Decisions, decisions, decisions! –

(A response to Chris Hamilton’s lecture and Biblical Decision Making)

Do you want a mocha or a latte? Hyundai or Lexus? USC or UCLA? Which one do I choose? Is it a sin to choose the mocha!?!? What if I’m not in God’s will and I choose UCLA but God wanted me to choose USC? Or maybe I decided to ask out Christine instead of Monica! Our life is ultimately determined by God. He is perfectly orchestrating everything according to his will. However, from a human perspective, we are making decisions every day that impact our lives. And this is the great paradox. God is sovereign but we are responsible to act according to his will. So how in the world do we go about making Biblical Decisions?

There are many, many examples of bad decisions in the Bible. David choosing to kill Uriah and living a lifetime of consequences. Israel deciding to not repent. Below are the two principles I learned*

Principle 1- You decisions change nothing

Principle 2- We must make good decisions.

God is sovereign. He created the heavens and the Earth. He is orchestrating everything according to His purposes and His plans. We are exactly where He wants us to be at the moment. Yahweh is in control and His purposes will come to pass. Hannah’s prayer is a great example of this! 1 Samuel 2:1-11

Hannah’s Prayer

Then Hannah prayed and said,

“my heart exults in yahweh

my horn is exalted in Yahweh;

My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, because I am glad in your slavation.

“There is no one holy like Yahweh; Indeed, there is no one besides you, nor is there any rock like our God.

“Do not multiply speaking so very proudly; let arrogance not come out of your mouth; For Yahweh is a God of knowledge, and with Him actions are weighed.

“The bows of the mighty are shattered, but those who stumble gird on strength.

“Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry cease to hunger. Even the barren gives birth to seven, but she who has many children languishes.

“Yahweh puts to death and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.

Yahweh makes poor and rich; he brings low; He exalts.

“He raises the poor from the dust; He exalts the needy from the ash heap.

To make them sit with nobles, and inherit a seat of glory; For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh’s, And He set the world on them. “He keeps the feet of His holy ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness, for not by power shall a man prevail.

“Those who contend with Yahweh will be dismayed; against them He will thunder in the heavens;

Yahweh will render justice to the ends of the earth, and he will give strength to his king, and he will exalt the horn of his anointed.”|

Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But the young boy ministered to Yahweh before Eli the priest.

Yahweh has the power to give and take away. He allows people to be rich and allows others to be poor. Whatever our situation, we are right where He wants us to be!

Our most important decision

-The most important decision we will ever make is to repent and believe. Many know the truth but not all will repent. Repentance is granted to us by God (2 Timothy 2:25)

If God is sovereign, why make decisions?

So do we just let go and let God? We are responsible for making decisions. Decisions that are obedient to God, authorities, and scripture as long as we aren’t required to sin. We make decisions with pure motives, wise decisions that glorify God in everything we do. There will be consequences to the decisions but we have the body to help us through and get counsel!

So no, getting a mocha IS NOT SIN in relation to getting a latte. It’s a preference issue. Choosing Monica over Christine is a preference issue. Now there may be some principals we can apply to make the wisest decisions, but ultimately, there is freedom in Christ.

Final thoughts

People will give all sorts of counsel. People will say things are sin when they aren’t. Or they may say your reasoning is not a good reason for the decision you are trying to make. Where do we look? We always go back to scripture and make decisions based on that. Ultimately, our decisions are not based on what someone says but what scripture says. We need to make sure we are Bereans, studying the Word every day for our own benefit, the benefit of others, and glorifying God to the end of our days. It is ok to disagree with a counselor as long as the decision doesn’t involve sin. Preference issues are a matter of choice. However, we will all give an account to God based on how we make decisions and the principals we applied. But there is joy knowing that God is in control, he is sovereign, and we can make decisions in accordance with His will. Just make a decision and trust in God’s sovereignty and providence. A truth that I need to remind myself of every day.