Your Choice

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Introduction

This morning, I want to look at Scripture from a four-fold perspective. We’re going to bounce between the Old Testament and the New Testament and take an honest look at the choices we are faced with every single day. Because whether we like it or not—life is full of choices. And the choices we make either draw us closer to Christ’s abundant life…or into the thief’s destruction.

The world has a lot to say about choices:

• “Turn your wounds into wisdom.” – Oprah Winfrey
• “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu
• “We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” – Max De Pree
• “If you want to go east, don’t go west.” – Ramakrishna

Even business leaders like John C. Maxwell remind us:

“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.”

But long before Oprah, Lao Tzu, or Maxwell spoke… Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.”

He didn’t just come to forgive sin – He came to give you something greater than anything this world can offer. But you must choose it.

Let’s walk through three choices every believer faces:

WALK IN LIGHT OR WALK IN DARKNESS

(Choice of Direction)

Scripture: 1 John 1:5–7, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all…If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie… But if we walk in the light…we have fellowship one with another.”

Jesus says “the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” How does he do it? By leading us into darkness: slowly, quietly, deceptively.

Darkness steals clarity.
Darkness kills joy.
Darkness destroys intimacy with God.

Darkness loves secrecy, shame, hidden sin, bitterness, grudges, and unrepented habits. But light?

Light reveals.
Light heals.
Light restores.

You choose which direction you walk. Sometimes the hardest choice is simply stepping out of the shadows and saying, “Lord, shine on me.”

WALK IN THE SPIRIT OR WALK IN THE FLESH

(Choice of Dependence)

Scripture: Galatians 5:16–17, “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

The flesh will: (Gal 5:19-21)

• steal your peace,
• kill your testimony,
• destroy your relationships.

Sound familiar to John 10:10?

The Spirit, however, brings: (Gal. 5:22-23)

• love,
• joy,
• peace,
• patience,
• self-control.

You can always tell which one you’re walking in by the fruit you leave behind.

The flesh reacts – The Spirit responds.

The flesh feeds pride – The Spirit cultivates humility.

The flesh wants comfort – The Spirit leads to calling.

And here’s some biker-church honesty: You can’t walk in the flesh all week and expect Spirit-filled results on Sunday.

Every day you suit up – helmet, boots, jacket – that is your safety gear. How much more do we need to suit up in the “Whole armor of God?” We need to be armed with the tools of:

• prayer,
• Word,
• worship,
• obedience.

Because abundant life flows from the Spirit’s power – not your power.

WALK IN BEAUTY OR WALK IN ASHES

(Choice of Identity)

Scripture: Isaiah 61:3, “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes…garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”

Does anyone know what ashes are? They are simply remnants of what used to be. Jesus trades our ashes, our brokenness, failures, regrets, for His beauty. But some people become comfortable sitting in the ashes of:

• past wounds,
• past sins,
• past disappointments.

And you can’t receive beauty while clinging to ashes. Ashes remind you where you’ve been. Beauty reminds you where He’s taking you.

The thief whispers: “You’re nothing. You’re stuck. You’re ruined. You’ve gone to far. Nobody loves you. Nobody cares about you.”

Jesus says: “You are mine. You are redeemed. You are restored.”

Abundant life is not the absence of scars (listen, we all have some self-inflicted wounds). Abundant life is the presence of the Savior.

The Danger / Opportunity Principle

John F. Kennedy once said that the Chinese word for “crisis” includes two characters: danger and opportunity.

Every choice you face contains both. The danger is choosing the thief’s voice.
The opportunity is choosing abundant life.

Conclusion

Every day, you choose:

Light or Darkness — which direction will you walk?
Spirit or Flesh — whose power will lead you?
Beauty or Ashes — what identity will you accept?

Jesus offers abundant life—full, meaningful, purposeful, Spirit-saturated.

Not just eternal life later… abundant life now. But hear me clearly…

What you choose today determines the life you experience tomorrow.

George Bernard Shaw said: “We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.”

We can’t go back and edit yesterday, but we can choose differently today. The thief is roaming. He comes to:

• steal your joy,
• kill your purpose,
• destroy your faith.

But Jesus stands in front of you saying: “I’ve already won. I have come to give you life, and life more abundantly.”

The choice is yours.

• If you’re tired of darkness…step into the Light.
• If you’re drained by the flesh…yield to the Spirit.
• If you’re holding ashes…trade them for beauty.

The abundant life is available, but it begins with one choice – Just one step.