03/11/17 A PLANNED LOSS TONIGHT.

03/11/17 A PLANNED LOSS TONIGHT.
But if you live, you will get it back Nov. 5. see my comment.

Hey, it is just an hour, and we get it back anyway, Plus, it serves a good purpose (at least for some of us).

But I got to thinking about other losses.
The loss of...
good health, or
prized possessions, or
joy and peace and love, or
innocence, or
honor, or
chatacter, or
reputation, or
accomplishments, or
vision, or
a friend, or
a loved one, or
an entire family, or
freedom, or
another chance, or
a right relationship with God, or
an eternal soul.

BECAUSE OF...
a bad decision,
a moment of passing pleasure,
a selfish action,
a hurtful word,
a betrayal,
pride,
lust,
anger,
greed,
suspicion,
jealousy,
envy,
deceit.

Some losses in life are good, but the losses that are the result of sin are unspeakably bad. We cannot always choose our losses, but we can choose whom we will trust, love, follow, serve; we can choose life; we can choose truth; we can choose Christ.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20
(15) See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
(16) In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
(17) But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
(18) I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
(19) I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
(20) That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Joshua 24:14-16
(14) Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
(15) And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
(16) And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

Mark 8:34-38
(34) And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
(35) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
(36) For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
(37) Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
(38) Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.