free! 

THIS OR THAT?  Take a minute to reflect…

Are we willing to drink the Cup, share in His sufferings, as we get to know Jesus more? (See Philippians 3:10)

Are we willing to be obedient, following Jesus’ command to go and tell others His story of redemption? —No matter how awkward doing this might seem?  (Matthew 28)

Jesus saves, we merely point people to the One and Only who saves and forgives. We honor Him.

Are we willing to serve, not expecting to be served?  This changes our perspective of life.

Are we seeking to put others’ interest ahead of our own?

Do we seek God first in the morning and listen for his voice all day long?

Do we really believe what God said and what Jesus did for us really real?  Our behaviors will reflect what we truly believe in our hearts.

This or that?  Choose wisely.  Choose Life.

Lord,

I don’t want to be like James and John’s mom.  I don’t want that.  I want to be more like you.  I’m learning daily what this means.  There will be troubles in this world, skirmishes with the one who wants us to choose him instead of you, but you have already overcome and won this battle.  I choose you because You chose to save me.  Thank you for this lesson of humility.  Thank your for loving us so much you laid down your life for our sins, setting us free to love like you.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen