Some thoughts after seeing some billboards-the X Factor

So, the X factor...
I confess I generally avoid it, except the first third of the series, which is generally watching some funny auditions. After this, I lose interest, and wait until the winner will release their one and only single, to then vanish. Who has heard anything by Steve Brookstien lately? Or G4? Shane Ward? Andy Abraham? Or indeed, if we go throughout the many reality TV shows, we find that out of all of them, it's only Girls Aloud that are doing much these days...
Anyway, on the bus this morning a billboard for the X Factor caught my eye. This is what it said :"Make the biggest decision of their lives." That was all. It's obviously trying to get people to vote.
Now that is interesting. For one, it's not at all down to those involved. They all have talent, one is not better than the other, they cannot guarentee themselves a place in a recording studio. Neither can the judges, who have taught and mentored them. They have their opinions, and indeed predictions, but they can't do a thing for them either.
It is down to the viewing population of Britain. They cast the votes, and to be honest, it's not always about who is the better singer, which it actually should be about. People vote on looks, personality, talent, and indeed in my dad's case, whether they are Welsh or not (It's going to be a dilema for him this year...with no less than 2 Welsh finalists)
That billboard encourages you to help cast a person into fame, or back to their day jobs.
Interesting isn't it?
When I looked at that billboard, I thought about the most important decison of my life, the decision to follow Jesus as Lord. That decision was made for me, according to the Bible, have a look at Romans 8:28-30:

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

(For more on Romans 8, see my earlier post http://storytimewithaled.blogspot.com/2009/09/some-thoughts-on-romans-8.html)

These verses tell us thus. Firstly, God is Sovereign. He is at work in this world, for His glory, and therefore our good. He has known from the beginning, indeed predestined us from the very beginning to be saved by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Secondly, God is merciful. He has predestined us, called us to Him, and justified and glorified us by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

Therefore, it is not up to us that we are saved, for if it were, some of the glory would go to us and not God.
God gives us the decision, made, by His mercy in sending Jesus to die for us. "Make the biggest decision of their lives", Jesus has already done it.!

For some more Bible truths of predestination, check out Ephesians 1:4,5,11, 2:1-10; Romans 9:14-29; Acts 13:48; John 6:44)