Decisions

Sometime back, I watched, at least part of, the movie ‘Back to the Future’. This isn’t a review of that movie but somehow God used it to speak to me. I am sure most have seen the movie and I think I had seen parts of it before, but this time, one of the last lines spoken by Doc, the scientist, was what hit me, what spoke to me.

The girlfriend of Marty said something about the words on a letter she had received from the future had vanished. Doc told her the future for her hadn’t been written yet and that she and Marty would write their future each day. Such an amazing thought! The future is in each of our hands, at least part of it; we make choices each day that determines our future for years to come.

Each time any of us make a choice we write a line into our life’s book and that choice will dictate our path. I remember struggling with the decision of which college to attend. To me it was a life altering decision but as I look back on that simple decision I realize how it has molded my life and set me on a path. I met a girl at the college I chose, we got married, we had a son, we went our separate ways, and I raised my son. A simple decision about the place to play basketball and to get an education led to the place where I became a husband, for a short time, and became a father, for many years now. I can’t honestly say God was a part of that decision making; it was more based on my likes and dislikes. But God used it to bless me with my first son who is now one of my dearest friends; he is also very involved in the Lord’s work. Did I make the right decision? I have no idea what God had planned for me but I am very happy I made that decision. A decision about college determined a segment of my future.

A number of years later I remarried, we became very involved in the youth work at the church and I began to write. Even in college, I enjoyed writing and had something published in the school paper about a ‘snipe hunt’. I soon made the decision to get more involved with the Lord’s work and became the superintendent or a church affiliated youth camp. While serving there I became involved with the paper the camp published and wrote many article for that paper. After a few years the church called a new pastor, who was also the president of the camp, my boss. He decided I was too busy for the work with the paper and he took the job. I decided to give up writing, another change in my life over a simple decision.

Before I left the work of the camp I had taken training to become an Emergency Medical Technician. I needed such training for the camp; we were located in a very rural part of the county, maybe ten miles from the hospital. When I left the camp, I was offered a job as an EMT for the service in the county where I lived. I accepted with the condition that if a Paramedic class became available I could attend. We agreed and I began a lengthy career in emergency medicine. After about a year with the service I was asked if I wished to purchase it. My wife and I prayed and we felt it was God’s will that we get involved in this work. Shortly after beginning to operate our ambulance service we both began Paramedic training. All the decisions that have such a bearing on our future. We continued in this work for almost twenty years; then it ended with bankruptcy and divorce. It was God’s will for us to begin but along the way we pushed the senior partner, God, out. I can’t tell you that was one of my better decisions, but I made it.

There have been numerous decisions made in my life some good and some not so good. The best decision I have ever made and the one that determined my eternal future is accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was about ten. Yes Jesus was Lord then but throughout the years He has been and He hasn’t been. Many times I made the decision to make myself Lord of my life.

If you have never made that most important of all decisions then now is the time to make it. We are told in II Corinthians 6:2 that ‘now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. If you haven’t made the choice to accepted Jesus then you have made the choice to reject him, either way you have made a decision that affects your eternal future. Just as I was happy about my choice of the college I attended because of the results I want you to be happy with your choice about Jesus. Let me give you a hint; you won’t be happy if you continue to reject Jesus because you will spend eternity in Hell. Hell is a place of punishment created for Satan and his angels but is now the place of punishment for all those that refuse to accept Jesus.

If have chosen to accept Jesus then your eternity is certain but is your present being spent as it should be? We are told that we are saved unto good works. We weren’t saved just to keep us from hell but for us to serve God in this life. Joshua said ‘choose you this day whom you will serve, but for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’. Have you ever chosen to serve God? This is one of the good decision you can make.

We face each day with many decisions to make and many of those will have lifelong consequences in our life. What decision do you face now? Makes very good sense to me to ask the one that knows the future for help: ask God. Each day you write a page in the history of your life and make decision for the future of your life. Decide wisely!


Spreading His Word, Don