Life’s Choices

12/31/06

 

 

(The following was used with a PowerPoint presentation, the asterisks indicate slide changes.)

 

*If all we had to do was pick out what to eat, life’s choices would not be so bad.  But the truth is, we have very serious life choices to make.  Our destiny depends on our choices.  The choices we make in life, determines our life.

 

*Choices can be overwhelming!

 

*Gal. 5:17  (NLT) “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.”

 

 

Every day we make choices.  Some are small and insignificant, others are quite serious.  If we make a bad choice on a place to eat, we simply won’t go back. No big deal.  Who we choose to marry, for instance, is a big deal!

 

*When you are in high school one thing you hear often is “What are you going to do with your life?”

 

The person who learns at a young age to seek God’s direction for their choices is wise!

 

*How do you know which door to walk through?

 

Don’t think that life is left to chance, luck or good fortune.

 

*College is a major decision.  Should I go to college?  If so, where do I go.  What do I take.  Should I go to a trade school, Business school, law school or maybe a medical school.  These decisions will affect the rest of your life.

 

*Jer. 29:11 (NLT) For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

 

Fitting in God’s plan is making the right choice.

*Making expensive purchases require good judgment.  Good decision making.

 

For instance buying a car.

 

Does God care about those kinds of decisions?  Yes He does!

 

*Pr. 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. ⁶Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.

 

*What about a place to live.  Do I rent or buy.  Maybe you are wondering if you should sell the home you have and buy something different.  A wrong decision with a major financial investment can bring tremendous pressure and stress.

 

*1 Pet. 5:7 (NLT) “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.”

 

*What about the person you plan to spend the rest of your life with?  This is a very serious decision.

 

The Bible says, “Whom God has joined together…”  Then we ought to let Him do it.

 

Mal. 2:16  (NLT) “For I hate divorce!" says the LORD, the God of Israel. "It is as cruel as putting on a victim's bloodstained coat," says the LORD Almighty. "So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife.”

 

*Having children is a tremendous responsibility.  Parenting requires the right choices and decisions that will affect not only your life but your children’s lives as well.  It’s easier to make some choices before we have children, but with children, some choices become much harder. 

 

*Show the picture of the little boy.

 

*How will you discipline your child?

 

*What will you do about your child’s education?  Will you home school, use Christian school, or use the public school?

 

*Are your choices showing your child a good example of what it means to follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord

 

 

There are so many choices as parents that you will make through out your child’s young life that will have lasting effects.

 

*Through out your life you may have to make serious decisions concerning your health.  Surgery, medical treatment or certain medical procedures may be something facing you even now.  These decisions are not always just for yourself, you may find yourself faced with a serious medical decision for a loved one.  These kinds of decisions can be quite stressful if you don’t rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 

*When a couple reaches retirement age there are other choices and decisions that must be made.

 

When to retire.  Are we able to retire?

 

Will we have adequate health insurance?

 

Will we be financially secure?

 

Will we relocate after retirement.

 

Do we sell our home and buy something smaller?

 

*Life involves so many choices.

 

Let me ask you some questions:

 

·        Do you regret any decisions that you have made through out your life?

 

·        Have you made any serious mistakes with your choices?

 

·        Do you dread being a decision maker?

 

·        For those of you that are married, is it hard for you as a couple to come to a mutual decision without it being hard and contentious?

 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, the Lord Jesus wants to show you a better way.

 

As Christians it is such a joy to know that our heavenly Father genuinely cares for us in every way. 

 

 

He wants to guide and direct us.

 

He does have a special path for us to walk.

 

He wants to show us the right door to walk through and the ones to avoid.

 

He desires to give us wisdom and direction with all of our decisions in life, whether they are small or big.

 

*Ps. 25:4  “Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow.”  (New Living Translation)

 

*Look again at:  Gal. 5:17  (NLT) “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.”

 

*Your choices are never free from conflict!

