I just finished a 10 day detox. Nothing drastic, just eliminating foods that cause inflammation. When it comes to healthy eating, there are so many options available. I have spent a lot of time reading various people’s opinions about the best way to eat healthy.

Which should I choose? They each say they have the secret. They all think their eating plan is the only way to gain true health. There are many similarities between these programs. Most will tell you that sugar is the enemy or that fruits and vegetables are the friend. But while one says to cut out all grains, another says grains are fine. One says no meat, another says eat all the eat you want. How do I decide which is best? The truth is, following any one of them will probably improve my health, but every one of them are vying for my attention.

I’m a home school mom. That means I am a curriculum specialist. There are a lot of choices when it comes to choosing curriculum. Each one has its own philosophy of education. There is the traditional workbook/textbook based program, the living books/natural learning based program, the classical education based program and even the unschooling based program. Each of these claim to be the one that will propel my child to success and happiness. How do I choose? Truth be told, with consistency and patience, my child will be a success no matter which curriculum I choose.

I am a Christian. There are a lot of people who say the same thing. It just takes a short drive around town to see that there are a lot of groups of people who call themselves Christians. One group has a praise team leading an emotionally charged worship service. One group follows strict ceremonial routines. One group teaches that all you need to do to become a Christian is recite a prayer. One group teaches that a Christian you will have a spiritual awakening that could result in spontaneously speaking in tongues or having the feeling that God has spoken to them. So many choices.

Most people will look at choosing how to be a Christian like they are choosing a diet or choosing which curriculum they should use. It’s just a matter of what their preference is. Do I like loud music and motivational sermons? There’s a church for that. Do I want pomp and ceremony? There’s a church for that. Do I want to be accepted just as I am without any expectation of change? There’s a church for that. We are told to find the group that teaches what we want to hear and does what we want to do.

That’s not how this works!

While choosing a diet or a curriculum is based on personal preference, choosing how to become a Christian and how to follow God is not. Becoming a Christian is not like becoming a Boy Scout or becoming a baseball player. It’s not joining a club or sorority. It’s not about choosing how I want to live.

 Becoming a Christian is all about believing in God. Believing in God as our Creator. Believing that God has always been and will always be. Believing that God sent His Son to die for our sins. Knowing that God loves me and knows what is best for me. Choosing to change my ways and, no matter what He asks of me, doing things God’s way.

If I truly believe all these things about God, I will not stop at anything to learn everything I can about Him. Since He has chosen to reveal to us who He is and what He wants in the Bible, I will want to spend much time reading, studying and thinking about the scripture He has given to us. No matter what I previously thought, if I truly believe in God, I will change my ways and do what God requires. I will seek out others who are doing the same. I will be eager to meet with them every chance I get. I will bravely do what is right even if others disapprove.

While choosing which diet to follow or choosing which curriculum to use is totally up to me, choosing how to serve God is not. The choices are not how do I want to be saved and how to I want to serve God. The only choice is will I serve God or not.

This was the only choice available in Joshua’s day:

Joshua 24:15 — And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

It is the only choice for us today:

Matthew 7:21-23 — “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’