Choices & God's Will

Read a friend's blog recently and was really quite enlightened about the question we have about God's will: How do we know the choice we make is God's will for us when faced with two good choices? This is a question that has been asked in cell group and a question that Christians usually ask.

When You Have Two Good Choices

Ray Pritchard

Keep Believing Ministries

An email arrived from a friend with a question that came up during a discussion time with some young women–most of them in their early 20s. All the young women are single. Here is the question that came up during the discussion:

“How do you make decisions in life when both roads seem to be good?” We were talking about having a “willing spirit”, and I asked them if there was anything God was asking them to do and if their answer would be yes to whatever he was asking of them. Some of them are faced with future decisions and not sure how to come about with making those decisions, especially like I said before that both roads seem good. I think they just don’t want to make a “wrong” decision. Thoughts?

This is a nice kind of question compared to a lot of things people ask me. The real answer is that with the Lord, when your heart is truly willing and open, there are no “wrong” decisions. Sometimes we get hung up on doing the “perfect” will of God and being in the “center” of his will. While I understand what those phrases mean, they are not describing a biblical perspective. The truth is, you can’t know in advance how your decisions will turn out. Sometimes (often) we choose to go in one direction only to find out later that it didn’t work out the way we expected. And sometimes we seem to foul up only to discover that God uses that difficult time to deepen our walk with him and ultimately to get us where he wants us to be.

The only thing God wants from us is an open heart to do his will. And if our hearts are open, when faced with two “good” choices, and when we have prayed, meditated, studied Scripture, considered the circumstances, weighed the pros and cons and sought godly counsel, when all of that is true and both options still seem good to you, well then, just close their eyes, take a deep breath, and then go and do whichever one you prefer. After all, God is perfectly able to lead us forward when we are willing to be led.

Sometimes we waste enormous energy seeking something God never promised. We want a guarantee. We want to know it’s all going to work out. We want all the uncertainty taken away. After preaching on this a few years ago, a man came up and said, “What you’re saying is, ‘We’ve still got to choose.’” Bingo! We’ve still got to choose. It’s going to be Wisconsin or Washington, dental school or the Army, Georgia Tech or Wheaton, Mike or John Mark, an SUV or a Mini-Cooper, a Mac or a PC, buying a new house or fixing up the one you have. You choose this doctor and that treatment and not some other doctor or some other treatment. And so it goes through all the decisions of life.

Knowing God’s will can never remove the uncertainty—nor should it. The uncertainty is good for us because it keeps us trusting and praying, it keeps us from being overly self-confident.

When your heart is right and you are faced with two good choices, take either one you like. And trust God with the result. If the heart is willing, the decisions of life will take care of themselves because God will direct your steps exactly where he wants you to be.

Final word. It all goes back to your view of God.

Is he sovereign?

Is he good?

Can I trust him?

It’s not about your decisions, and it’s not about your future, and it’s not even about you. It’s all about God. When we start from that perspective, we can make our decisions even in times of doubt and uncertainty, and we can sleep well at night knowing that our God will put all the pieces together in exactly the right way.

Bible Definition of Love.

Been thinking and reflecting recently, have been really upset over a certain issue in my life. Its been bothering me quite a bit. Been asking lots of questions like, God why does this have to happen to me? What are you trying to teach me through this experience? Lord I can't understand what the hell is going on!
After careful thought, I've been reminded about the need to love one another, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Its been a struggle because I often use human logic to make sense of their actions and then decide if what has been done was wrong or right. If the person does right to me, I will love the person. Otherwise, he or she is just being a bitch and there is no reason for me to love that person.
Was just doing some reflection and this verse from 1 Corinthians popped up:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5

After reading this verse by written by Paul, I was immediately convicted of the kind of love I have been showing in my own life. Too often my love for a person tends to be self seeking and I can only love when I feel good about the person, or the person has done something good for me or has benefited me in some special way. That's just any normal human's way of loving.
Well, clearly my concept of love is flawed when compared to the standards defined in the bible. Christians are called to love others even when others do not love them first.

God be my strength, Help me to love others the way you have shown love to me when you died on the cross for my sins. Your perfect love displayed when you died on the cross for all.

Pain

My heart burns. Sometimes the person you care for the most, hurts you the most.


God be my strength.


"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He restores my soul."
Psalm 23:1 & 3