How Graduates Can Make Wise Decisions
“O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would
consider their latter end!” Deuteronomy 32:29 KJV
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[July 08, 2008]
A
pastor friend called and asked for counsel: “A 13 year old girl in
my church is from a broken home. Her father left her mother and has
been living with another woman. The Dad has joint custody and
visitation rights and the girl went to visit him for two weeks.
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While
there the father let her do anything she wanted to do. Now the girl
wants to stay with her Dad instead of with her Mom who had some
rules that protected the girl. The girl and her Mom are coming to
talk to me. What can I say to them that will help the girl realize
she is really better off with Mom than with Dad?”
Life is not like a trip with no
destination and all we do is cruise around and around. Life is like
a trip where the destination should be determined before the trip
begins. Then the end of the trip determines the route you take to
get there.
God told Moses that the Israelites would demonstrate wisdom by
considering their “latter end.”
A key way to make wise decisions is to know the
Bible so well that you know what God says about the wisdom or
foolishness of the decision you are making. But another way to make
wise decisions is to talk with someone who has lived long enough to
know where a particular road of life will lead you if you follow it
to its end. The road marked “right” always looks better the further
you follow it.
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Life doesn’t lead us where we dream of going. Life leads us where
our choices take us. Wise choices are always made by looking at the
ultimate end of a decision to see where it comes out.
The wisest
choice of all is to trust Christ as Savior because the end of the
Christian life is heaven and the end of the Christ less life is
hell.
I said to my pastor friend, “Your only chance is to take the girl 10
years out in the future based on whether she lives with Mom with
rules or with Dad without rules. Show her where the two paths come
out.” The girl wept and chose wisely. She said, “Pastor, I know
you’re right. It was just such a great temptation!”
[S.M. Davis]
[pastordavis@juno.com]
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