New Hope Notes
Impetuous Decisions
Divine Decisions
Pastor Elwin Ahu
October 15, 2006 - W0642
We make choices every day and many of them are inconsequential to our future, like deciding what to cook for dinner. Decision-making is unique to each individual. Most of our inconsequential decisions are impetuous in that they are made based on our whims or emotions at the time. They are made without thought and consideration to the consequences of those decisions. But, there are times when we should not make impetuous decisions as they may adversely affect our future.
What is critical here is not so much the decision that we make, but rather the process by which we make them. In other words, how we arrive at those decisions is what matters because it determines what is important in our lives. Decisions made regarding dating, financial choices, marriage or divorce, smoking and drugs will affect us for the rest of our lives. What are the consequences if you take that drink knowing you will have to drive home later. Our decisions are based on what guides us in our lives.
In the Bible, there is a man named Hezekiah who had done so much good for his kingdom but it only took one impetuous decision to erase everything good that he had done. Hezekiah did much for the Lord and had a great relationship with God. He cleaned up the corruption in the land and revived the land by destroying all the idols. Although there was a great revival in the land, Hezekiah seemed to concern himself only with current issues and not with the future.
His great mistake came when he showed the Babylonians everything he owned. Hezekiah had been ill and so the Babylonians came to him wishing him well. Because of that, Hezekiah began to reveal all that he had in his possession. The gold in the treasury, the temple and all that he owned. He didn’t know the true intentions of the Babylonians, yet he showed them everything. When Isaiah heard about this, he confronted Hezekiah, telling him that not only did he show them his strength but also his weaknesses…and this was not wise. Then Isaiah gave Hezekiah these words from the Lord:
“’In the future everything in your palace and everything your ancestors have stored up until this day will be taken away to
Isaiah was showing him that he was to lose everything yet here was Hezekiah’s response:
“Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘This message you have given me from the Lord is good.’ But the king was thinking, ‘At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.’” (2 Kings
Hezekiah was really thinking about himself and what would happen in his lifetime, and not at all about the future. He felt comfortable at the moment and that was sufficient for him. We often do that; we think that if we’re okay for now, that’s sufficient – without any consideration of the future. However, it is when we feel the most comfortable that we tend to make impetuous decisions because we think that everything will turn out right but God knows what is truly in our hearts:
“People may think they are doing what is right, but the Lord examines the heart.” (Proverbs 21:2 NLT)
· IMPULSIVE DECISIONS OFTEN RESULT IN REGRETTABLE CONSEQUENCES.
Hezekiah’s impulsive decision to show the Babylonians all that he owned resulted in the future destruction of all that the Lord’s people built up. Hezekiah’s impetuous decision and tragic result serves as a warning to us. We must allow wisdom, and not foolishness, to prepare us for divine and biblical decisions that will secure our future. So, the first thing you should do is:
1. set your house in order.
Invest in things that will last through time; make memories to last a lifetime. If you were told that your time here on earth would end soon, what would you do with that time? Most people would live their lives a little differently…
“In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet…came to him and said…’Thus says the Lord, “Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.”’” (2 Kings 20:1)
God is saying the same thing to all of us right now. We will all die…it is just a matter of time because truly our time is short here on the earth. So, what will you do now with the time you have left in this life? Wouldn’t you want to leave lasting memories that showed the worth of your life?
Becoming wise means identifying your destination and the investments you must make towards that destination. To do that, you must first:
· establish godly objectives, values,
Know what your objectives, values or motives are in this life. Write them down so you can articulate them and reference them when faced with life decisions. It is difficult to make wise decisions without a clear sense of your objectives in life and where you want to end up. Once you have those objectives and can articulate them, it will also be much easier to live by them. If you don’t do anything to remind yourself of those objectives, it’s very easy to drift from them in the daily choices that you make.
“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:5-6)
Romans 8 tells us that our first priority is to set up our Godly objectives. These objectives become the convictions we need in order to live up to our destiny.
