I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them (Deuteronomy 30:19–20, KJV).
Life is all about making decisions. The decisions we make can be the right ones or the wrong ones. Moses admonished Israel before he departed to consider the decisions they made. God had set the people up for success and under great spiritual leadership, but in spite of everything, they still could make the wrong decisions. He told them a basic truth: choose God and live.
Our poor decisions can impact us down the road—it may not be immediate, but there are long-term consequences. The decisions we make today can determine where we spend eternity. Right decisions are not always the cheapest, easiest, quickest, or the most comfortable. Most of the time, they can be expensive, hard, long, and uncomfortable.
We find a story about making decisions in Scripture about the young king, Rehoboam. His father had ruled the people harshly, but they wanted to know how he would rule (I Kings 12:3–4). We learn early on that we are all in control of the choices we make. Before we make decisions, we need to take time. Rehoboam set a good example by asking for 3 days (I Kings 12:5). We need to pray and ask the Lord to help us make our decisions. Don’t be hasty, but consider the cost (Proverbs 18:13).
We make the right decisions when we seek advice. God has placed leadership in our lives to give us knowledge and wisdom. When we don’t know what decision to make we need to seek them out! Paul said to follow Him as he followed Christ (I Corinthians 11:1).
The key to seeking an answer is to listen to the right advice we’re given—not the advice that matches what we “think” we should do. Rehoboam’s elders gave him the right advice (I Kings 12:7) but he sought out the inexperienced young men as well (I Kings 12:10). From their advice, he decided to be cruel and harsh to the people. The end result? The kingdom was divided and he lost everything. Remember, every voice is not the counsel of God.
We all have a direction to follow in this life. Our direction will determine our destination. God knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and we need to follow that direct He’s set. We may not know where we’re headed, but we need to look to the things above (Colossians 3:2) and to the One who is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
