#2 The Choices of the Heart

I. Introduction
From the last talk, we realized it is important to make the right choices

II. Two elements of the title

A. Choices everyone has to choose something
1. We are taught to choose

- little things: sports, clothes, hairstyles, what to eat.

- also big things in life: course, career, marriage partner, significant friendships
- we all make choices; a lot of things involve making decisions.

B. The Heart innermost being of a man or woman

1. Its the part of us that gets behind what our mind analyzes.
2. Its amazing what our hearts are capable of:
a) Not so good: lust, hate, resentment, jealousy, anger, selfishness
b) Good things as well: love compassion, care, and commitment

III. The Choices of Whose Heart?

A. Choices of Gods heart

1. He chose to create.
a) He created us in his image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).
b) He chose to be our father and to love us.

2. He decided to give man the freedom to choose either to love Him or reject Him.
- because of this, we have people like Mother Teresa (or name another familiar
person.) who have decided to love and serve God.

3. The story doesnt turn out the way God planned in.
- our first parent chose to turn away from God. We chose sin and separation
from God.
- Romans 3:23: for all men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

4. At this point, lets appreciate the face that even before we encountered our own
crossroads, God encountered his. God could have chosen to finish all. He could
have given up on man.
- He could have just wiped us off the face of earth, or he could have turned us
into obedient robots.

5. Indeed: God chose to win our hearts, to save us from our rebellion and its
consequence of death.
a) But it cost God to save us (and it was at no little cost!).
 b) It cost the very life of his only begotten Son, and He was willing to sacrifice
Him for our sake (Jn 3:16). Romans 6:23: the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.
c) The story of the drawbridge operator. (Note to speaker: No need to
memorize words for word but narrate the story on the next page in a moving
though not too emotional way.)
d) These were some of the choices of the heart of God.

B. What are the choices of our hearts?

1. We can choose another path. Perhaps, the wider and easier road: to
consciously pursue a treasure other than the Lord.

2. We can choose not to care at all (e.g. the men and women on the boat in the
drawbridge story.)

3. We can choose not to get too personally involved.

- for them, God is just like a vending machine: impersonal, but provides for
what they need
- They would rather deal with God on their own terms
- However, the Lord will not accept those who are lukewarm (cf. Rev. 3:16).

4. Or we can choose to do the only right thing.

- lets consider the story of St. Francis Xavier. For many years he was a
student playboy, until St. Ignatius become his roommate. One day,
Ignatius quotes from Mark: what good is it for a man to gain the whole
world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his
soul? (Mk 8:36-37). The incident made Francis dedicate his whole life to
God.
- Jesus say: for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for Me and the Gospel will save it (Mk 8:35)
- Our response is to give over to God our whole heart. To make him Lord of
our hearts
- personal testimony (focus only on how you made your decision to follow
the Lord)

IV. Conclusion
Lets choose to follow God.

Meditation Passage
John 3:16-17
Discussion starter
We are the things that make you experience the need to follow God?
 The Drawbridge Story

Once there was a man who worked as an operator of a drawbridge. He makes sure that
the trains safely crossed the river. From hi wooden shed, he controlled the rickety old turntable
bridge that controlled the traffic up and down the river.

Most of the time, the bridge was turned horizontally so as to run parallel to the river,
That way, the river was open for various boats and barge to pass freely, and the cars on the
highway could move freely through the railroad crossing. But when a train was coming
through, this regular pattern changed. The man would engage the big motors underneath the
bridge, which would rotate until it linked up with the tracks on either side of the river. The man
would lock the bridge into places and the train could cross the river safely, while the boats on
the river and the cars on the highway waited.

It was a routine job. Sometimes, the mans little boy would come by the shed in the
afternoon to play and to watch the bridge, and then go home. Most of the time, the man was
alone.

He was alone now, as evening fell. Soon the last train of the day would come through.
From a distance he heard the whistle of the passenger train; his signal to begin swinging the
bridge into position. He opened the switches. He heard the whistle again, closer this time; the
train would be just a mile or so away now.
Looking at the control, a red light turned on signalling a warning that the bridges automatic
locking mechanism had failed to engage. The man was fighting against time and he was afraid
for what might happen to the train if he does not hurry for the manual locking mechanism on
both sides of the bridge. Quickly, he bolted one side of the locking mechanism and ran to the
other side. The third whistle sounded and he knew the train will be passing in just a few
seconds.

Just at the moment, he heard his little boys voice calling out to him. His 4 year old son
was not the other side of the bridge on the tracks. Pressed for time, the man battled himself on
what he should do. Terrible choice was all too clear. If he left his post to rescue his child, the
train filled with passengers will fall into the river. If he stayed, he could save the train but he
could do nothing for the child. He could save one or the other, but not both.
He made his decision. With tears in his eyes, he locked the bolt.

The train rolled swiftly and safely across the river, none of the people on the train knew
of the sacrifice made. None felt the body of the 4 year old boy. None even saw the man crying in
grief. Finally, drawing himself up, walks slowly across the bridge towards home, there to search
for the words to explain his wife what had happened and why.