Think Twice

Have you ever thought twice? You had decided to do, say, or act a certain way. Then you had a change of heart or mind and performed differently. God did!

Exodus 32:14 (MSG) states that God did think twice. He decided not to do the evil he had threatened against his people. The Bible tells us that frequently the Creator relented. Jonah is an excellent example. God commanded that he preach to the great city of Nineveh that their destruction was imminent. Jonah 3:10 (MSG) tells us that God saw...that they had turned away from their evil lives. He did change his mind about them. What he said he would do to them he didn't do.

Then there is the self-declaration of the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:15-25 in which he thinks twice about doing good but then doesn't do it. Then he decides not to do evil, but he does it anyway. There is certainly a time to think twice and then follow through on that alternate decision. The solution to Paul's dilemma was stated by him in verse 25...Ponder his conclusion: The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ...acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

photo from flickr.com

The lyrics of a song from the end of the musical Oliver reminds us to review the situation. Fagan is thinking twice about his villainous life, marriage, friends, and work. His conclusion? "I think I better think it out again!" There are always choices to consider. Robert Frost suggested as much in his poem Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood...I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.

Matthew 7:14 states that narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Do you need to review the focus of your life? Think twice and take the Way of the Cross. After all, that is the only way that leads home.