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Power Point with Jack Graham - March 28, 2005

 

March 28, 2005

 

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the LORD and depart from evil.

--Proverbs 3:7

 

Some people don’t adjust well to having so many choices in life. When many of us grew up in the 1950’s and before, there were just so few choices. There were fewer kinds of toothpaste, cereal, cars, and so on. But now our world is just filled with an overwhelming abundance of choices.

 

There is a particular member of my family that doesn’t deal with the vast array of choices too well. For instance, we may go to the finest Italian restaurant in the area with an incredible selection of meals from which to choose. We’re excited about branching out on the menu and trying something new, but every time she just wants spaghetti and marinara sauce. When I suggest something new, she refuses wanting to stick with her usual dish.

 

Some people just don’t like all the choices we have to make. It’s one thing to decide what you’re going to eat or what to wear. I suppose those choices are of very little importance compared to some.

 

And there are some important decisions in life such as who you will marry, your career path, or what occupation best fits you. But the most important choice of all is your decision concerning Jesus Christ—who He is and what He came to do in your life. The most important life choice you can make is whether or not you will follow him.

 

As you read the stories of the Bible, you will discover that men and women of faith made these choices—some good and some bad. For example, Moses made a good choice—he chose to be identified as the deliverer of Israel and a man of God rather than a wealthy Egyptian Prince (Exodus 12; 2). Esther made a significant choice to save her people during a destructive time (Esther). But in the beginning, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and plunged the human race into pain, suffering, and sin (Genesis 2-3). Saul chose to disobey God and he lost his kingdom (1 Samuel 15).

 

Sometimes we are faced with difficult, demanding, and dangerous choices, but we are to make choices that honor the Lord without compromise. Our lives are shaped by the decisions we make. And not only are our lives affected, but the lives of those around us are affected. God gave us the privilege of making our own decisions, but we can never choose the consequences. Your decisions determine your destiny, so make wise choices in life—those that will bring glory to God and are blessed by Him.

 

FIRST WE MAKE OUR DECISIONS AND THEN

OUR DECISIONS MAKE US.