The Option of God – Thoughts while Following Jesus From the Edges

Following Jesus From the Edges

The Option of God

Pastor Calvin Cook

May 12, 2026

Scripture – For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16  (from memory)

Good Morning – it is a brand-new day full of new opportunity, new ways to be used by God, and the blessed assurance that what ever comes against us – we have a loving God, who is with us and surrounds us, but most importantly offers a better way for all who believe.

I am starting a new thread of devotionals this morning that I am calling “Options”. Here is the reason. For the last couple of days I have been really sick with allergies and a spring cold. I knew it would happen; it happens every year about this same time. But this year it really beat me up. Yesterday I never left home, did anything other than answer a few texts and felt sorry for myself while trying to do express recuperation. Rest, liquids, sleep and quietness.

Here is where I am this morning. I knew it was coming. I felt it for several days but just tried to mask it with excuses and my common response “I don’t have time for this.” I could have started pretreatment when I first felt it a few days ago but instead, I pushed through and it got me hard. But in the midst of this I heard the Holy Spirt speak “Options”.

I had options to treat this. Over the counter medicine, the normal sleep, drink, rest, eat, call for a Dr’s appointment, go to Urgent Care, the Emergency Room, be a cry baby, or let it ride its course. I chose what has worked for me before. Fluids, rest, staying away from people because I am a cranky and irritable baby when I am sick (confession but you can ask Gail.)

Now after I have done my complaining: coming back to the Holy Spirit and the word “Options”. I began to write on my note pad options that have been given to us as the people of God. Actually they are directions, unarguable directions. But before we dive into them over the next couple of days, I am thankful for the gift of Jesus and that as a child I learned John 3:16 –

It seems in my limited human mind space that after God for centuries tried to bring the people back to Him that the next step in the master eternal plan of God was to send Jesus who would walk with human kind, speak directly face to face into their lives, raise up every generation that would come after. With the option to believe in Jesus the sent son of God to be the way not only to eternal life but to the best life possible we can have, while we are passing through this journey called life.

Now here is the big part – we can choose to believe, trust, and have faith. Or the other option would be not to. To live your life like everything will work out without Jesus and remain a miserable human being without even considering sacrifice, trust, faith, and righteousness.

I am choosing the option that God gave to me and to you – to believe in Jesus Christ, accept and know Him as my Saviour and strive through trusting and faithfulness to live within the unmatchable grace of Jesus.

How about you ?