Choices

You have all heard talk about taking the donkey to the water to drink but not being able to force the donkey to drink. I had an argument recently about making plans for the future and I was of the opinion that no matter how well you plan, you cannot account for the nature of humans, and the guy I was talking to was of the opinion you can.
I don't know what you all think, but then I know that most of us in life at the moment were not brought up to live the lives we are living at the moment and the few that actually are do so not because we were brought up that way but because we chose to stay that way. We have christians becoming muslims or atheists or following one religion or the other and vice versa. Rich sons becoming average or poor and poor sons becoming rich. All dependent not on their upbringing but on decisions made and the paths they choose to follow.
Different examples?
Joseph: brought up as a stay at home son, the favourite of the house. First son of the favourite wife, pampered, spoilt and a dreamer. Where was he headed? Good wife, good sons, some land and so, and in a genealogy it would be that he lived, had sons and died. What actually happened? God did. And a man's choice to serve, obey and follow was characterised by hardships, jail but eventually God's plan went through. Why? Because the donkey chose to drink.
David: brought up to be a shepherd, tending his father's sheep even in times of war, had somethings going for him, he was a good shepherd and a man after God's heart. His choice as a "donkey" to drink. And God called him up to be far above his expectations and that of his father.
There are so many examples in the bible, Paul, Peter, John, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, even the father of faith Abraham, our saviour, you, me. The major thing in common with all these people was not just their upbringing or the plans their parents made, it wasn't even about the plans they made for themselves. It was that they chose to drink not just of any water, but from the living water.
Your parents can pray, your pastor can lay hands on you but all that does is take you to that river, the choice to actually partake of that depends on you. So finally the question I leave for you today is...
Where are you at the moment? Are you there because of the plans you made? The plans your parents made? Are you there because circumstances made it so or because God deemed it so? The one gift of life that should not be toyed with is freewill. If you are not where you are because you believe in your heart that it is where God wants you yo be then check urself. Inner joy and peace comes from right standing with God, which on its own means right standing with men...

Blessed are you when men hate and despise you because of your right standing with God (not because you really deserve to be so) a great reward awaits you in heaven(Matt 5:11-12)

You can take a donkey to the river but you cannot force it to drink, and that donkey will drink only if it sees the need to.
With God however, the key is not just to start drinking but to keep drinking. Many examples exist of people who did stop drinking and wanted to do things as they saw fit; Saul, Solomon, Jonah, etc.
It is not you who determines the life you live as a christian, but God. Any other factor would most likely lead you to someplac other than where He wants you to be.
Think...