Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean That You Should!

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Paul says we are not our own. We were bought at a price. Having received our bodies as a gift from God, we are to use them to honor God. Problems arise when we see our decisions as separate from our bodies or too small to impact our life. If we want to honor God with our bodies, we have to first honor Him with our decisions. Not thinking things through is how just one wrong decision can lead us down a path of destruction that leaves a trail of pain, regret and devastation.

Like the church in Corinth, we easily buy the lie that grace means “I have the right to do anything” 1 Corinthians 6:12  (click verse to view and read) As Christians, our actions are covered by the cross. We have forgiveness for everything — past, present, and future. But grace is not an excuse to do wrong; it’s a reason to do right. There is grace, but there is also truth. God’s best for us is found on the other side of every decision, big or small. What is right for someone else is not always right for us.

Some practical questions to ask when a decision arises:

• Is there a specific command for or against it in the Bible?
• Will this draw me or others closer to Jesus or away from Jesus?
• Will doing this represent Jesus well?
• Is it necessary and helpful or is it a negative act causing hurt or pain?

The Bible is God’s Word, not a Magic 8 Ball. We as Christians need to cultivate intimacy or longing for Christ. The more we seek God in all that we do, the more we begin to think as He does and the easier it becomes to make decisions according to God’s word and to decide to do those things that are pleasing to Him. Take time right now to reflect on the following. 

• Do you seek God in the small decisions as well as the big important decisions?
• Have you ever made a seemingly small decision at the time that in the end actually impacted the rest of your life?

Life is filled with decisions that we have to make. Some of them are very small and seemingly of little importance at the time but so often we have had the smallest decision bring us lasting suffering and pain. Some decisions we know instantly that they are huge and life altering and we react in one of two ways. 1. We think we have this and burst forward without even a thought about seeking counsel from The Lord. 2. Because this seems huge we do go to The Lord, but do we follow His guidance? That varies. The key as a Christian is to get to a point that we go to God immediately for each and every decision, big and small. When we are in regular communication with Jesus we tell Him and go to Him about all things, we listen intently and even wait for His answer and for His confirmation. We must make prayer with Jesus a habit, an instant act that without hesitation we turn to. We will do a devotion in the coming days about waiting for the Lord’s answer and His confirmation. It isn’t always easy but it is very important.