THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE JESUS
“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
There is a sacred and solemn reality that runs like a thread through the whole of Scripture: God calls man to choose. Though He is sovereign and His will shall be done, He created man with the capacity to respond to Him freely. This gift of will, corrupted by sin, is yet the very door through which grace enters the soul. It is through this gate that the Spirit calls: “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
The Divine Call to Choose
From the beginning, man was placed under a divine charge: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…” (Genesis 2:16–17). This was no arbitrary test—it was the divine recognition of man’s dignity as a moral being, made in God’s image.
In the days of Moses, the voice of God thundered again: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life…” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Through Joshua, the Spirit repeats the call: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). The prophet Isaiah pleads, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near… let the wicked forsake his way… and He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6–7).
O soul, do you hear the tender urgency of the Lord’s voice? He who made you now invites you. He does not force. He calls.
The Struggle Within the Soul
Even as grace draws near, the heart finds itself divided. The Apostle Paul, in the depths of honesty, cries, “For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do” (Romans 7:15). This is not the testimony of a man lacking desire—but of one aware of the flesh’s power. Yet thanks be to God, there is victory in Christ. “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
We are not left helpless. Christ, who calls, also empowers. “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). This freedom is not mere independence—it is freedom to choose righteousness, freedom to surrender, freedom to love.
The believer’s heart cries with Paul: “Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24–25).
The Invitation of the Savior
The Lord Jesus does not coerce the will. He gently calls, even as He weeps: “O Jerusalem… how often I wanted to gather your children together… but you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37). What love! What condescension!
The Savior stands and knocks: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in…” (Revelation 3:20). The door must be opened from within. The soul must yield.
To those who do, He gives the highest privilege: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12). Yes, this is the fruit of willing surrender. And “if anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine…” (John 7:17). The door of understanding is opened by the key of obedience.
The Evidence of Freedom
True freedom in Christ reveals itself in love and service. “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). This liberty compels us to live not for ourselves, but for Him who died for us (2 Corinthians 5:15).
Even our giving—our worship through generosity—is to be an act of the will: “Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
And when our strength fails? We are not abandoned. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God… and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). The choice to ask is met with the gift of divine grace.
The Glory of Willing Surrender
O that we might see the glory of yielding to God! The power of free will lies not in asserting ourselves, but in surrendering to Christ. The soul that says with Jesus, “Not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42), has found the secret of true freedom.
Let us then, in humility and faith, choose Christ daily—not as a one-time decision, but as a continual offering of our will to His. Let us say with David, “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8).
A Final Word
Child of God, your will is the battleground. The Lord has given you freedom—not to live for self, but to choose Him. And with every choice to obey, grace flows anew. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
Let us yield, let us trust, let us love Him who first loved us.
And let our freedom be found in one holy cry: “Lord Jesus, I choose You!”
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
