All through the years, there have been people who believed in God, others who did not, and yet others who did or do when it suits them or when they think they need God. It has always been like that.

Luke 16:13 – [Jesus said,] "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (NKJV)

Many years ago, there were many beggars in England, and the story is told about Bennie the beggar, who lived in Newcastle-on-Tyne. On the other side of the river is the city of Gateshead. The two cities were connected by a walking bridge. A lot of people would use this bridge to go from one city to the other, and Bennie would be there with his little tin can, asking for donations from the people.

The border of the cities was the centre of the bridge, and that is where he would stand. However, begging was illegal, so if he saw a policeman coming from Gateshead, he would stand on the Newcastle side of the line, and if a policeman came from there, he would stand on the Gateshead side of the line.

And then, one day it happened: there was a policeman coming from both cities. Bennie did not know what to do, to stand on one side or the other. Either way, he would be arrested. So he put one foot on each side of the line. The policemen told him he could not do that; he had to make up his mind whether he wanted to be in Newcastle or in Gateshead. He had to decide which side of the line he wanted to be on.

And so it is with us: we have to choose; we cannot straddle the line of faith. Jesus said, "He who is not with me is against me." (Matthew 12:30a NKJV) To be loyal to Christ, we cannot be obedient one day and then disobedient the next, as it suits us. We, too, have to choose.

Joshua, too, in his farewell address as leader of the people of Israel, told them to make a choice. "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15 NKJV)

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, we thank You that You have given us the choice as to whom we will serve, and we thank You for the words of Scripture which are our guide in life and our comfort in times of need. Amen.

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About the author:

Joel Jongkind <austria67@bmts.com>
Meaford, Ontario, Canada
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