Making decisions

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).

When you make decisions, what guides you?

For some, the path of least resistance is attractive. Going with the flow is much easier than swimming against the current. If it’s a struggle to get everyone to church on Sunday morning, why not just stay in bed and spare yourself the aggravation? You might not like the direction our government is taking, but is it really worth the effort to register and vote or write a letter to your representative in Washington?

When it is time to make a choice, many people are concerned how their decision will make them look to others. If your buddies want to go out and get wasted, do you want to be a wet blanket? When your co-workers grumble about their families during break, you don’t want to be the only person at the table who speaks fondly of their loved ones.

Since time and money are often in short supply, many folks make decisions based on how much value they are likely to get in return. When spending your money, which is the better investment—saving interest by paying off a loan early, or getting a tax write off for giving to a charity? How is your time better used—lowering your stress by relaxing at the lake, or serving the church as a volunteer?

What are your priorities? Do they include money, popularity, having a good time? Or do they focus on God, family, and making the world a better place to live? What is most important to you?

You are a high priority to God. He wants you to be a citizen of His kingdom and a member of His family. He wants to free you from your dark and selfish passions. He wants to bring you under His protection so you are not victimized by Satan and those he manipulates. You are so important to God that He sent His Son to die on the cross, a sacrifice that offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who want it. Jesus made it His top priority to make up for all the times when your priorities have been out of whack.

When it is time to make your next decision, stop and ask yourself what your priorities should be. Pray to Christ for guidance. And when you have the opportunity, spend some time reading His Good Book—it’s filled with people like you who wrestled with getting their priorities right.