Personal values, goal setting and decision making are key areas to explore. What does God's Word have to say about these vital subjects?
By Gary Petty
We all have to make decisions every day, like what clothes to wear or what to eat for lunch. We also face choices that can affect the rest of our lives—decisions concerning education, career and friends. Young people are confronted daily with far-reaching judgments concerning sex, drugs and other moral issues.
Decision! Decisions! Decisions!
The ability to make good decisions, determinations that make life more fulfilling without dire consequences, is called wisdom. King Solomon's wisdom was legendary. People came from all over the world to hear his solutions to disputes.
His most famous case involved a dispute between two women who both claimed the same baby. Solomon ordered the child to be cut in half so that each mother would receive a portion. The real mother cried out to give the baby to the other woman. Solomon awarded her the child saying that only the real mother would love the child enough to give it up.
Solomon is also famous for his great foolishness. He amassed great amounts of wealth, experimented with misusing alcohol and married a thousand women. The result of this lifestyle left him depressed and hopeless. His life is an example of how to learn to make wise decisions and the consequences we pay for making bad ones.
1. 1 Chronicles 28 and 29: Israel's King David instructs his son Solomon.
What general advice did David give Solomon?
What was David's advice in 1 Chronicles 28:9?
What was David's advice in 1 Chronicles 28:20?
What did David pray for his son in 1 Chronicles 29:19?
2. 2 Chronicles 1:1–12: What did Solomon specifically ask of God at the beginning of his reign, and how did it show that he put God first in his life?
3. What is wisdom?
4. How is wisdom different from knowledge and understanding?
5. 2 Chronicles 5, 6 and 7: After Solomon built the temple, what did God tell him to do to remain successful? (Notice 2 Chronicles 7:12–22.)
6. 2 Chronicles 8 and 9: Here is recorded the great wealth of Solomon.
7. 1 Kings 10 and 11: As he got older, what began to pull Solomon away from loving God?
8. 1 Kings 11:1–4: How could a boyfriend or girlfriend turn a person's heart against God?
9. Ecclesiastes 1 and 2: How did not putting God first in his life make Solomon feel?
Have your ever felt like you turned your back on God?
What was it like?
10. Ecclesiastes 11:9–10: What do these verses mean to you?
11. Ecclesiastes 12:1: What does this verse mean to you?
What do these passages teach about how young people should live?
12. Ecclesiastes 12:9–14: After his sinful escapades, what was Solomon's conclusion about how to live?
continued...
Principles for making wise decisions
• Ask God for wisdom. In James 1:5, we are told that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God for it. Asking God for wisdom doesn't mean He is going to make the decision for us or give us a series of mystic signs to guide us. God wants us to learn how to make wise decisions. The way we learn this is by making decisions. Study these scriptures: Job 28:12–28; James 1:5.
• Search the Bible for knowledge and understanding. Study these verses: Proverbs 1:20–33. A monarch who used the Bible to fit his own idea is Charles I of Spain. Charles was advised to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama long before the United States built the Panama Canal. If Spain had completed the project, it would have radically changed the balance of power in North and South America.
Charles didn't want Spain to construct the canal, so he looked for the most powerful source available to support his position—the Bible. The scripture he chose as support was, "What God has joined together let no man put asunder." We have to be careful to let God talk to us through the Bible instead of misusing the Bible to fit our own preconceived ideas.
• Ask yourself these important questions:
How does the decision fit my life's mission statement?
How does the decision correspond with God's standards for my life?
How does the decision correspond with my foundational values?
How does the decision correspond with my life's goals?
• Gather all the facts.
Make a "pro" and "con" list for each option.
Consider the effects of your decision on others.
Don't make snap decisions.
Take time to consider the facts and emotions involved.
Be careful about allowing preconceived ideas or prejudices to override sound judgment.
• Seek wise counsel.
Study these scriptures: Proverbs 1:5; 11:14; 12:15; 15:21-22; 19:20.
• Make a definite decision.
Study this scripture: James 1:6-8.
• Once you make a decision, you must take action toward its completion.
We must put forth the needed effort to make our decisions successful. Study these scriptures: Proverbs 10:4-5; 12:24; 21:5.
• We must have faith that, if we have done all we can, then God will work things out for our good.
Study this scripture: Romans 8:28. A wrong decision, and its consequences, must be viewed as a valuable lesson instead of a reason for totally giving up.
Wrap-up
• Wisdom is the ability to make right decisions.
• King Solomon is an example of someone who had wisdom, but squandered it by letting himself be influenced by others.
• Real wisdom comes from putting God first and seeking His ways.
To do
Apply the principles for making wise decisions to some of the decisions you face.