Lesson 35 Explore 1: Make Decisions That Honor God
“The shrewd one considers his steps.”-
(Proverbs 14.15: The naive person believes every word, But the shrewd one ponders each step.)
1, 2. (a) What should be our primary concern in all the decisions that we make? (b) What questions will we consider?
WE LIKELY make dozens of them each day. Many are of little lasting consequence. Some, though, can have a profound impact on our lives. What are they? Decisions. In all the decisions that we make, big or small, our primary concern is to honor God.-Read
(1 Corinthians 10.31: Therefore, whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory.)
2. Do you find it easy to make decisions, or is it a challenge for you to do so? If we are to progress to Christian maturity, we must learn to distinguish right from wrong and then make decisions that reflect our own convictions, not those of someone else.
(Romans 12.1, 2: Therefore, I appeal to you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason. And stop being molded by this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, so that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.)
(Hebrews 5.14: But solid food belongs to mature people, to those who through use have their powers of discernment trained to distinguish both right and wrong.)
What are some other compelling reasons why we need to learn to make good decisions? Why is it sometimes so difficult to make them? And what steps can we take to make sure that the decisions we make honor God?
Why Make Decisions at All?
3. What should we not allow to interfere with our decision-making process?
3. If we are indecisive when Bible standards are involved, our schoolmates or workmates may conclude that we are not really convinced of our beliefs and therefore are easily influenced. They may lie, cheat, or steal and then try to persuade us to “follow after the crowd” by joining them or at least by covering up for them.
(Exodus 23.2: You must not follow after the crowd to do evil, and you must not pervert justice by giving testimony to go along with the crowd.)
However, a person who knows how to make decisions that honor God will not permit fear or a desire for acceptance to cause him to behave in a way that conflicts with his Bible-trained conscience.-
(Romans 13.5: There is therefore compelling reason for you to be in subjection, not only on account of that wrath but also on account of your conscience.)
4. Why might others want to make decisions for us?
4. Not all who want to make decisions for us mean us harm. Well-intentioned friends might insist that we follow their advice. If we are living away from home, our relatives likely still have deep concern for our well-being and may feel compelled to continue to involve themselves in important decisions we face. For instance, consider the matter of medical treatment. The Bible clearly condemns the misuse of blood.
(Acts 15.28, 29: For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you except these necessary things: to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!”)
Other matters that have to do with health care, though, are not clear-cut and require that each of us make a personal decision as to what treatment we will accept or reject. Our loved ones may have strong opinions on these issues. However, when deciding about those matters, each dedicated baptized Christian needs to carry “his own load” of responsibility.
(Galatians 6.4, 5: But let each one examine his own actions, and then he will have cause for rejoicing in regard to himself alone, and not in comparison with the other person. For each one will carry his own load.)
Our primary concern is to maintain a good conscience before God, not men.-
(1 Timothy 1.5: Really, the objective of this instruction is love out of a clean heart and out of a good conscience and out of faith without hypocrisy.)
5. How can we avoid suffering shipwreck of our faith?
5. Indecision can place us in grave danger. The disciple James wrote that an indecisive person is “unsteady in all his ways.”
(James 1.8: he is an indecisive man, unsteady in all his ways.)
Like a man in a rudderless boat on a stormy sea, he will be tossed about by shifting human opinion. How easy it would be for such a person to suffer shipwreck of his faith and then blame others for his sad situation!
(1 Timothy 1.19: holding faith and a good conscience, which some have thrust aside, resulting in the shipwreck of their faith.)
How can we avoid that outcome? We must become “stabilized in the faith.”
Read Colossians 2.6, 7: Therefore, just as you have accepted Christ Jesus the Lord, go on walking in union with him, being rooted and built up in him and being stabilized in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with thanksgiving.
To achieve stability, we need to learn to make decisions that reflect our faith in God’s inspired Word.
(2 Timothy 3.14-17: You, however, continue in the things that you learned and were persuaded to believe, knowing from whom you learned them and that from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, so that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.)
What, though, may hinder our ability to make good decisions?
Why Decisions Can Be Difficult to Make
6. How might fear affect us?
6. Fear may paralyze us-fear of making the wrong decision, fear of failure, or fear of appearing foolish to others. Those concerns are understandable. Nobody wants to make a poor decision, one that causes trouble and possibly shame. Even so, love of God and his Word can help us shrink our fears. In what ways? Love of God will motivate us always to consult his Word and Bible-based publications before we make important decisions. We will thus minimize the number of mistakes we make. Why? Because the Bible can “give to the inexperienced ones shrewdness, to a young man knowledge and thinking ability.”-
(Proverbs 1.4: To impart shrewdness to the inexperienced; To give a young man knowledge and thinking ability.)
