In an article entitled, “Beware the god of Open Options,” Pastor Barry Cooper explores the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. 

“Elijah calls God’s people to choose once and for all between the living God who delivered them, and this false god who has captured their affections:  ‘How long will you waver between two opinions?  If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.’  But the people said nothing” (1 Kings 18:21).  He then asks, “How different are we in the 21st century?  Would you prefer to make an ironclad, no-turning-back choice, or one you could back out of if need be?”  Many choose to keep their options open.

Why is that?  “We imagine more options mean more freedom.  And most people think that limitless freedom must be a good option.”  Drawing on The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz, Cooper says it’s ironic that “limitless choice doesn’t actually make us happy.  The number of choices available to us becomes over­whelming, and actually makes it difficult for us to ever have the joy of fully committing to anything or anyone.  Even when we do commit, we often feel dissatisfied with the choice we’ve made.”

The god of open options “kills our relationships, because he tells us it’s better not to become too involved.  He kills our service to others because he tells us it might be better to keep our week­ends to ourselves.  He kills our giving because he tells us these are uncertain financial times and you never know when you might need that money.  He kills our joy in Christ because he tells us it’s better not to be thought of as too spiritual.”

And yet, “The living God, the loving, triune God, didn’t create us to keep our options open.”   Jesus said you cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24).  So Cooper exhorts us, “Choose the God of infinite possibility who chose to limit himself to a particular time, a particular place, and a particular people.  Choose the God who closed off all other alternatives…” to pursue his bride, his church!