Decisions

When God created us He gave us an incredible gift –– a free will –– the power of choice. While God has provided us His Word to inform, guide and direct our decisions, He gives us the freedom to obey or disobey; to pay attention or ignore His instructions and commands. We get to choose what we will do and who we will become.

Freedom always carries with it consequences. Along with the liberty to choose comes the responsibility for our choices. God made this clear to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He placed before them two trees; the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He gave Adam and Eve a choice. Although they were His creation and owed their very lives to Him, God wanted them to obey and serve Him because they chose to, not because they had to.

With this freedom God included a promise and a warning. Eating from the Tree of Life would bring Adam and Eve great blessings, while eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would separate them from fellowship with their Creator and lead to their death. They had the freedom to choose, but their decision would determine their personal destiny!

Everyday we make decisions that carry significant consequences –– decisions that affect our destiny. Everyday our choices move us closer to God and His purposes and plans or farther away from the destiny He has designed for us.

The psalmist David understood the impact of his choices. This prompted him to pray a prayer we all should regularly remember and pray:

“Teach me your way, O Lord … ” — Psalm 27:11 (NIV)

“Point me down your highway, God; direct me along a well-lighted street … ” — Psalm 27:11 (Message)

David wanted to make sure he didn’t get pulled off of God’s course by a bad big decision or foolish little decisions. He wanted to learn God’s ways and stay on God’s path. He understood that his choices had consequences.

God has given us all a great gift –– a free will –– the power of choice. With this wonderful freedom comes responsibility. Our choices have consequences. Let’s use the gift wisely!

Dale O'Shields

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