An astute Religious Education
pupil once asked his teacher: “Why didn’t God stop Adam and Eve from eating the
forbidden fruit? His teacher replied, “Because God made Man in His likeness and
gave him the free will to choose what he wanted to do.”
Unfortunately, Adam and Eve did
not make the correct decision, and as a result, mankind fell into sin,
suffering, and death. Today, God has given us the free will to direct the
course of our actions. It is essential that we make the right choices in life,
because our decisions may not only determine our future but the future of those
around us too. Admittedly, making the right decision can be difficult, and
people often say, “I just don’t know what to do!” However, principles from the
Bible can provide guidance; we should follow them in all aspects of our lives,
in our religion, our marriage, and our occupation.
First, our decisions must be
according to God’s will. In other words, His plan for Creation, manifest on
earth and in Heaven (Mt 6:10). Jesus exemplified the meaning of following God’s
will when He prayed in the Garden
of Gethsemane: “...not as
I will, but as Thou wilt.” Our Lord also said, “Not every one who says to Me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My
Father who is in heaven” (Mt 7:21). When seeking God’s will, we should rely on
the power of the Holy Spirit through sincere and prolonged prayers. God will
then reveal His purpose to us through our daily living.
Secondly, our decisions must
always be compatible with the Truth. Human tradition, emotion, and partiality
often shun our rationality and judgement. We do not always recognize the Truth
at once, just as Jesus’ compatriots did not see Him as the Messiah. Therefore
it is important that we distance ourselves from our personal prejudices and the
influences of tradition and emotion, to weigh things objectively. But most
important of all we need to appreciate that the Truth lies in Jesus and His
words. The Lord said, “… the Scriptures.., bear witness to me” (Jn 5:39), and
“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). So, in seeking the truth, we
must draw near to Jesus, the Word of Life.
Everybody must, from time to time,
be expected to discern between good and evil and decide on a particular course
of action by relying upon his moral conscience. However, this measuring rod of
moral standards is sometimes questionable. For example, when a person first
sins, he may be pricked by the voice of his conscience, but on committing the
same sin repeatedly, he becomes increasingly unaffected. His conscience is
already “seared,” as the Bible says. What remains reliable is the Word of God
(Mt 24:35). We can depend on them, and our deeds will be judged by them (Jn
12:48). Therefore before making a decision, we should study the words of Jesus.
If He were in our situation, what would He do? What does the Bible say?
“For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecc 3:1). We find, throughout the
Bible, that God fulfills His plans at the appointed time: “But when the time
had fully come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the Law” (Gal
4:4). When He was preaching, Jesus often indicated that His time had “not yet come” (Jn 2:4; 7:6-8). On occasions, we may
feel that our decision-making has met with all the requirements mentioned
above. The final test remains: is this the time? If it is, God will move us to
act.
In conclusion, we can see that God
Himself will help us in making important decisions. As long as we rely on Him
through prayer and Bible study, He will always be there for us, and we will
make the right decision.