Good morning, brothers and sisters.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 11:29, “So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.”
Was that a good decision or a bad one? Depending on what it was that you were deciding, your decision may have been followed up with another one, determining whether you made the right choice or not. Now if you were choosing which mug to use for your morning coffee, then you probably didn’t give it a second thought. But if you’ve thought back over the decisions you made coming out of high school or once you started to raise children, then those choices might very well carry the weight of the world with them. But how can you know for sure whether you made a good decision or not? I guess the simplest way is to assess whether you are happy or not with the way things are now. If your career path has gone as you hoped, then you’re probably okay with that set of choices. If the kids are becoming fine young men and women, then you may not beat yourself up as much as some of us. But maybe at least as important as the apparent outcome of your decisions are the reasons and methods you chose to reach those decisions. Specifically, why you did what you did goes an awful long way in determining the wisdom of your selection.
If, for instance, you did your very best, considered others to be as valuable as yourself, or wanted to make a difference, then how things turned out shouldn’t tarnish in any way the value of your decision. If you, like the disciples, determined to do what you did based on your abilities and gifts, then you should be able to rest knowing you made a good decision. But if you’re noticing a trend where self is your driving force and near and now is all that really matters, I’d say you’re going about making some less than desirable choices. The gospel would tell us that we should be the least of our concerns, and only to the extent that we lose ourselves can we hope to not be found wanting. So, good decision or bad? Which will it be?
As we seek Him today, decide to make your decisions based on kingdom values and the glory of the King.
Have a sweet Monday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
