Walking with the Wise #176: Choices

"The simple believes everything,

but the prudent gives thought to his steps."

— Proverbs 14:15

We are an impulsive generation that doesn’t think very much about the choices we make. Case in point, look at what is going on economically right now in Europe. Countries such as Ireland and Greece have become addicted to credit, purchasing all kinds of fun toys and things, but unable to pay it off, helping send the economically into a terrible economic crash—unemployment rates are soaring, young people are leaving their homelands to other countries to find jobs, scuttling any attempt at rebuilding a flawed infrastructure, setting their country back decades, even generations.

As believers, we must make sure that we are thinking about the consequences of our actions and choices. We are not to be impulse driven, instead, we are to be patiently relying on the Spirit of God to determine our steps while carefully planning ahead so that God’s kingdom might go forward and we might be of mightier use for the Kingdom of God.

Too much thinking for Christians has been impulse thinking, which comes from misunderstanding a variety of verses that speak about not worrying about one’s possessions (Luke 6:22-31), selling our stuff and giving to the poor (Luke 6:32-34), or not constructing barns for oneself and taking it easy (Luke 6:13-21), but such verses do not negate one’s responsibility of making wise and prudent choices. Instead, they teach us about the importance of not holding too firm a grasp on the things of this world. We are to plan, as far as we are, giving careful thought to our choices—whether they are spiritual, moral, financial, educational, physical, or emotional.

Let’s run the race that God has for us, making every effort to pace ourselves so that we might run the race wisely! Let’s be wise in our choices, giving careful thought to our choices so that God might be praised through them. Amen.