Able To Choose

ABLE TO CHOOSE

a prayer to open

Here I am, Lord. Remind me who I am.

I am loved. I am known. I belong to you.

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even as God has gifted us in so many ways when we put our trust in Christ, we still have a choice: We can live into our identity in Christ and access the power and love and presence of God; or we can continue in our old ways, living like fools and acting without intention and thought, closing ourselves off to the Spirit, and walking through life without gratitude, feeling entitled. Living with intention—fixing our eyes on the hope we have in Jesus, directing our minds to what is good and noble, treating our bodies as temples of God, loving others with patience and self-sacrifice—requires effort and surrender. Although it is true that as we grow and mature, we become the kinds of people who can live this way, we don’t just slide into a life of love. We have to practice. And we do this by refraining from certain things—such as acting thoughtlessly and foolishly and getting drunk—and by engaging in other things—making the most of the opportunities we are given, listening for God’s words to us, singing songs in worship, and giving thanks. The good news is that the Holy Spirit will empower us in all of these things.

• What are the activities and thoughts you engage in that help you cope with the difficulties in your life but prevent you from being attuned to the Holy Spirit?
• What are the thoughts and activities you need to refrain from in order to live more into your identity in Christ? What are the thoughts and activities you need to engage in more in order to fully live into your identity in Christ?
• Take a moment to quiet yourself in God’s loving presence. Ask him to open your eyes and heart to the ways he wants you to lean into the truth that you have a choice about how to live and that the Holy Spirit will empower you. What did God bring to mind?

Father, fill my soul to overflowing with your Spirit. Allow me to see with your eyes, listen with your ears, and love with your heart. I pray that your words—the psalms, hymns, and songs of your Spirit—would be on my tongue, quick to spill onto others to bless and encourage them. Let my heart always be giving you thanks and praise for the breath you have given and the opportunities to share your love. Help me to live into my identity in Christ and put in the effort it takes to grow and live according to your loving ways. Where I fail, turn me back to you and set me on the right path. Amen.