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THIS LIFE: HOW TO MAKE GODLY DECISIONS

Decision making

ELISABETH CARTER looks at what she’s discovered about the art of making (Godly) decisions…

Decision making

PICTURE: Thomas Drouault/Unsplash

I have to admit, I’m not very good at making decisions.

Well, to clarify – I actually am great at making decisions quickly…but the approach I take to making a decision really isn’t the best. I tend to make up my mind very quickly, based on my gut, and that can often mean I get attached to a choice that may not actually be ideal.

But lately, I’ve been trying to slow myself down, and to make decisions with more patience and wisdom. I know that as a Christian, I have been called to honour God with my whole life, and part of that is honouring him with the way that I approach making choices.

This past year or so, my husband and I have been making some really big decisions, about things like career and where we live. We haven’t always done very well at wrestling with these choices, but as we continue seeking to serve God with our decisions, this is how we’re trying to approach decisions.

We ask ourselves: does the Bible say anything specific about this?
Sometimes when you need to make a decision, the Bible is very clear on what you should – or shouldn’t – do. For example, if you were considering marrying someone who doesn’t follow Jesus, the Bible is clear: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (II Corinthians 6:14)

Then we ask: does the Bible have any general guidance on this topic?
Because the Bible was written long ago, and often for specific audiences, we need to glean general guidance that can apply to our unique, modern situations. For example, when deciding which car to buy, we might turn to passages that offer teaching on wise use of money, caring for families, or even our responsibility to the environment.

God has given us the Bible as our guide, to show us how to live a godly life. It contains all we need to know about living a life that honours Him – it just might take a bit of work to figure out exactly how to apply Biblical wisdom to our situation.

What if many options are Godly?
Some of the decisions we have faced in the past year have not been between a Godly thing or an ungodly thing, but between multiple things that could actually all be good decisions! In those situations, making a choice can be really hard.

What we’ve found useful is making a list of our priorities, and then making decisions that honour those priorities in that order.

For us, our top priorities in order are:
1. Following Jesus
2. Loving and serving each other
3. Caring for our immediate families, especially my husband’s non-Christian family
4. Being involved in ministry at our church
5. Growing our careers

We’re currently exploring buying our first home, and this list of priorities has been really helpful. For example, because we prioritise our families so highly, we have decided that we won’t move too far away from them.  

And if we still can’t decide…
Sometimes, even after considering the Bible’s wisdom and our top priorities, the best choice is still unclear. At this point, surprisingly, the Bible actually advises simply flipping a coin!

At the beginning of Acts, the disciples need to replace Judas after he betrayed Jesus and killed himself. They select two men carefully, who have been with them since the beginning, and then we are told, ‘they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs”. Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.’ (Acts 1:24-26)

The disciples recognise that ultimately, God is in control and while they have done all they can to make a wise decision, the outcome was always in God’s hands anyway. So they give it over to him!

And of course, they cover it all in prayer. This is really the most important part of making decisions – and why my inclination to listen to my gut before anything else is problematic. Prayer is how we align our will with God’s, and so we must bring all our life choices – big or small – before God, relying on his wisdom for our future. 

 

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