A Wafer-thin Line

Every prudent man acts with knowledge.

Proverbs 13:16

There is a “wafer-thin line between success and failure,” writes Stuart Crainer in The 75 Greatest Management Decisions Ever Made.^a The difference is the quality of decisions we make. He cites the example of Reuben Mattus, a Polish immigrant and ice cream producer. When Mattus had trouble marketing his product to supermarkets, he created an expensive variety made from fresh cream and real fruit, and he decided to give it a sophisticated, Euro-sounding name—Häagen-Dazs.^b That decision made the difference.

Christians have an advantage when it comes to decision making. The Word of God gives us the grid of truth with which to evaluate circumstances and proceed wisely. We not only think through situations but we pray through them. We have the character of God and the truth of Scripture as compass needles. We have the promise of His guidance as a safeguard.

The Bible says, “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought . . . to their steps” (Proverbs 14:8, 15, NIV).

May God make us wise decision makers in all matters.

Only as we walk in close and constant fellowship with the Lord . . . can He communicate the knowledge of His will to us.

G. CHRISTIAN WEISS^c