Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:00 — 4.1MB)
How many choices do you think you make in a normal day? You probably would never guess 35,000 choices a day, but various sources estimate that an adult makes 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day. This sounds a bit absurd to me and I’m guessing it does to you as well, but when you think about all the choices you consciously and subconsciously make, you realize it’s a lot more than you might guess.
You have been given a free-will to make a multitude of choices in life about:
- what to eat
- what to wear
- what to purchase
- what you believe
- what jobs and career choices you will pursue
- who to spend your time with
- who you will date and marry
- what you say and how you say it
Not to mention all the choices you make for others—as a parent or a manager or a spouse! The list could go on and on, and each choice carries its own consequences—some good, some bad, some neutral. This ability to choose is an incredible power that we have each been given by God and our challenge as Christ-followers is to be sure we are choosing according to biblical principles.
Our choices pile up on each other over our lifetime, and if you get into the habit of making poor choices, that can take you to outcomes you really don’t want. But the good news is, you can establish good habits of making good choices and that means your life can go in a much better direction.
Some things to consider about your approach to making choices:
- Watch out for impulsive choices. They are often based on emotions or lack of adequate information and end up not so good.
- Watch out for procrastination—putting off choices that need to be made now. Procrastination is a deadly bad habit that needs to be purged and forsaken.
- Watch out for making choices to please other people, or choices just because they are popular. Those choices are often not in agreement with biblical principles.
Your approach to how you make choices—big and small—is the first important thing to consider because a good approach will lead to good outcomes.
I want to point out what the Bible teaches us about making choices, and we’ll look at some people in the Bible who make really good choices and others who didn’t. It seems like a good thing to consider as we begin this New Year.