Many people simply drift into decisions, such as marriage, without any planning. I have written down my objectives, prioritized them, and keep them with me wherever I go. Next to each objective, I’ve written a short description of what that objective actually means. These written objectives have become a safeguard for me. When tempted to compromise my faith, I will read these objectives over and over again to remind myself of my Godly objectives in this life. Your objectives should be your guidebook whenever you are tested in this world. Your written objectives/values will help keep you on a path of making right choices in each situation.
Of course, there will be times when we all get off-track of our values. There is a reason why that happens. In this society and world as a whole, there is a constant spirit of discontentment. When we are young, we want to be old. When we have a good job, we want better benefits. When we are single, we want to be married. And sometimes when we are married…
Living according to our discontentment is not what God wants us to do. Refuse to live by that spirit and instead:
2. live by a biblical definition of contentment.
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:15-16 NIV)
Be aware that the world feeds a spirit of discontentment. Experts estimate that we are exposed to about 3,000 ads each and every day. And in those ads, advertisers and marketers tell us to buy more so we can feel and live better. In 2005, $2.1 trillion were spent at shopping malls alone. Ads are aimed to fuel our discontentment. Ads want us to make choices based on feelings rather than on wisdom.
Let’s take a McDonald’s Happy Meal for example. It is simply a meal for kids that throws in a cheap toy and is called a “Happy Meal” – a meal that parents invest in that brings great joy to their children… for about a minute. The only person who is truly made happy by a Happy Meal is Ronald McDonald.
It seems ridiculous to think that children would think that they’d find true life contentment in a box but isn’t that the way we are sometimes? The only difference is that our “happy meals” get more expensive as we grow older. Instead, we should live by God’s definition of contentment:
“Godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8)
This passage makes it very clear that there is no object in this world that will bring us true contentment. Instead, the Lord says that contentment is a way in which you live your life because there is only one thing that you can take with you when you die and that is salvation. Salvation is a joy that never diminishes because you ultimately pass it on to others. And, salvation can only be acquired here in this life, not in heaven. It is something you need to have before you get to heaven.
Make your source of contentment a worthy lifestyle rather than material possessions, and when you develop that lifestyle…
3.
When you become distracted, it’s easy to forget your assignment. If the Devil can distract you and get you to make an impetuous decision, you can lose all that you’ve accumulated up because of one poor decision. Let’s take Hezekiah for example. Hezekiah was a man of God who took on adversity and boldly cleaned out God’s house yet, because of a temporary distraction (a lapse in judgment when he showed all his riches to the Babylonians), he lost everything. The devil doesn’t care about all the good you may have done thus far. He only needs one impetuous decision that will ruin your future by distracting you from your assignment.
On the contrast, Jesus never lost sight of His objective: “And He said to them, ‘Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, in order that I may preach there also; for that is what I came out for’” (Mark 1:38). Jesus’ values were eternal and He held strong to those values, even when success was in His midst and when His life was in peril. “He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Thy will be done” (Matthew 26:42). Jesus remained true to His assignment because He knew that life was not about Him. Similarly, life is not about you or me; it is about what we can do for others.
God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives but it takes some care on our part to see that through. The decisions we make throughout our lives will determine our success and impulsive decisions often result in regrettable consequences. To minimize impetuous decisions that could negatively affect your future, set your house in order and establish Godly objectives, live by a biblical contentment, and don’t forget your assignment! If we do these things, one day we’ll be able to exchange the salvation we acquire here on earth for an eternity with God in heaven.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Q1) Have you ever made an ‘impetuous decision’ that you regretted? How has it changed your life?
Q2) What are some of your life objectives, values, or convictions? How do they match up against God’s values?
Q3) What is your definition of contentment? How can you develop a biblical definition of contentment?
Q4) What do you believe is God’s assignment for you in this life?
Q5) How can you deal with those distractions that steer you away from your assignment?
Sermon notes ministry:
Jay Tsukayama & Rhonda Pang