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Choices We Make

Sometimes, the choices we make and the habits we cultivate take us down a path God never intended us to travel.

I had a friend who was an engineer, highly skilled and intelligent. He worked for one of the largest multinational companies in the world. Unfortunately, circumstances forced him to lose his job. Unwilling to bow to the whims of the corporate world, he decided to venture out on his own, even though it was clear that he lacked business acumen. While the initial years were profitable, the competition soon got the better of him. As revenues dropped, this casual drinker was soon hitting the bottle more often. I tried to make him see things differently but in vain. One day he left home and his family, never to be seen again. That was twenty years ago.

Life is always about the choices we make, and living with the consequences. For every successful person, there is a graveyard of one who failed to reach his/her potential.

Solomon (I Kgs 11:1-2), Saul (I Sam 15:10-11), or Judas (Lk 22:4-5) could not live up to their potential, because of the ungodly choices they made. In contrast, although David committed adultery, Peter denied Jesus, and Paul persecuted Christians, God could use them mightily, for when He confronted them, they repented.

All our skills and experience will count for nothing if we choose unwisely and form ungodly habits. When we make mistakes, we need to be amenable to God’s correction.

For us to make the right choices, we need to seek the company of godly people, who can speak good sense into our lives (Pro 11:14). For every decision we make, we need to examine our motives (16:2). Do our decisions carry conviction in our hearts? Have we checked all options available, and considered possible outcomes? Have they been arrived at prayerfully, and do they in any way impact our walk with the Lord? And finally, are our decisions consistent with God’s design for us individually?

Then, if you are at peace with your choices, step out in faith, trusting the Lord. (Phil 4:7)

Dear Lord, help me to make the right choices and to follow the path of Your choice. Amen