Decisions

"Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’
‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.’
‘Which ones?’ he inquired.
Jesus replied, ‘“You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,” and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.”’
‘All these I have kept,’ the young man said. ‘What do I still lack?’
Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’  When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” (Matthew 19:16-22 NIV)

A life and its direction are comprised of the individual decisions one makes.  Of course, some decisions are vastly more important and consequential than others, but that isn’t always apparent at the time.  As we mature spiritually, we realize many of the decisions we have to make are opportunities from the Lord to go deeper with Him, but to the immature that may not be so obvious.  

In campus ministry, I witness often students eschewing opportunities the Lord is giving them to obey Him, to trust Him, or to be richly blessed by Him, while others embrace them.  It can be a decision to go on a retreat or mission trip, to join a small group, to give up friendships that are dragging them down, or, like the rich man, to sacrifice life as they know it to follow Jesus.  Most of these, except the last one, do not appear to be life-changing decisions, but they certainly can be.  

Last week, a student told me she wasn’t going on our retreat because her grandparents were coming to visit.  Then, at the last minute, they changed their plans.  This student could have stayed on campus for the weekend since she hadn’t planned to go with us anyway.  But, instead, she called me and asked if she could still go.  Over the weekend, she realized she had not fully committed her life to Jesus and was baptized.  Her decision to call me will always be a pivotal decision in her life, though at the time I am sure it did not seem that important.  

God is one who continually pursues us, whether we are deeply committed to Him, merely curious about Him, or completely dismissive of Him.  He wants none of us to perish into an eternity without His presence (II Peter 3:9), and He also wants us to know Him on a deeper level (Hebrews 8:10-12).  So, throughout our lives He will present us with opportunities to live with Him and to know Him.  And we will make the decisions that decide the outcome.

Today, be on the lookout for the opportunities the Lord gives you to know Him and to go deeper with Him.  And know, as with the rich young man, what you decide could have a major impact on your life.  

© Jim Musser 2014