My father taught me an important approach to any major decision point in life. It works best when you know a change is coming, but the options aren’t set. For example, each time I’ve been laid off, I’ve applied for as many jobs as I could find. The idea was to gather as many opportunities together as I could at the same time. That allowed me a better variety to choose from. If, on the other hand, I had simply applied for one job at a time, I may have accepted the first offer I had not knowing there was a better offer down the road.

It’s always better to have a choice rather than only one option, which is not choice at all. In fact, this is exactly what your salvation has given you: A choice:

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” Galatians 5:13

As a sinner, we are slaves to sin. We have no choice. At the moment of salvation, we are saved. Now, we have a choice on how to use our newfound freedom. Do we indulge in the same sin? Or do we choose to serve another master and love one another?

The benefits of falling back into old habits are short-lived and outweighed by the penalties. 

The penalties of choosing to serve one another are short-lived and outweighed by the benefits.

You have a choice now. Choose.