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Spirit of the Flame - 70 days following the Olympic Torch
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DAY 59

Fabric conditioner! What kind do I buy? I stood in the aisle this evening doing my mental arithmetic working out which one was the best price. Which one was on promotion. The most litres I could get for the fewest pounds spent. What kind do I buy? The cheapest branded kind!

It's all about choice. Life is full of choices. The choice of fabric conditioner. The places we go. The people we call friends. The spouse we marry. The home we live in. The time we give God. All are choices. 

James 4:4 (NIV)
"You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." 

James puts all our choices down to one major choice; will we be friends with the world, or friends with God?

He later goes on to say how much God wants to be with us. James 4:8 (NIV) "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." 

The past 58 days I have been writing about being in the presence of God. As the Olympic Torch toured our countries, imagine the presence of God, the Holy Spirit, filling our nations with His presence! Today I ponder about the same thing. And how wonderful it is that James encourages us to come near to God. James asserts that if we do, God will come near to us. 

And God gives us this option. Coming near to God, seeking His presence, is our choice. The most important choice we can make. A daily choice. What have you chosen to do with God today?

I read today in TIME Magazine (23 July 2012) a quote by US Governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley, that "Progress is a choice." He was talking about the state's approach to the economic downturn, and raising income tax to preserve state services. 

In light of the verses in James, O'Malley gives us insight in our spiritual lives. If we want progress with our relationship with God, we need to tax our time in order to preserve our relationship with God. To come near to God, to seek Him, with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). And then we will find God. That's real progress. That's a progressive choice.

-Pr Nathan Stickland

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