7. King David’s example can teach us what?
7. Will we always make the right decision? No. All of us make mistakes.
(Romans 3.23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,)
King David, for example, was a wise and faithful man. Yet, he at times made poor decisions that caused suffering to himself and others.
(2 Samuel 12.9-12: Why did you despise the word of Jehovah by doing what is bad in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword! Then you took his wife as your wife after you killed him by the sword of the Ammonites. Now a sword will never depart from your own house, because you despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite as your wife.’ This is what Jehovah says: ‘Here I am bringing against you calamity from within your own house; and before your own eyes, I will take your wives and give them to another man, and he will lie down with your wives in broad daylight. Although you acted in secret, I will do this in front of all Israel and in broad daylight.’”)
Nevertheless, David did not let his mistakes undermine his ability to make decisions that had God’s favor.
(1 Kings 15.4, 5: However, on account of David, Jehovah his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up his son after him and keeping Jerusalem in existence. For David did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and he did not turn aside from anything that He had commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.)
We can be decisive despite past mistakes if, like David, we remember that Jehovah will overlook our errors and forgive our sins. He will continue to support those who love and obey him.-
(Psalm 51.1-4: Show me favor, O God, according to your loyal love. Blot out my transgressions according to your great mercy. Thoroughly wash me from my error, And cleanse me from my sin. For I am well-aware of my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against you—you above all—I have sinned; What is bad in your eyes I have done. Therefore, you are righteous when you speak, You are right in your judgment.)
(Psalm 51.7-10: Purify me from my sin with hyssop, so that I will be clean; Wash me, so that I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear sounds of joy and rejoicing, So that the bones you crushed will rejoice. Turn your face away from my sins, And wipe away all my errors. Create in me a pure heart, O God, And put within me a new spirit, a steadfast one.)
8. What do we learn from the apostle Paul’s comments about marriage?
8. We can lessen the anxiety we feel about making decisions. How? By realizing that sometimes there are several correct paths to choose from. Consider the way the apostle Paul reasoned on the subject of marriage. Under inspiration he wrote: “If anyone thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virginity, if that is past the bloom of youth, and this is the way it should take place, let him do what he wants; he does not sin. Let them marry. But if anyone stands settled in his heart, having no necessity, but has authority over his own will and has made this decision in his own heart, to keep his own virginity, he will do well.”
(1 Corinthians 7.36-38: But if anyone thinks he is behaving improperly by remaining unmarried, and if he is past the bloom of youth, then this is what should take place: Let him do what he wants; he does not sin. Let them marry. But if anyone stands settled in his heart and has no necessity, but has authority over his own will and has made the decision in his own heart to remain unmarried, he will do well. So also, whoever marries does well, but whoever does not marry will do better.)
Paul recommended singleness as the best course, but it was not the only right option.
9. Should we be concerned about how others view our decisions? Explain.
9. Should we be concerned with how others view the decisions that we make? To some degree. Note what Paul said on the matter of eating foods that might seem to have been sacrificed to idols. He acknowledged that a decision may not in itself be wrong, yet it could cause harm to someone with a weak conscience. What was Paul’s resolve? “If food makes my brother stumble,” he wrote, “I will never again eat flesh at all, that I may not make my brother stumble.”
(1 Corinthians 8.4-13: Now concerning the eating of food offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no God but one. For even though there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many “gods” and many “lords,” there is actually to us one God, the Father, from whom all things are and we for him; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and we through him. However, not all have this knowledge. But some, because of their former association with the idol, eat food as something sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. But food will not bring us nearer to God; we are no worse off if we do not eat, nor better off if we eat. But keep watching that your right to choose does not somehow become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone should see you who have knowledge having a meal in an idol temple, will not the conscience of that one who is weak be emboldened to the point of eating food offered to idols? So by your knowledge the man who is weak is being ruined, your brother for whose sake Christ died. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ. That is why if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat at all, so that I will not make my brother stumble.)
We too need to consider how our decisions will affect the consciences of others. Of course, our main concern is the effect that our choices will have on our friendship with Jehovah.
Read Romans 14.1-4: Welcome the man having weaknesses in his faith, but do not pass judgment on differing opinions. One man has faith to eat everything, but the man who is weak eats only vegetables. Let the one eating not look down on the one not eating, and let the one not eating not judge the one eating, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for Jehovah can make him stand.
What Bible principles will help us to make decisions that honor God?
Six Steps to Making Good Decisions
10, 11. (a) How can we avoid being presumptuous within the family? (b) What should elders keep in mind when making decisions that affect the congregation?
