Good morning, Church Family and Friends,
When I enrolled in college years ago, one of the classes I took my freshman year was a requirement for every student. It was a course in applied logic. The purpose of the course was to aid students in the art of decision making. The college administrators knew that intelligent decisions are not only necessary in business, but they are also necessary in life.
I’ve read that the secret of Napoleon’s military success was the quick, firm, and sometimes terrible decisions in the early years of his military campaigns. In later years, however, Napoleon became indecisive. The battle of Waterloo may have been lost in part because the Great Conqueror couldn’t make up his mind. Learning how to make decisions is an absolute essential for successful living.
In the New Testament there are a couple of passages that should be studied by most all of us. Ephesians 4:14 says, “Don’t be carried about by every wind that blows,” and 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us, “Be sober in your thinking.” Those admonitions contain wise advice for all of us.
Several years ago, a man was interested in buying some land in southern Louisiana. He accompanied the developer to look at one particular tract on a hot, dry August day. The land was level and marked with tall stakes. The man was so impressed that a deal was made on the spot. He went out to survey his land frequently until winter came. Then one fine spring day the man went out to visit his land again. The spring rains had come, and it took him a while to locate his new property. It was only accessible by boat, and all he could see was the top of the stakes. He learned an old lesson the hard way. You don’t buy land on a hot, dry day in Louisiana,” it’s been said. “All you may own is the bottom of a lake.”
I am a pastor, and I talk to people in every conceivable circumstance. They come to see me when life has knocked them down, and when they are trying to find direction. I often try to say two things to them. First, bewilderment always follows a crisis. Don’t make any decision you don’t have to make. Give yourself time to sort things out. The other thing I try to say is contained in a sentence written by someone a long time ago: “Never forget in the dark what God has told you in the light.”
I have found on dark and troubled days that instead of dwelling on the adversity, it’s better to recall some of God’s great promises. “All things work together for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28), or “Cast your burden on the Lord; he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22). Some things you can’t handle alone; you must entrust them to a Higher Power. If you hold to God’s promises, light has a way of following darkness, and the sun finally overcomes the clouds.
It is important to know when to make decisions. At best we may not always make the right one. This, however, is certain: we have a better chance of being right when we remain grounded, when our heads are cool, and when we are not walking in the dark. It’s a thought worth remembering: “Never buy land on a hot, dry day. All you may own is the bottom of a lake.”
It’s important to know how and when to decide,
Bruce Jones, Pastor
Imagine Church
