Decisions!! Decisions!!

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

In John 6:63, Jesus said, “… The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” The same can be said of the above words of wisdom and inspiration from Proverbs - they are spirit and life. It is not by accident, but through a strong and enduring personal decision each of us make which directs our life in this path. Will I trust in the LORD with all my heart? Will I not lean on my own understanding? Will I acknowledge Him in all my ways? These three questions all relate to one spiritual decision we each face in our life. Will I commit my life to serving the LORD? When I choose to make this commitment, I also decide to trust in the LORD with all my heart, not lean on my own understanding, and acknowledge Him in all my ways. Every decision I make thereafter in life is affected and directed by my initial commitment to the LORD. I have now asked Him and He is eager to direct my paths.

The Bible is filled with men and women who faced similar choices in their lives. We will take this opportunity to be reminded of three outstanding examples. David was in his youth, Ruth in her middle-age, and Joshua in his older years when each faced a major decision and took a stand for the LORD.

David was but a boy when he first laid eyes on Goliath, a giant of a man over nine feet tall. He heard this man challenge the armies of Israel and saw these soldiers flee from him in great fear. David asked those who stood by, “…Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (I Samuel 17:26) Before Saul, David pleaded his case to go out against Goliath saying, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine” (I Samuel 17:37). As David neared the giant on the battlefield, his words of reply to Goliath included, “…I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand… ” (I Samuel 17:45-46). Did David trust in the LORD with all his heart? On that day David faced a life changing choice. Because the Philistine had defied the name of the living God, David decided he was the one to defend the honor of the LORD. While the odds against him were great, his trust in the LORD was greater.

Ruth was a Moabite woman, who like David, showed great courage in her own decision. Her Jewish husband had died and her mother-in-law, Naomi, prepared to return to Israel. Ruth’s attachment to Naomi was so strong that she was willing to give up the life and country she knew to go with her mother-in-law. “Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for where ever you go, I will go; and where ever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16). The living God of Israel was the God Ruth chose to serve. Her decision and stand for the LORD led her back to Israel, where she married Boaz and eventually became both the great-grandmother of David and a part of the lineage of Christ.

Joshua, our third example, was an outstanding leader of Israel. In his early years, he demonstrated great courage and trust in the LORD, when along with Caleb, he chose to believe that God would fight for Israel and deliver the land into their hand. As the successor of Moses, Joshua made many decisions which acknowledged God, and He directed the paths of Joshua and all Israel. In his final days, Joshua laid out the choice before Israel and reiterated his own decision and commitment with his words, “… choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, … But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).

We use these Biblical examples of thousands of years ago to bolster our own spiritual decisions in the 21^st century. Whether in our youth, middle age or older years, we may each take our stand for the LORD. Faith is a choice. Trust is a choice. Confession is a choice. Repentance is a choice. Forgiveness is a choice. Baptism for the remission of sins is a choice. Rising to live a new life in Christ is a choice. Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Savior is a choice. None of these come by accident or chance, but through a strong and deep personal decision and commitment.

With these spiritual decisions as the foundation of our life, all present and future choices are viewed in this light and directed in this path.

One of our weaknesses as humans is to on occasion lose focus or allow our commitments to weaken. If this applies to you, our hope is to encourage you in strengthening your spiritual focus and commitment. If you have not yet chosen to become a Christian, please consider the decision before Christ when He willingly shed His blood for your sins and salvation. Your own spiritual choice is between death and eternal life. Please choose to through baptism put on Christ, the only one through whom we may be saved (Galatians 3:27, Acts 4:12). May each of us choose to trust in the LORD with all our heart, lean not on our own understanding, in all our ways acknowledge Him, and in doing so, allow the LORD to direct our paths.

The Gospel Message February 2006

by Kevin Ferguson