10. Avoid being presumptuous. Before choosing a course of action, we need to ask ourselves, ‘Is this my decision to make?’ King Solomon wrote: “Has presumptuousness come? Then dishonor will come; but wisdom is with the modest ones.”-
(Proverbs 11.2: When presumptuousness comes, dishonor will follow, But wisdom is with the modest ones.)
11. Parents may grant their children the opportunity to make some decisions, but children should not just assume such authority.
(Colossians 3.20: You children, be obedient to your parents in everything, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.)
Wives and mothers have a measure of authority within the family but do well to recognize the headship of their husbands.
(Proverbs 1.8: Listen, my son, to the discipline of your father, And do not forsake the instruction of your mother.)
(Proverbs 31.10-18: Who can find a capable wife? Her value is far more than that of corals. Her husband trusts her from his heart, And he lacks nothing of value. She rewards him with good, not bad, All the days of her life. She obtains wool and linen; She delights to work with her hands. She is like the ships of a merchant, Bringing her food in from afar. She also rises while it is still night, Providing food for her household And portions for her female servants. She sets her mind on a field and buys it; She plants a vineyard from her own labors. She prepares herself for hard work, And she strengthens her arms. She sees that her trading is profitable; Her lamp does not go out at night.)
(Ephesians 5.23: because a husband is head of his wife just as the Christ is head of the congregation, he being a savior of this body.)
Likewise, husbands need to recognize that their authority is limited and that they are subject to Christ.
(1 Corinthians 11.3: But I want you to know that the head of every man is the Christ; in turn, the head of a woman is the man; in turn, the head of the Christ is God.)
Elders make decisions that affect the congregation. However, they make sure that they “do not go beyond the things that are written” in God’s Word.
(1 Corinthians 4.6: Now, brothers, these things I have applied to myself and Apollos for your good, that through us you may learn the rule: “Do not go beyond the things that are written,” so that you may not be puffed up with pride, favoring one against the other.)
They also follow closely the direction they receive from the faithful slave.
(Matthew 24.45-47: “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time? Happy is that slave if his master on coming finds him doing so! Truly I say to you, he will appoint him over all his belongings.)
We can save ourselves and others much anxiety and grief if we modestly make decisions only when we have been granted the authority to do so.
12. (a) Why should we do research? (b) Explain how a person could do such research.
12. Do research. “The plans of the diligent one surely make for advantage,” wrote Solomon, “but everyone that is hasty surely heads for want.”
(Proverbs 21.5: The plans of the diligent surely lead to success, But all who are hasty surely head for poverty.)
For example, are you considering a business proposal? Do not let emotion rule. Gather all the relevant facts, seek the counsel of those familiar with such things, and determine what Bible principles have a bearing on the matter.
(Proverbs 20.18: By consultation, plans will succeed, And by skillful direction wage your war.)
To organize your research, prepare two lists-one detailing the benefits, the other the liabilities. Before you make a decision, “calculate the expense.”
(Luke 14.28: For example, who of you wanting to build a tower does not first sit down and calculate the expense to see if he has enough to complete it?)
Consider the potential impact that your decision will have not only on your financial health but also on your spiritual well-being. It takes time and effort to do research. But by doing so, you may avoid making hasty decisions that lead to unnecessary anxiety.
13. (a) What assurance is found at James 1:5? (b) How can praying for wisdom help us?
13. Pray for wisdom. Our decisions will honor God only if we invite him to help us in making them. The disciple James wrote: “If any one of you is lacking in wisdom, let him keep on asking God, for he gives generously to all and without reproaching; and it will be given him.”
(James 1.5: So if any one of you is lacking in wisdom, let him keep asking God, for he gives generously to all and without reproaching, and it will be given him.)
There is no shame in admitting that we need God’s wisdom to help us make decisions.
(Proverbs 3.5, 6: Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, And do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways take notice of him, And he will make your paths straight.)
After all, relying purely on our own understanding can easily misguide us. When we pray for wisdom and search out the principles in God’s Word, we allow holy spirit to help us discern our real motives for wanting to take a certain course of action.-
(Hebrews 4.12: For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints from the marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart.)
Read James 1.22-25: However, become doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves with false reasoning. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, and he goes away and immediately forgets what sort of person he is. But the one who peers into the perfect law that belongs to freedom and continues in it has become, not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work; and he will be happy in what he does.
14. Why should we avoid procrastination?
14. Make the decision. Do not rush straight to this step before doing research and praying for wisdom. A wise person takes time to ‘consider his steps.’
(Proverbs 14.15: The naive person believes every word, But the shrewd one ponders each step.)
