Decisions

The decisions that we make do not take place within a vacuum. Our decisions often affect the lives of others. We recognize this truth on a grand scale, but not in the many routine decisions that we make daily. We could say, “if I had not chosen to go to this college, then I wouldn’t have met my spouse, had the children that we have, or lived where we lived.” But we don’t use the same reasoning when making a decision to do a good thing or some selfish thing.

I Samuel 14:24 says, “And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul laid an oath on the people, saying, ‘Cursed by the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.’ So none of the people had tasted food.” When we make foolish decisions based upon our own ego and wants, it usually affects many other people. Saul wanted the acclaim of victory and made his soldiers agree to not eat. When their strength failed, the battle turned against Saul and Israel.

Obstructed View

Sometimes, a heavy fog, snowy, or rain can obstruct our view and make driving hazardous. At those times, we should slow down or stop if necessary. Then, we can wait for the clear view to move forward.

Numbers 9:22 says, “Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out.” God led His people through the wilderness by a cloud and fire. Sometimes, the cloud did not move for a period of time, so neither did God’s people. They worshipped God and waited for His direction to move. Sometimes, our thoughts may be cloudy or confused. In those times, we should wait for the Lord’s direction while He strengthens us in the waiting.

Testing Counsel

James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” True wisdom, God’s wisdom, comes to us with these attributes. We can test all counsel and advice against these characteristics to ascertain whether the advice is true godly wisdom.

Godly wisdom will have no self-interest but will have our interests in mind. True wisdom leads to peaceful impact rather than quarreling. Godly counsel will come with a spirit of gentleness, not harshness. Godly advice is reasonable, not outlandish. True wisdom will demonstrate mercy and produce good fruits. Wisdom from above does not favor one person above another and is sincerely given with good intentions.

Hezekiah Did Not Hesitate

King Hezekiah was warned of the intentions of the Assyrian king to invade. He immediately prepared the city for battle as much as he could. Then, Hezekiah gathered the people together, well aware of their fears. But, Hezekiah knew that he had a mighty weapon at his disposal in the power of God.

In II Chronicles 32:8 Hezekiah spoke to the people saying, “With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” Where we place our confidence determines the strength of this confidence. If we put confidence in our intelligence and abilities our confidence has the strength of a human arm. Instead, if we place our confidence in God, that confidence comes with the mighty power and wisdom of God.

Identification

If we worked for a security company responsible for permitting access to a highly secret facility, we would be charged with the responsibility to fully identify qualifications for anyone seeking access. Jesus claimed to be God’s Son. We need to consider His claim and evaluate His right to make that claim.

Jesus is speaking to His disciples in Luke 9:20, “Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” Who we believe Jesus to be is the most important question that we must answer. If, like Peter, we believe Jesus to be the Christ of God, then our whole world is changed as we follow Him moment by moment and into eternity. If we don’t believe that Jesus is the Christ of God, then nothing is changed and we are left with our struggles now and forever.