By: John Mitchell
Before we make a decision, we need to think about what the consequences of that decision may be. Each decision we make either brings us closer to God, by staying on the narrow path to heaven, or it leads us away from God, by being on the wide road to hell. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there few who find it.” Matthew 7:13,14) I’ll show an example of a decision situation. Let’s say there is a young man named John on his 30th birthday, he tells his family that he is going to be a nicer person, and a more spiritual man, for the rest of his life. He then says that he is going to accomplish this by putting God first in his life every morning, and submitting his will to God’s will over him daily. Before going to bed John prayed and promised God, that God would be first in his life every morning, and always. The next morning comes and the alarm clock goes off at the same time it always does. John rushes to get dressed and grab something to eat, and then he’s out the door to rush off to work so he won’t be late. While driving to work, John said to God; “Dear God, I’m really sorry that my morning prayer time with You didn’t work out this morning. I’ll try to do better tomorrow morning. Dear God, please bless my day, and help me to accomplish all that I have planned to do today?” God will not bless John’s day because John is being disobedient to God. Not keeping his promise to God is disobedience. And not putting God first in his life is disobedience to the word of God. “But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) And God will not help John to get his plans accomplished, because God is our Creator and not our servant, to help us to live our life the way that seems right to us. We are God’s servants, who are supposed to be accomplishing His plans for us. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) That night John went to bed at the same time, and he woke up at the same time. He did manage to read one sentence of scripture, and say a quick prayer as he was rushing out the front door to drive to work. “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed. Better not to vow, than to vow and not pay.” (Ecclesiastes 5:4,5) When we promise God that we will do something, and then we barely make any effort at all to keep our promise to God. That means that we thought our promise to God was of very little importance. To start with God can’t trust a person who doesn’t keep his promise to Him. By not praying in the morning, and considering your plans for your day more important than God’s plans for your day, you are telling God, “I know what is best for me, better than You know, I just need You to help me accomplish my plans for me.” John’s promise to God got reduced to, “If I get all my important things done, then I’ll try to work in sometime with God before I go to bed.” It takes a little extra effort for us to go to bed 30 minutes early and wake up 30 minutes, or at least 15 minutes early in the morning. We all need to put God first in our life, every morning, of every day. When we choose to follow our plans for the day we are on our own. God is not going to bless disobedience. God has a plan and a purpose for all of us. We must be a Christian to be able to experience God’s plan and purpose in our life. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose,” (Romans 8:28) A person may think that it is a little thing to not put God first every morning, and always. Every day that we choose to live our life our way, and not God’s way, it is a very big consequence, because we missed out on whatever God had planned for us on that day. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but God knows everything that is in our future. Every day that we are submitting to God’s will over our life, He is preparing us for all that is in our future. Living our life our way sets us up to be knocked off our feet by the surprises in our future “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they all were written, the days Fashioned for me, when as yet there none of them.” (Psalm 139:16) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” (Psalm32:8) “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us not willing that any should perish.” (2 Peter 3:9) God truly does not want anyone to perish, but we have to come to repentance. It is true that many do not come to repentance. “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14) As Christian servants of God, we have work to do. God has good plans for us, and when we can’t spend15 or 30 minutes in the morning reading some scripture and praying that God’s will, will be done in our life, in that day, then we are on our own for that day without any help from God. If we are faithful obedient servants of God, we can stand amazed at what God has planned to bless us with. I want to add one more scripture. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5,6)