Are Your Decisions Lead by God or by George?
Do you put your trust in God when you make decisions? When it comes to planning your next move, finances are usually a big consideration. Can you afford it? Will you have to save for it? George Washington, who appears on every one dollar bill, quickly becomes the decision-maker for your next move. Perhaps, instead of looking to George as “step 1”, we would be better off looking to God. Let’s look at examples in Scripture to compare the responses to Jesus’ calling.
Jesus Calls His Disciples
Matthew 4: 18-20
Picture this: While you’re at work in the middle of the day, a man walks by. As he passes, he tells you to leave what you’re doing and follow him. For context, this is your only source of income. How would you react?
For Peter and Andrew, they left “immediately”, showing that they believed in Him, trusted Him, and were ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their Messiah. James and John were soon after approached in the same way as they were mending their fishing nets. Their response was also to leave their work and follow Jesus.
Again, in Chapter 9, Matthew is called from his tax booth and, without hesitation, leaves to follow Jesus. Time and time again, these men placed God as their “step 1” decision-maker. Rather than trusting in their finances, comfort, or other people, they looked to and trusted in Jesus to guide them.
An Alternate Response
Still in the Book of Matthew, Jesus spoke to a rich young ruler who had many possessions and a lot of property. After a short discussion about what is required to obtain eternal life, ‘Jesus answered him, “If you wish to be perfect [that is, have the spiritual maturity that accompanies godly character with no moral or ethical deficiencies], go and sell what you have and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” ‘ – Matthew 19:21
After reading how the disciples responded, you’d imagine this is yet another example of someone leaving their trust in the world to rely solely on Jesus. However, in this case the rich young ruler left the conversation grieving and distressed. He treasured his possessions more than his relationship with God and was not willing to part with all that he had.
How Will You Make a Decision?
Today, the Bible is a closed cannon, so it’s not like we will be facing the decision to physically follow Jesus. However, with every decision we can choose to be guided by the world or by His word.
These decisions are often not a matter of salvation, but of sanctification. As we continue on our Christian journey, we are constantly faced with choosing between the path that leads us to a closer relationship with Jesus versus the many paths that have us relying on ourselves or the things of this world.
When we trust our circumstances to dictate our decisions, we’re pausing our trust in God and trying to do things in our own strength. John 15:5 reminds us that apart from Jesus, we can not do anything. Every decision you make should pass through the lens of Scripture. If the answer isn’t clear, spend time in prayer and in His word so that He can reveal the answer to you.
God is with us and will never forsake us. Silence the world around you and let Him guide you in your decisions. I guarantee His way is better.
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