Decisions

A researcher from Columbia University put together a study on decision making, and concluded that the average person makes 70 decisions a day. That number turns into 25,500 a year, and a whopping 1,788, 500 decisions over 70 years. Most of these decisions are minor and insignificant. Choosing what to wear in the morning, what to eat for breakfast, or where to go for dinner certainly has some bearing, but those choices rarely lead to anything monumental. Other choices carry greater impact. Deciding whether or not to pop the question (or to say yes if he does), what to study in college (or whether to go at all), and whether to accept the job (or leave the current one) have long-term consequences. Some decisions seem unimportant at the time, but can have lasting results.

One decision stands out above all others because it has eternal ramifications. The choice to make Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of one’s life is the best decision that a person can make. This is a one-time decision as it relates to salvation, but a Christian must make a similar decision each day. Jesus said anyone desiring to follow Him must “deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow” Jesus (Luke 9:23). I only need to give my heart to the Lord once, but each day I have to choose whether or not I will live like it. Among the 70 decisions I will make each day, several of those involve choosing to willfully sin, or else choosing to deny the desire and make choices that are pleasing to God.

Other choices believers must make include putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), manifesting the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), meditating on the Bible (Psalm 1:1-2), and keeping an open line of communication with the Father (I Thessalonians 5:17). Some daily choices are insignificant, and others are just the opposite; but if the spiritual decisions are right, everything else will fall into place. If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life, the best choice you can make today is to call out to Him for salvation. If He is already your Lord, keep choosing to honor Him with each decision you make.