Seeking Wisdom in Our Decisions

   Daily we are confronted with choices which require that we make decisions. Some decisions are easy such as what we will choose for lunch-a salad or a cheeseburger? Okay, maybe it's not so easy, but other choices demand a significant amount of prayer, wisdom, and wise counsel. As Christians, how are we instructed to make our decisions? Should our decision-making process look different than that of the world?

    In Luke 14, Jesus makes several bold declarations with regards to discipleship. He explained the cost of being one of his followers in saying, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” Jesus ends his teaching by declaring, “So, therefore any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Jesus explains clearly only those who are willing to assess the price and invest all they had into his kingdom were worthy to follow him. He set the cost of discipleship as high as possible and encouraged his hearers to carefully assess the cost of becoming his disciple before declaring their willingness to follow. In following Christ, a disciple forfeits following his impulses to purse the path of his Lord. Jesus made it abundantly clear in Matthew 7:13-14 in describing the narrow gate which is paved with difficulty in contrast to the gate that the world travels which is easy, but always leads to destruction. Jesus’ disciples simply cannot follow Him and the course of this world. There’s a choice to be made.
    

    Many years ago, during a homeschooling lesson with my children, I was teaching the lesson of the narrow and wide paths, and as I drew the two lanes splitting into differing paths on the chalk board, I said, “In your lives you will come to a fork in the road. You will have the opportunity to make decisions and each of those decisions will reflect a choice. One path will lead you to follow the Lord while the other path will take you far from him in the opposite direction following the world.” Looking at the drawing of the two diverging paths, my oldest daughter exclaims, “Mommy, that doesn’t look like a fork in the road, it looks like a Y in the road meaning why would I choose that path?” This was such an impactful lesson that I almost forgot who the teacher was supposed to be! Her deep insight was profoundly practical and is a timeless question which Christ followers should ponder with each decision we make. What is the “Y” (why) behind the path that you are choosing? Which path best follows the Lord and righteous living? What is the wise direction? Which path will hold you accountable in your pursuit of holiness?
     

     It is a grave mistake to believe Christians can follow Christ while also pursuing the things of this world. Christians are called to a much higher standard in the way we think (Romans 12:2) and in the pursuits of this life. Jesus was explicit in saying, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). Often one of the paths laid before us will entice us to bow down to the god of money promising a path of freedom, but at what cost? Make no mistake, the path is not truly free, it will cost you something. Will it cost you to forfeit your convictions? Will it cost you to lose sight of your first love (Revelation 2:4)? We are foolish to think we are able to make the same decisions and follow the same course for our lives as those who don’t know Christ while achieving a different outcome. Scripture is abundantly clear in warning, “Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Proverbs 13:20 goes on to confirm, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Our associations are powerful, and they will either have a righteous impact or they will become a corrupting influence.

     As Christians, the way we approach decisions should look different from the world. As Jesus’ disciples, our walk with the Lord and growing in holiness is our number one priority. Everything else is secondary. There are only two things that will last eternally-the Word of God (Isaiah 40:6-8) and the souls of men (Daniel 12:2); therefore, our spiritual life should take precedence over everything else this life has to offer. Jesus exhorted, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Often the choices that lay before us may seem obvious, but let us not forget Solomon’s admonition in saying, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). Remember, the path you choose will teach you many things along the way. Will the path teach you righteousness or death? Will it teach you godly character, morals, and holiness or will it cause you to “exchange the truth of God for a lie?” (Romans 1:25). Will the path offer godly friendships that will seek to hold you accountable, or will you be encouraged to follow your heart? The path you choose has a teacher who is eager to instruct you, so we would be wise to pay close attention to Luke’s warning, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). This is not a statement to take lightly. As you ponder the decisions before you, which teacher will you choose to instruct you? Which path will you choose? What answer will you give when you are faced with the question, “Why did I go that way?”