Making Decisions, Just Like God Does.

Being a Christian is to be like God. God opens doors, but he does not push us through the door.  He also shuts doors, but He does not prevent us from going around the closed door.  And as we wrestle with life decisions, I think we need to understand an important truth: God’s primary will for us is the God-like person we become.  We are to be God's image here on Earth.

Paul, an apostle of God says that God “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Ephesians 1:4).  In other words, we must strive to recognize that God’s primary will for our lives is not our job, how wealthy we are, where we live, or who we know; it’s who we become.  God’s basic desire for our lives is that we become people of excellent character and divine love.  Become God-like, being both holy and blameless, loving as God loves.  This does not point to perfection, only God is perfect.

Making decisions is an indispensable tool in the formation of excellent persons.  A big part of our job as Christians is to develop the capability to make God-like decisions ourselves.  Can you imagine if we always had to ask someone else to make our decisions for us?  Or if we lived in a situation where we are not allowed to make any decisions for ourselves?  That is life in a Marxist, or any dictatorial, regime.  This is living in sin and under the world’s control.  God desires that we, you and I, become truly God-like people, He insists that we make our own decisions.  God-like people with excellent will, judgment, and character get formed in no other way.  We make one God-like decision after another; many are about small issues; some are major issues.

I think the same is true of God’s will for a person's life, it will often be “You decide.”  Sometimes you pray for direction, and God seems to say “You choose.”  That means God cares more about our decision-making and our character than specifics like colleges, careers, cars, houses, etc.  Don't misunderstand, sometimes God really does have a specific assignment for specific people, like Moses taking on Pharaoh, or Saul becoming Paul, and God is able and willing to make this clear.  When the burning bush or the blinding light is necessary, the burning bush or blinding light will be there.  But much of the time, wisdom itself will actually guide us on the right course, if there actually is a "right" choice, in these big decisions.  God says He will give wisdom to those who ask, so ask for wisdom.  Be aware you are God-like, seek wisdom, and be aware of God’s presence, make God-like decisions.

A lack of specific guidance from heaven regarding which decision to choose does not mean God or we have failed.  Very often it is just the opposite: God knows we grow more from making a decision than if we were to get a clear, command from heaven that would prevent us from growing at all.  And we have a very limited view, our little decision may have a major impact on a fellow Christian.  So, practice, and make good God-like decisions on all your choices.  Each choice is an opportunity to practice.