On the other hand, do not procrastinate. A procrastinator may come up with outlandish excuses for not taking action.
(Proverbs 22.13: The lazy one says: “There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the middle of the public square!”)
But he still makes a decision-he decides, in effect, to let others control his life.
15, 16. What is involved in implementing a decision?
15. Implement the decision. The effort we expend to make a good decision can be wasted if we do not follow through and vigorously implement it. “All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power,” wrote Solomon.
(Ecclesiastes 9.10: Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might, for there is no work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave, where you are going.)
To succeed, we must be willing to allocate the resources needed to implement our decisions. For example, a congregation publisher might decide to pioneer. Will he succeed? He likely will if he does not allow excessive secular work and recreation to sap his strength and rob him of the time he needs to take care of his ministry.
16. The best decisions are seldom the easiest to implement. Why? Because “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.”
(1 John 5.19: We know that we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.)
We must wrestle against “the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.”
(Ephesians 6.12: because we have a struggle, not against blood and flesh, but against the governments, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.)
Both the apostle Paul and the disciple Jude indicated that those who decide to honor God will have a fight on their hands.-
(1 Timothy 6.12: Fight the fine fight of the faith; get a firm hold on the everlasting life for which you were called and you offered the fine public declaration in front of many witnesses.)
(Jude 3: Beloved ones, although I was making every effort to write you about the salvation we hold in common, I found it necessary to write you to urge you to put up a hard fight for the faith that was once for all time delivered to the holy ones.)
17. When it comes to the decisions that we make, what does Jehovah expect of us?
17. Review the decision and make adjustments if needed. Not all decisions work out exactly as planned. “Time and unforeseen occurrence” befall us all.
(Ecclesiastes 9.11: I have seen something further under the sun, that the swift do not always win the race, nor do the mighty win the battle, nor do the wise always have the food, nor do the intelligent always have the riches, nor do those with knowledge always have success, because time and unexpected events overtake them all.)
Even so, Jehovah expects us to persevere with some decisions though we may encounter trials. A person’s decision to dedicate his life to Jehovah or to make a marriage vow is not negotiable. God expects us to live up to such decisions.
Read Psalm 15.1, 2: O Jehovah, who may be a guest in your tent? Who may reside in your holy mountain? The one who is walking faultlessly, Practicing what is right And speaking the truth in his heart.
Read Psalm 15.4: He rejects anyone who is contemptible, But he honors those fearing Jehovah. He does not go back on his promise, even when it is bad for him.
Most decisions, though, are less weighty. A wise person will from time to time review the decisions he has made. He will not let pride or stubbornness prevent him from adjusting or even reversing a decision.
(Proverbs 16.18: Pride is before a crash, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.)
His prime concern is to make sure that his life course continues to honor God.
Train Others to Make Decisions That Honor God
18. How can parents train their children to make good decisions?
18. Parents can do much to help their children learn how to make decisions that honor God. A fine example is one of the best teachers.
(Luke 6.40: A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly instructed will be like his teacher.)
When appropriate, parents can explain to their children which steps they themselves took to make a certain decision. They may also want to allow their children to make some decisions for themselves and then commend them when the decision works out well. What, though, if a child makes a poor decision? A parent’s first inclination may be to shield the child from the consequences, but doing so may not always be in the child’s best interests. For example, the parent may allow the child to obtain a driver’s license. Suppose the child were to break a traffic law and receive a fine. The parent could pay the fine. However, if the child is required to work to pay off the fine, he is more likely to learn to be responsible for his actions.-
(Romans 13.4: for it is God’s minister to you for your good. But if you are doing what is bad, be in fear, for it is not without purpose that it bears the sword. It is God’s minister, an avenger to express wrath against the one practicing what is bad.)
19. What should we teach our Bible students, and how can we do so?
19. Jesus told his followers to teach others.
(Matthew 28.20: teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”)
One of the most important lessons we can teach Bible students is how to make good decisions. To do so effectively, we must resist the urge to tell them how to act. It is much better for us to teach them to reason on Bible principles so that they can decide for themselves how to act. After all, “each of us will render an account for himself to God.”
(Romans 14.12: So, then, each of us will render an account for himself to God.)
All of us, therefore, have compelling reason for making decisions that honor God.
How Would You Answer?
• Why do we need to learn how to make decisions?
• How might fear affect us, and how can we overcome our fears?
• What six steps can we take to make sure that our decisions honor God?
Steps to Making Good Decisions
1. Avoid Being Presumptuous
2. Do Research
3. Pray for Wisdom
4. Make the Decision
5. Implement the Decision
6. Review and Adjust
[End of article.]