My Little Devotional: "Decisions, Decisions..."

Inspiration for Today’s Devotional: “Frienemies”

While they got their big chance in “The Ending of the End”, I think it’s debatable that the true time that Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow came closest to their “best ending” was in this episode. Through their struggles in this episode to reclaim the Bewitching Bell, the three ended up bonding over (even if it wasn’t the best thing in the world to bond over…) their mutual hatred of Twilight Sparkle and the Mane Six, and they leaned on each other and their talents to get the job done. When they ended up not backstabbing each other and succeeded, there was a brief moment in which they realized it was a good feeling to have someone else you could rely on and trust. For a few seconds, it looked as if they might have “seen the light” or at least had their minds opened or changed.

That moment passed quickly, unfortunately, as they ended up clinging to their own selfish ambitions, their pride, and their distrust; and they reverted into their horrible demeanors. Nevertheless, the mere fact that there was a moment in which they showed that they could be better individuals…that they had the chance to genuinely be happy and have a more fulfilling life…and that they threw it over their shoulders ends up making their fate more than just generic evil villains getting their comeuppance. It makes them, to a degree, tragic. That they would have avoided their eternal imprisonment if they had just not closed themselves off in that one moment.

A piece of advice that’s all too true yet very hard for many of us to take to heart is to “live without regrets”. The odds are more than likely that we can all think of that one moment of our lives from time to time. The moment that ended up changing everything or committed us to a pathway that we couldn’t get ourselves out of. Or perhaps it was one choice we made that ended up setting off a domino effect that placed us where we are today or, on the other hand, derailed us completely from our previous path.

And whenever we think about those moments, the thought is always the same. “If only I had made that one choice when I had the chance…everything would have been different.”

You read about this a lot in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. Balaam was a prophet who had fame and prestige for his ability to relate the words of God (Numbers 22:4-6), but because he couldn’t restrain his greed he ended up sealing his own doom by advising the King of Moab to tempt Israel into turning against God (Numbers 31:8; Revelation 2:14). David’s family partially self-destructed and he lost three of his children because, for all of his virtue, he didn’t stop himself from having an affair and covered it up by murdering the woman’s husband (2 Samuel 12:1-12). The last king of Judah, Zedekiah, was warned time and time again by the prophets to submit to Babylon and that the consequences of revolt would be the end of Israel as a nation all together (Jeremiah 38:14-28), but he didn’t listen and, as a result, watched his sons be executed in front of him before he was blinded and left in chains for the rest of his natural life (Jeremiah 39:5-7).

In the New Testament, however, one of the greatest “missed opportunities” came when King Agrippa was able to hear the preaching of Paul while he was defending his case (Acts 26). According to Agrippa, he stated that Paul was trying to persuade him to become a Christian but, as far as we know, he never went the full way to conversion.

And for Christians, there is no greater missed opportunity. Nor are there more dire consequences.

The Bible warns that the wages of sin are death and eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). The latter is what Christians believe is Hell. No amount of good works that we do can ever make up for our sins, as sin is a transgression against God and his Law, and to simply overlook and omit the punishment for sin would mean that God would cease to be just. And because all people will inevitably commit some sin, all people are condemned to this terrible fate regardless of how “good” they try to be.

“Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Instead, the way to escape the consequences of sin that God himself provides to us is in the form of Lord Jesus Christ, who offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice in place of the sins of all mankind. In doing so, He fulfilled the demands of God’s justice for all sin. Whoever accepts this sacrifice and repents of their sins, therefore, now has a “clean” record with God and will inherit eternal life one day and be with him forever in Heaven.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)

“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption… How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:12,14)

Yet key to this is to remember that, while the work of reconciling with God and atoning for sin was fully accomplished with Christ when He was put to death by crucifixion almost 2,000 years ago, there is still one remaining responsibility for all of us. God does not “force” the sacrifice of Lord Jesus upon anyone. Rather, we each have a choice to make as to whether or not we will accept His sacrifice–if we will admit that we are sinners that have done wrong against God, acknowledge our helplessness to deliver ourselves from our own sin, and then accept Jesus’ Sacrifice and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Only then do we truly gain reconciliation with God and inherit eternal life (Romans 10:9; Matthew 10:32-33).

The Bible warns that after death comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Therefore, our time to accept Lord Jesus’ Sacrifice is not unlimited. None of us know when we will be “called back” to God. Perhaps it will be years from now when we’re elderly and our bodies finally give out. Perhaps it will be today when we suffer some accident. Yet so long as we’re alive, we have the opportunity…the chance…the choice…to decide if we will accept the Sacrificial Offering of Christ and will gain reconciliation with God.

And just like the choice presented in this episode, the consequences of failing to make this choice when presented have eternal implications.

If you haven’t made the choice yet to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, my prayer for today is that you would consider it now and know that tomorrow is not guaranteed.

If you would like to make that choice today, on the other hand, I would suggest the following prayer (borrowed from Billy Graham):

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.”

Suggested Prayer: “Lord God, thank you for your Word, which gives not only instruction and insight into your nature but also warns us of the wrath to come for sinners and the mercy and salvation that those who have accepted our Lord’s Sacrifice will receive. Please grant me a love for your Word that I might better learn to live in accordance with it, study it to better know your heart and mind, and reverently accept and heed its warnings. Gratefully in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”