DecisionsSample

Bad Decisions

Throughout history, there have been many really big, bad decisions. For instance, when Japan decided to invade Pearl Harbor, this was a bad decision. When Napoleon decided to invade Russia, or anyone decided to invade Russia, it was a bad decision. When anyone decided to invade Afghanistan, it has always been a bad decision. 

Many years ago, Xerox invented the basic interface used in the laptop and desktop computers way back in the 1970s. They didn’t see the potential in this, and so they gave away the technology and showed it to others. Steve Jobs saw it, copied parts of it for the Apple computer, and the rest is history. In 1962, a guy named Dick Rowe was working for a group called Decca Records. He decided not to sign a group called the Beatles because he was convinced that guitar rock groups were on their way out. Bad decision. The Beatles, of course, went on to be multimillion-dollar producers in the next few years. History tells us that there was a man, at one point, who sold the bottling rights to Coca-Cola for one dollar. Bad decision.

Have you ever made a really bad decision? Have you made more than one bad decision? Every one of us makes bad decisions, so we’re in good company. The Bible is full of people who made bad decisions: Adam taking a bite out of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Cain killing his brother. Lot’s wife looking back. Abraham having a child with Hagar. Pharaoh not releasing the Israelites earlier. David committing adultery with Bathsheba. The rich young ruler choosing riches over Jesus. Judas deciding to betray Jesus. Ananias and Sapphira deciding to lie to Peter and the Holy Spirit. 

Every day, God puts forth the option to be blessed or to be cursed, to have life, or to have death. He gives us the ability to choose which one we want. God has given humanity free will. In other words, God does not create humans as robots. He created us with a free will so that when we choose Him, He gets the ultimate glory. This is what separates us from the animals: we have this capacity to make choices. We can choose God and give Him glory in our life.