LIFE IS NOT MADE BY MY DESIRES, BUT BY MY DECISIONS.

The above was our theme for our Friday night class. I wanted to expand on what is involved in a decision. From the message Wednesday evening I thought that the following verse would be good to teach from:

Luk 9:57 And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

This man had decided to follow Christ. I asked the class how this man felt. I got six different answers: emotional, exuberant, excited, proud, challenged, and political. The class felt that he had gotten an emotional high from deciding to follow Jesus. His brain rewarded him with a good feeling. However, Jesus wants this man to be prepared for the cost of follow through:

Luk 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Jesus consistently taught that the way was narrow. There would be hardships and persecution, maybe even from friends and family. When we follow Christ, we need to get rid of all the addictive substances in the house. (I know of one man who ruined his septic system when he poured all his liquor down the drain!) We may need to change our phone number. We might even need to move to another neighborhood. We need to add bible study, pray, church attendance, etc. There may be a hundred things we need to do or stop doing.

Jesus knows how the brain works. After the initial high feeling there would be obstacles that we all face in the follow-through of making a decision. We don’t initially realize the conflict, effort, anxiety, and temptations that oppose that good decision. The dopamine hit from the previous day is gone and the changes we need to make feel less urgent. Some might keep putting off things until tomorrow. Tomorrow! 



Share your decisions with other Christians of the same mind. Don’t isolate yourself. Follow through on good decisions.

Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Ron Cox – Director of HOPE Ministry