Greg Tidwell

"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, 'Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.' But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls" (Hebrews 10:35-39).

Life is filled with decisions. Most are trivial. A few matter. We agonize over a choice of restaurant or movie for an evening's entertainment, flipping from channel to channel on a remote to select a program – knowing that tomorrow we really won't care which choice we made.

The decisions which do matter are the ones we will care about tomorrow, and next week, and next year. Some decisions make a difference over a very long time. We realize the importance of buying a car or a house, of pursuing an education and choosing a career, of marriage and children. These decisions make a difference over a lifetime.

Beyond today, tomorrow, next year, or even a lifetime, one central decision makes a difference for eternity. The commitment to become a Christian is the most important decision anyone can make. It makes the difference between heaven and hell.

As important as becoming a Christian is, one must remain a Christian to receive the reward. There is, as the author of Hebrews reminds us, a need for endurance. Fidelity is a choice. Day by day we must rise to the challenge and keep our commitment of faith. The new birth in Christ begins with a decision which is embodied in baptism. Making this decision brings us into salvation. Living in Christ involves a continual commitment; it is this faith which keeps us saved. Choosing Christ, once for all, is the most important decision we can make.