Do you ever feel like there are always a hundred decisions that you need to make? It seems that way to me all the time, everyday, all day long. Whether its for myself, my family, my job, my finances, my time, my friends, my co-workers… there are always so many things to decide. Oh yeah… and I really want to get those decisions right.
Recently I just so happened (or via Providence, take your pick) to read John 8 and Proverbs 4 on the same day and was struck by the weight of the truth – when considered together – of the following verses:
John 8:12 – Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:31-32 – So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Proverbs 4:26 – Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
After chewing on these verses for a while it hit me that in them there is a great promise and a required protocol.
The promise – In Christ we do not have to walk in darkness… AND… If we abide in His word we will know the truth and be free.
The protocol – Think before I act.
Previously, I have only thought of the promises in John 8 in regards to our eternal position before the Lord – which I believe to be true of these verses – but it struck me as I read the verse in Proverbs that the reason we should “Ponder the path” of our feet (think before we act) is so that we might – walk in the light AND know the truth – in every decision we make.
Is it possible, that for a follower of Jesus, the only wrong decisions we should make be disobedient ones? Is it possible that these promises of Jesus apply to more than just our eternal spiritual position but also to our daily decisions? Is it possible that the key to unlocking these promises in my daily decisions is as simple as thinking before I act?
I am hoping and trusting that as I learn to be disciplined enough to actually think before I act (which for me is a continuous challenge) that the Lord will cause me to walk in the light and know the truth. If that is true then all the decisions I have before me will really boil down to just one decision – no matter the situation or the circumstances – to either be obedient or not.
