W4 | Making Godly Decisions

20 May W4 | Making Godly Decisions

Posted at 14:51h in June, Topics 2025 by FUSE Jakarta

REFERENCE BIBLE VERSES

John 14:15-17 (NIV) | If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) | Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

OBJECTIVE

To make decisions based on biblical principles and our love for Jesus Christ.

CONTENT

PRINCIPLES VS. PREFERENCES

French philosopher Albert Camus once said that life is a sum of all our choices. From hitting the snooze button to the donut we fix ourselves by lunchtime, modern life poses millions of comfortable choices tailored to our fleeting desires before we can even realize our judgment has been impaired by a single moment of temptation.
Do we tend to incline ourselves to the biblical framework or strictly to our individual desires? Notice the dominant patterns we tend to lean into, as they will determine the trajectory of our lives. As believers, ultimately, we are to base our decisions on God’s promises. This means we allow the Spirit of truth to guide us, offer discernment, and ensure our decisions are safe within the bounds of godly principles. In loving rebuke and piercing convictions, the Holy Spirit equips us to bear witness to the truth and the ways of Jesus Christ within our lives.
Along with the Helper, God reveals His will through the Word. The Bible is more than the sum of operating guidelines--it is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps. 119:105). When wielded, the “sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17) can pierce through worldly virtues and expose what is outside of God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will (Rom. 12:2). Regularly meditating upon the Word and praying over the truth equips us for excellence and goodness even as we incorporate personal preferences in our decision-making.

OBEDIENCE UNTO DEATH

Making decisions isn’t always as simple as choosing God’s will over our own. God has made us all unique and placed complex circumstances that are unique to our human experience. This is so that we can taste and see, by faith and not by sight, the different facets of His wisdom as the church is one body with many parts (Ps. 34:8, Rom 12:5). In the event we get stuck in a moral dilemma, we as believers are called to make informed choices that acknowledges the entirety of a person’s life, yet faithfully remain within the context of the Spirit’s leading and guidance.
Take the example of the Garden of Gethsemane: Jesus was so overwhelmed that He’d rather have His Father remove His cup. Still, He said, “yet not as I will, but as you will.” The choice to take this cup, despite His sorrow, was duly informed and carefully considered:
- It’s been prophesied for centuries that He is the Savior of humanity
- Without His crucifixion, the Father would be eternally filled with grief due to our moral decay
If we claim Christ is the Lord and Savior of our lives, this truth should be part of our core identity and play as the central factor in every aspect of our decision-making process.
At times, denying our personal preferences to prioritize God’s glory can be disconcerting. Yet God loves to present unexpected providence when we faithfully work out our salvation alongside the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:28). As a father loves his child, He calls us to reflect His Son’s exemplary maturity and obedience in our daily decision-making. The reward for our work does not end with death. Instead, the sum of our life choices, even those we deem as mistakes, will carry over across eternity.

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

REFERENCES