Matthew 18 and Psalm 37  Choices... Heard a message last night by a pastor from Kenya. He spoke about choices .  Jesus or Barabbas. ( Matt. 27)  Curses or blessings ( Deut. 30).  Life or death.  Light or darkness.  He chose Jesus, he shared, and found out it was a package deal... for along with Jesus, he received life and light and so much more. Because he chose Jesus, he has a family and a ministry to orphans, he has seen thousands come to Christ; lives changed from despair to joy!  The pastor's mother's name in Swahili meant "trash".... but his name means "blessing".. and his daughter's name is "Grace".  That is the difference Jesus makes! From trash to grace....  This is what David speaks about in Psalm 37 also. The difference between those who choose Jesus Christ and those who do not.

Evil doers will wither and fade.     Those who trust in the Lord and do good will dwell in the land.
They will be cut off.                       We will "inherit the land".
He will "be no more".                     We will "delight... in abundant prosperity."
The wicked will plot evil.               The Lord will laugh at him. 
They draw their sword and bow.     They will pierce themselves and their bows will break.
They may have abundance but their arms will be broken.  They will vanish like smoke.

But, The Lord will sustain the righteous. He will give us an eternal inheritance.  And He will abundantly supply everything we need.

 The wicked, those who seek to destroy, who gnash their teeth in anger, who hate the righteous and despise the Lord - their package includes death, worry, fear, darkness, despair, anger, and hell.
 They leave no legacy.  They disappear and no one misses them.  "The posterity of the wicked will be cut off." v38.   They may appear to have abundance, but it is short lived and disappears in a puff of smoke.

The righteous, those who choose to live for Jesus, those who:
Trust in God
Do good.
Cultivate faithfulness.
Delight in the Lord.
Commit their ways to the Lord.
Rest in the Lord.
Wait patiently for Him.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath.
Do not fret.
Are gracious and give.
Are blessed.

Our package  includes:
 Gifts  - "And He will give you the desires of your heart." v4
Sanctification - "And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light." v6
A Kingdom - They will inherit the land.. v9, 11. 
A future - "And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity."v11
A Stronghold - "But the Lord sustains the righteous." v17
A Provider-"The Lord knows the days of the blameless; and their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil. And in the days of famine they will have abundance." v18-19
 A Leader - "The steps of a man are established by the Lord; and He delights in his way." v23
 A Loving Father - "When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the One who holds his hand." v24
A legacy -We will never be forsaken.  We will be able to feed our children.  We will always have enough to share.  We will have wisdom and do justice. We will have God's law in our hearts.  God will be our advocate.  He will exalt us before our enemies. We will have a posterity, a legacy to leave for our descendants.  He will be our strength in times of trouble.  God will help us, deliver us, save us, and be our refuge.
We will have every spiritual blessing in Christ! ( Ephesians 1:3)

In Matthew 18,  Jesus also teaches about the opportunities we have to choose -
To be great, choose to be like a child, choose to humble yourself.
Choose to receive others in His Name.
Choose to not cause another to stumble. To not be a stumbling block.
Choose to pray.
Choose to forgive.
Choose to pluck out an eye or cut off a hand or foot rather than stumble or become a stumbling block.
Choose Christ.  Choose blessing. Choose life. Choose light.  Choose righteousness.  Choose to lay down your life and pick up your cross and follow Jesus.  The results are worth any sacrifice we need to make!

Heavenly Father, we wait upon You.  We choose You.  To trust You and follow You.  To abide in Your Word and to submit ourselves to You.  To come humbly before our Mighty King, to beg for forgiveness and cleansing and mercy.  Forgive us for ever choosing this world and its evil ways.  For choosing death over life, lies over truth, darkness instead of light.
Jesus, I choose You.  I will trust in You and follow You .  Thank You that "it is not the will of our Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish."  Save those who are lost, Lord.  Save our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters, our grandchildren, and our nieces and nephews.  May they choose You Lord.  Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done!
Amen.