We all know that we become that based on our decision which we have taken in past. Decision is nothing but a choice that we make about something after thinking about it. At times life gives us various choices. Sometimes it is two or sometimes it is more than hundred choices. We have to look at those choices and decide which one is better for us. We need to make the right decision in order to reach the right destination. Most of the time the choices are such that only one of those choices can be selected though we desire to have all of them .So we need to be careful when we are selecting a choice. As Christians our decision should be based on the scripture. Let us look into the scripture and see for our self what it has to say about decision making.

 

             In 2 kings 7:3-8 We see four leprous men at the entrance of the gate. These four leprous men were isolated from the people. They were the people who had no hope in life. They were kept away as people feared them that the disease they have would come on them. They asked each other why are we sitting here until we die? And they said to each other if we will enter the city the famine is in the city and we shall die there. And if we sit here we die also. Now therefore come let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive we shall live and if they kill us we shall but die. This four leprous men had three choices to make.

 

             First choice-They can remain sitting at the place they are. Second ,they can go to the city where there is famine  and finally they can go to the Syrian army and surrender their life to them. They decided to choose the third option as there was a hope of living in it. If the army of Syrian would allow them to live they could live. So they went to the army of Syrian. And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there.  For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!”  Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives.  And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also ,and went and hid it.Thus they made a right decision due to which their life changed. If they had decided to go for the first and second choices they would have died without becoming a blessing to others.

 

              In verse 16 of the same chapter we see a fine flour was sold for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel , All this happened because they made right decision. Thus they received blessing in their life and they become a blessing in other peoples lives all because they choose the right option.

 

              In Ruth 1:6-22 We see two daughter-in-law of Naomi, Orpah and Ruth. Both of them Moabites ,both of them lost their husbands to death. One of them Orpah decide to go back to Moab ,while Ruth decide not to go to Moab. She says to her mother-in-law. “Entreat me not to leave you ,Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people ,And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die ,And there will I be buried .The Lord do so to me, and more also ,If anything but death parts you and me.”And she remained strict with her decision .Because of her decision she went to Bethelehem where she met with Boaz and later married him .Thus  she became the great grandmother of king David. Her name is mentioned in the genealogy of Christ. She received such blessing all because of her decision to remain with Naomi her mother-in-law and serve the LORD to Whom her mother-in-law served.

 

             In 1 Samuel 1:1-18 We see here a women named Hannah who had no child as she was barren. She was married to Elkanah who also had another wife called Peninnah. Peninnah had children so she used to provoke Hannah severely to make her life miserable. Hannah used to go year by year to the house of the LORD and Peninnah would provoke her therefore she wept and did not eat. Though her husband loved her more than Peninnah still she was not satisfied at all. But once she made a vow in the house of the LORD “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”After making a decision to provide her son for God’s work. She went her way and ate and her face was no longer sad. Because of such a decision she made in her life God opened her womb. She became the mother of a great prophet and a last judge of Israel called Samuel. Not only that she also became mother of three sons and two daughter. She who was always sad became glad and a prayer which is mentioned in 1 Samuel 2:1-10.

 

               In bible only two books are based on the names of the women. One of them belong to Ruth another belong to Esther. Esther was a Jewish girl who was brought under Mordecai who was her cousin. There came a time in her life that she could decide whether to help Jews or not. But she decided to help the Jews by saying this to Mordecai "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” We see later that this decision of her to help the Jews according to Mordecai's will changed the life of Jews. Jews were able to destroy all their enemies only because of this decision made by Esther.

 

               Now we have seen how a right decision made progress in the life of those individuals who made it. Now what if the decision made was faulty.  We see in the book of Genesis chapter three how Adam and Eve sinned. They did ’nt made a good decision. They first decided not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But when Eve came across the words of the serpent, she changed her decision due to which sin entered the world and death through sin (Romans 5:12). Thus Adam and Eve died a spiritual death. They were taken out of the Garden of Eden. They lost their privilege which they had previously.

 

                In numbers 14:39-45 we see how children of Israel was going against the order of Moses. They decided to fight the Amalekites and the Canaanites which was not according to the will of God. Their decision was not right due to which they were defeated by their enemies.

 

                We see that, in the life of Jonah he was called to preach in Nineveh a great city. But he decided not to listen to God’s words due to which he had to face great difficulty in the ship which was heading toward Tarshish. He was thrown out of the ship and swallowed by a great fish. All this happened in the life of Jonah because of his wrong decision. He should have obeyed the word of God and decided to go according to it.

 

               We see how a right decision made some good changes in the life of those people who made it, while the opposite was found in the life of those who made a wrong decision. There are many example in the scripture but only few are mentioned here.

 

               We see in the teaching of Jesus where He speak about decision making. Few examples are mentioned here below:

 

               Jesus says to enter through the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life and there are few who find it. Jesus is showing that there are two choices. One can enter a narrow gate and one can enter a broad gate. But He is telling that it better to enter the narrow gate rather than entering the broad gate since it leads to life.

 

               In another place Jesus says no one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Thus Jesus is making a statement that you have to decide to Whom you have to serve whether God or money. Jesus also said “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Thus Jesus is giving His audience to choose whether to hear and obey His words and be like the wise man who built his house on rock or hear his words and does not obey them  and be like the foolish man who built his house on sand.

 

                We all know that one day we are all going to die. No one can escape death. But how we are going to live before we die is important. Can you like Apostle Paul say “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”?(philippians 1:21) Can you decide to live a life on earth which is only for Christ? Thus by dying you may gain Him in your life. Can you like Apostle Paul say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”?(2 Timothy 4:7) The scripture is clear it says in Mark chapter 16:15-16 And He (Jesus) said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned”.Today you have to decide to believe in Jesus so that you be saved.

                                                                  Conclusion  

                                        

                My dear friend,  if you have not decided to live for Christ till now do it now. Because this decision you make is an important decision you will ever make in your entire life. This decision which you will make will bring blessing in your life. May God bless you.