Question 1

What are some principles for making good choices?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 30:19-20“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life.”Always make choices that bring life. In other words, make choices that build up, that honor others, that focus on what God would have you do.Psalm 119:11I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.Listening continually to God’s voice in his Word will help you to see what is right and what is wrong.Proverbs 11:14There is safety in having many advisers.Another good way to ensure that you’re making good choices is to weigh carefully the advice of reliable counselors.Hebrews 11:8, 25-27It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. . . . [Moses] chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. . . . It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.When you let faith in God guide your actions, you are much more likely to make good choices, even against opposition.

Question 2

How do I know if I am making good or bad choices?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 13:10-13Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, . . . Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley. . . . and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.Genesis 25:29-34So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.If your choices are being guided primarily by selfish ambition or a desire for physical fulfillment, it is very likely that you, like Lot and Esau, are making bad decisions.1 Kings 12:6-8King Rehoboam discussed the matter with the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon. . . . But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers.Proverbs 12:15Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.If you reject the advice of proven wise counselors, as Rehoboam did, you are probably making a foolish decision. But if you listen to advice and weigh it carefully, you are more likely to make good choices.Proverbs 1:7Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline.If your decisions are being guided by reverence for God, then you are on the way to making good choices.Matthew 16:26“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”If your choices are guided primarily by a desire to gain the world (in other words, if those choices are focused on what you can have in the here and now for your own pleasure), then you will not be able to truly choose Jesus, and as a result, you will miss out on eternal life and the riches of the world to come.John 5:19So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing.”If you, like Jesus, keep continually in mind what God would have you do, then you are more likely to make good choices that honor him.Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.Good choices are always in keeping with the fruit of the Holy Spirit, while bad choices often involve rejecting the Spirit’s influence.

Question 3

If God’s will is going to happen anyway, do my choices really matter?

Accepted Answer

2 Samuel 10:12“Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord’s will be done.”Acts 18:9-11One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.Acts 27:22-25“But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.”There is a balance between trusting God and doing your part. While God sometimes uses miracles, angels, or the extraordinary, he more often uses ordinary people doing ordinary things to accomplish his will. He calls you to choose to follow him each moment, and he gives meaning to your choices.

Question 4

Does God choose us, or do we choose God?

Accepted Answer

John 1:9, 12The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. . . . But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.Ephesians 1:4-5Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.God’s desire has always been to have a family. He takes pleasure in bringing people into his family through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus makes it possible for anyone who believes and accepts him to become a member of the family of God.Romans 9:13-16, 22In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.” Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. . . . In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.2 Timothy 1:9God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.1 Peter 2:9You are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.James 1:18He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.God’s choosing us is a reflection of his character—love, kindness, goodness, mercy, compassion, and patience—not a reflection of ours. We can be loving, for example, but God IS love.John 15:14-16“You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”Jesus has chosen you and called you to make a choice.Deuteronomy 30:19-20“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life.”1 Kings 18:21Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.The choice of loving, obeying, and following God is yours to make. No one can make it for you.

Question 5

How do I encourage my family to choose God?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 6:4-9“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”Joshua 24:15-17“But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. . . . But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”Proverbs 22:6Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.Other family members, including your children, are motivated to choose God when they see you already choosing God—for a lifetime commitment and in everyday life choices. Having set a role model, you then encourage verbally through loving conversation and precept. If you make God and his teachings a priority in your family, you will see God becoming a priority in the generations to follow.1 Peter 3:1-5In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives.The most effective way to help a family member choose God is to be obedient to God yourself, which means being a truly loving, kind, caring, serving kind of person. Nothing turns others off so fast as loving precepts overshadowed by unloving practices.

Choices