Making Important Decisions

Making Important Decisions

It's important that we not only believe like Christians but also behave like Christians. So, today we are looking at how a Christian (Disciple) makes important decisions. Why is that important? It is important because how we make decisions & the decisions we make define us.

What your life is today & what it can be in the future is determined by the decisions you have made or will make. You can try to blame your parents, other people, the government, politicians, or the economy. But in the end your life will be impacted by the part of life you can control, your decisions. So decide carefully!

I'm going to assume that you are a Christian & that you want God's will for the decisions you are making. If you're not a Christian things get a lot more complicated & a whole lot harder. Non-Christians can make good decisions but believers have a huge advantage.

Foundation Truth about God’s will: God’s will is…

1-God’s Providential will = refers to those things God is going to do, no matter what.

2-God’s Moral will = refers to the dos & don’ts God has given in the Bible. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

3-God’s Permissive will = refers to things God allows, but does not direct.

4-God’s Personal will = refers to personal decisions & plans for our lives.

5-God’s Desirous Will = refers to what God desires to happen. (I Tim 2:3-4 NAS)

The more familiar you become with the Providential will of God & the more surrendered you are to the Moral will of God, the more you accept the Permissive & the Desirous will of God, the easier it will be to determine the Personal will of God in the decisions you make. Step 1 to deciding well:

#1 Check the Bible: When looking for guidance, check the Bible. It's a big book with plenty of practical guidance on how to live.

If the Bible says something is wrong, don't do it. If the Bible is silent, don't sweat it.

-Thinking about moving in with the person you're dating? Don't. The Bible advises

against pre-marital sex.
-Thinking about marrying someone who is not a Christian? Don’t! The Bible says

that Christians should only marry Christians.
-Trying to decide what color to paint your house? Whatever! The Bible doesn't say

which color God prefers so anything goes. I like white with blue trim.

The Bible doesn't tell us which job to take, where to invest in a 401k or whether or what classes to take. It does tell us to work honestly, invest wisely & study hard. Step #1. Check the Bible. Step # 2…..

#2 Pray for wisdom: “Wisdom is the most important thing; so get wisdom….. Treasure wisdom, & it will make you great.” ( Prov 4:7-8 NCV) If the Bible directly tells us to do something or not to do something, there isn't much need to pray about it. Just do what the Bible says.

If the Bible doesn't say something about the issue, pray & ask for wisdom. Try this. Instead of praying, "God, show me which house to buy or college to attend." Pray, "God give me the wisdom to figure this out & decide well!" The Bible says: “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking”. (James 1:5 NLT) This wisdom that God provides is a gift of God & we get it by asking. (Prov 2:4; 3:13 NCV) #2 Pray for wisdom:

#3 Ask for advice: None of us is smart enough or has enough experience to make totally independent decisions. Prov 15:22 “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Personally, I ask for a lot of advice when making major decisions. I ask Dori. I regularly seek advice from co-workers, from the elders in this church, from family, friends & professionals.

NOTE THIS: Not everyone's advice is equally good! We need God's wisdom to know who to trust & who not to trust. Multiple input is usually more helpful than just one counselor.

The best combination is a counselor who is both competent & Christian. Some friends are Christian but incompetent. Some experts are competent but not Christian. Sometimes we need to get expert advice from a nonchristian & spiritual advice from a Christian & then merge the best of both. But, the counsel of others does not relieve us of our responsibility. Advice is advice. Counsel is counsel. But the final decision is our own. #3 Ask for advice

#4 Do what seems best: When it comes time to actually make a decision–do what seems best. You checked the Bible, you prayed for wisdom & you got counsel & you are still not sure but it's time to choose. Just make a decision. Will we usually have all the facts we need to make a good choice? Almost never! Will we be sure to make the right decision? Sometimes, but not always.

I want to show you examples of how the Apostle Paul made decisions in the Bible.

-Acts 15:28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit & to us not to burden you with anything…
-Acts 19:21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, ……."
-Acts 20:2-3 Paul ..because the Jews made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for Syria,

he decided to go back through Macedonia.
-Acts 20:16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia..”
-1 Thess.3:1 So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens.
-2 Cor. 8:10 And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter.

These people didn't get a letter or text message from heaven. They didn't have absolute certainty. They listened to God, prayed for wisdom, sought counsel & decided the best they could with the information they had. #4 Do what seems best:

#5 Trust God with the outcome: Did they always get it right? That's a good question. By "right" do you mean that they had the perfect answer & plan? Or, do you mean that the process was thoroughly Christian?

We believe that we made a right decisions based on a pleasant outcome. If the job is successful, if the marriage is happy, if the house appreciates–then we seem to think that we made the right decision & discovered God's will. On the other hand, if the job is difficult, the marriage is not easy or the house depreciates in value we tend to think that we missed God's will.

Consider this: Discovering God's will has more to do with the process than pleasant outcome! All Christians have difficult times in their lives. That doesn't mean they missed God's will or they didn’t have enough faith or they made a wrong decision. (REAPEAT)

As Christians we live by faith. Faith means that we trust God for the outcome. We follow the Bible, pray for wisdom, seek out good advice, decide the best we can & then Trust God with the outcome.

When Dori & I were married we had no idea what our lives would be like. We did not know that we would have three children & four grandchildren? We did not know that we would most of our lives in Minnesota & Montana? We did not know that Dori’s dad would die so young? We did not know that we would have to deal with so many health issues.

We vowed to love each other "for richer for poorer, for better for worse, in sickness & in health until death us do part."

Marriage is about relationship. Dori & I have talked & prayed & argued & sometimes made major decisions with ease & other times with great difficulty. All the decisions were certainly part of our relationship but the relationship was far more important than the decisions.

Here’s the point: God's will & decision making is mostly about relationship! It is NOT mostly about choosing a mate or a career, making money & then retiring. It is mostly about a relationships with God & others. When making the important decisions of life we need to worry less about the outcome & focus far more on the relationship. Our relationship with God will involve "for richer for poorer, for better for worse, in sickness & in health until death brings us to heaven. We will get some decisions right & others wrong. It's the relationship that matters most of all.

Rom 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test & approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing & perfect will”.