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is this for you?
Jack Nicolson put it brilliantly in the road-trip scene from the 1999 movie As Good As It Gets:
Not everyone has a terrible story to get over. Some people have great stories, pretty stories that take place at lakes with boats and friends and noodle salad. Just no one in this car. But, a lot of people, that's their story. Good times, noodle salad.
If you're riding with me, know that I speak from personal experience. If you can relate, scroll down. More than anything I want you to know, YOU matter to God. IT--whatever it is, matters to God. But no one can make that discovery for you. I count it a blessing to encourage you along the way.
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How to Make Wise Decisions
To make a wise decision we must first ask God for wisdom and then (here's the hard part) wait for it. Let's face it, we live in an "I want it NOW" world. If we pray for wisdom and refuse to wait, we can fall into the trap of making a decision we believe to be God's will, only to discover we acted impulsively. 'Been there, done that.
James 3: 17 describes the characteristics of the wisdom we need to make important decisions.
"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."
After years of asking for wisdom and seeking the will of God, I am just realizing that James 3: 17 is our check-list for whether or not the decisions we make are rooted in wisdom from above:
- pure- does not require anyone to sin
- peaceable- steady calm inside our hearts
- gentle- obedient to the Word of God (humble)
- willing to yield- resist our own impulses and wait for instruction from God
- full of mercy- not made from a place of offense, self-preservation, anger, or neglect of another
- will produce good fruit- a healthy outcome glorifies God and ushers in His blessings
- without partiality- when we refuse to consider wise counsel, we won't hear from God clearly
- without hypocrisy- does not compromise Christian integrity
Simple, not always easy. I encourage you to read James 3: 17 the next time you have an important decision to make. And trust God with the outcome!
Published on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 @ 1:51 PM CDT
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