What choice do we have?

Today my thoughts are about how much God loves us and what lengths He will go to in order to warn us when we're going down the wrong path. Look at Pharaoh - He chose to do bad but God gave him opportunities over and over again to change. Those opportunities came in the form of second chances, warning signs, and continued forgiveness. Plague after plague swept over his kingdom (a total of 10) - each time God giving him the chance to change before he sent the next plague. 


"With each of these plagues Pharaoh said he'd let the Israelites go if God put things back to normal, but then he kept changing his mind.  You'd think he would've learned his lesson and let the Israelites go.  Unfortunately for him, God doesn't give up."


Sadly, the story ends with God taking the life of Pharaoh's son and eventually HIS life and all his army too. The story talks about Pharaoh and how he hardened his heart and wouldn't listen. He could have avoided all of it if he had just opened his heart and listened. 


How many of us are the same way? Or better yet, how many people do you know that could replace Pharaoh in this story? It's one warning after another followed by forgiveness, a second, third, or even fourth chance but still we choose to harden our hearts and not listen or let God in. How many warnings will He give before enough is enough? 


My prayer for everyone reading this is that God will soften our hearts and allow us to see when the path we've chosen is ours and not His. Open our eyes and our ears so that we can distinguish a warning sign from a "coincidence" or what we like to call "bad luck". Give us the faith we need to trust even when things don't make sense. ~ Amen




Bible Verse - Matthew 13:14-15


You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;

You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;

¹⁵ For the heart of this people has become dull,

With their ears they scarcely hear,

And they have closed their eyes,

Otherwise they would see with their eyes,

Hear with their ears,

And understand with their heart and return,

And I would heal them.’