 

Each week when we have our elders meeting we start with prayer.  We all understand fully the danger of relying on our own opinions or our own reasoning.  We desperately need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our decision process.

 

It’s the same in our own individual lives.

 

*What may seem like a small choice could have big consequences.

 

*Lk. 19:17  “Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.”

 

Why would the Lord entrust us with larger decisions if we are not wise and faithful in the smaller ones?

 

*King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, made a terrible choice after he became king of Israel.

 

1 Ki. 12:1-15

 

Rehoboam made two great mistakes.

 

1.  He did not seek God.

 

2.  He listened to the wrong advice.

 

*Nabal made a terrible choice when he refused to give help to David when his men came and asked for it.  Because of Nabal’s stubbornness, he died from a stroke and his wife became the wife of David.  (1 Sam. 25)

 

*King Herod made a terrible choice when we had John the Baptist’s head cut off because he cared more about pleasing a wicked woman and his dinner guests than protecting a man’s life.  (Mk. 6:14)

 

*King Asa made a terrible choice when he sought help only from the physicians and not from the Lord.

 

2 Chr. 16:12  In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians.

 

*Don’t be enticed by what looks like a good choice!

 

*Gen. 13:8  “So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.

⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."

¹⁰ Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well

 

*watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

¹¹ So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:

¹² Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.

 

*¹³ Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.”

 

Lot’s character is revealed by the major decisions he made throughout his life.

 

He chose to pitch his tent with the worldly Sodomites, seeking riches and a life of ease rather than a path of obedience to God.

 

He prospered for a while, but this decision eventually led to the loss of his wife and having incest with his two daughters.

 

 

*Sometimes all it takes is one very bad choice to really mess up a person’s life.

 

That picture was taken from inside a prison cell.

 

*What are some principles of good decision making?

 

*Make sure that you have all the facts.

 

*Pr. 18:13  (NLT) “What a shame, what folly, to give advice before listening to the facts!”

 

We could say, “What folly to make a decision before listening to the facts!”

 

*Luke 1:1  “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,

² just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

³ Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

⁴ so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”

 

*2 Tim. 2:15  “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

 

Know the facts of what God really says in His Word!

 

*Be open to ideas other than your own.

 

*Pr. 18:15  (NLT) “Intelligent people are always open to new ideas. In fact, they look for them.”

 

A person who is teachable will most likely make good decisions.

 

If we think that our ideas are always the best ideas, we will make some bad decisions.

 

Someone who is open to ideas other than their own is a good listener.

 

*Ec. 5:1  “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

² Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”

 

 

*Seek God’s guidance.

 

*Pr. 29:18  (NLT) “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild...”

 

Be convinced that God’s will for your life is perfect!

 

Pray about every decision you make.

 

*Seek the advice of trusted friends.

 

*Pr. 12:15  (NLT) “Fools think they need no advice, but the wise listen to others.”

 

*Make sure your decision is not based on values that contradict God’s Word.

 

*Col. 2:8  “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”

 

There is a value system in this world that is not God’s!  If you base you choices and decisions on the world’s system, your choices will be regretted.

 

*Right choices are not always easy, but they are worth it!

 

Right choices reflects your integrity.

 

When Jesus called Matthew to be one of his disciples, Matthew got up and followed, leaving a lucrative career.

 

Right choices are made on the basis of right faith.

 

Ÿ        Often we cannot see the consequences of our choices, Satan tries to make his way seem attractive and good and God’s way seem hard and unenjoyable.

Ÿ        When we know God’s will in a matter, we choose it by faith.

Ÿ        We know it is the right choice because it is God’s will, even before we see the results.

Ÿ        God’s will is the only reason we need.

Ÿ        When we choose God’s way, we put up the shield of faith, and the temptations and allurements of Satan are deflected

 

The story of the nails.

 

*Joel 3:14  “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.”

 

*The choice above all choices, is the choice you make about Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world!