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PROGRAM D-7404
When you’re facing a decision that is neither black nor white, how do you know what is God’s best for you? Look at James 3:17 as a guideline for determining which decision is the right one. That verse says: “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
It must produce purity in our lives and not lead us into anything sinful, and it must also be peace producing.
Using our example of deciding whether to accept a new job or not, we continue to look at the criteria for decision-making that James gives us.
3. Considerate is the next checkpoint. Would taking this new job be inconsiderate of someone else? Perhaps it would demand much more of your time and you wouldn’t be able to keep other commitments you’ve made to your family, your friends, your church, etc. Or perhaps it would free up some of your time and allow you to be more considerate of others.
4. The next thing James tells us about God’s wisdom is that it is submissive. Is there something we’ve subconsciously been saying “Hand’s off, Lord. Don’t touch this.” It may not necessarily be some outright sinful practice, but we’ve retained the control of that thing in our lives and refused to submit it. It may be totally unrelated to the decision at hand, but that lack of submission could be the thing that’s keeping us from knowing the right choice to make.
5. Is it full of mercy and good fruit? God’s wisdom will lead us to decisions that develop and encourage mercy toward others and all the good fruits of the Spirit of God within us. Will this new job be a hindrance to our pursuit of these important eternal things? Key question.
6. Impartial and sincere are our last criteria. I think these relate to our motives. Which way are we leaning in this decision and why? Is it just because we want to make more money? That would be a motive you would have to look at carefully because Jesus told us we can’t serve God and Money. Motives are very important and sometimes we have to dig deep to see what our real motives are.
That’s our six-point checklist for determining if our decision is the one God would have us to make.