This Way Or That Way?

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

Every major corporation has values. A company’s core values are the operating philosophies or principles that guide an organization’s internal conduct as well as it’s relationship with it’s customers, partners, and shareholders. The question is do they hold any weight at all or are they meaningless words on a wall in the lobby of the company headquarters. Values are meant to have teeth and be more than a poster on the wall. Roy Disney said, “It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” 

In the same vein, when Christian values have teeth, when they are more than just words in the Bible, the decisions we make become a lot easier. One of the core Christian values is having God first in our lives. This means continuously seeking His righteousness and totally relying on Him. As humans we have the freedom of choice to decide what to do or not to do, but if we value God, we will look to Him as the foundation for all decisions. We value God when we acknowledge that He knows better than we do on what we need in our lives. Matthew 6:33 advises us to seek God and value God above all things. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Our job is not to assume that we know better…but to trust that God does what is best for us.

So when faced with a decision, we must evaluate what is the wisest choice. This is a time to decide the wisest choice based on your knowledge of Biblical values and your desire to put God first in your life. Is it putting God first if I do this deal that will call into question my integrity? Should I take this job, will the time restraints enable me to have enough time to be a good husband and father? Is there a part of this decision what will prevent me from keeping God first.

This is not a good or bad decision process. It is a question of what is best for you spiritually. How can you best use the gifts and opportunities God has given you? Think of Romans 12:2: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” 

Decisions are sometimes quick and easy and other times very hard. So be wise. Use your mind, use the Bible, use the cumulative wisdom of your brothers and sisters in Christ and make wise decisions. Of course after thinking through the wisdom of a decision you may find that you still have questions. Maybe you look to the Bible and you pray and you talk to friends and you look for counsel from your pastors. Let Biblical values and principles help you make those decisions.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some Christian values? How can we use those values to inform our decisions?
2. How can you make wiser decisions?
3. What can we do this week to feel more confident in our decisions?