Decisions Have Ramifications

Have you ever noticed it is a lot easier to get into things than to get out? It’s easier to get into debt than get out. It’s easier to get into a relationship than get out. It’s easier to fill your schedule than to fulfill your schedule. And that’s why every decision we make, matters. Decisions have consequences.A lot of us are struggling with the consequences of past decisions that we made quickly and rashly. A major purchase with ongoing payments. A one night stand with a baby on the way. Quitting a job, lashing out at a friend, leaving a marriage, dropping out of school. It’s so easy for us to make quick decisions that carry with them long-term consequences. It’s why Proverbs 20:25 says, "It is a trap for anyone to dedicate something rashly and later to reconsider his vows" (HCSB).I think it’s also why some supposedly leave the faith. “Becoming a Christian” to them was a rashly made, emotional decision, without thinking through what it really means. It’s why the Apostle John wrote, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19).When we share the Gospel at The Bridge, we encourage seekers to thoroughly think through the commitment they are making. Becoming a true follower of Jesus is not a sometime thing, it’s a lifelong resolution. And Jesus made it clear that following him means some sacrifice. It’s giving up our will for his. It’s deciding to live his way and not ours. It’s traveling his narrow path, rather than our worlds’ wide road.What is your decision-making process? Do you tend to emotionally react, or do you think through the long-term ramifications of making a purchase, entering relationships, joining a church? Because it’s our past decisions that have brought us to where we are today, and it’s our present decisions that will lead us into tomorrow.“How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver” (Proverbs 16:16).