"I Choose" - Awesome Devotional from Max Lucado

It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The
world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will
arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The
stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The
calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human
race. 

The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be
made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be
exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice.
Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love…

No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose
love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy…

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the
temptation to be cynical… the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse
to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will
refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace…

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience…

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the
one who takes my place, I will invite him to do so. Rather than complain
that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray.
Instead of clenching my fists at new assignments,
I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness…

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. I will be kind to the
rich for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind for
that is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness…

I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be
overlooked before I boast. I will confess before I accuse.
I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness…

Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will
not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife
will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their
father will not come home.

I choose gentleness…

Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may
it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If
I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control…

I am a spiritual being. After this body is
dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the
eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be
impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will
be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I
will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this
day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long~suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22~23

From When God Whispers Your Name 

Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1994) Max Lucado