Saturday, May 25, 2013

Good, Better, and Best


There are many times in life where we must make a decision between things. The choice can be simple as in which candy should I eat or as difficult as which person should I marry or which job offer should I take. If we are not happy with the choices given, he or she may demand our right to choose. At other times people do not give us an option to make a choice and we demand our right to choose for ourselves. We do our best to make the right decision.   

When we become Christians, decision-making does not end. We are often given the choice between things. Sometimes we think our right is to choose between the choices God has given us. From a historical perspective, I see that sometimes this decision point is more than a chance to choose what we want. It is the oppor­tunity to choose between the good and the best. Consider the story of Lot and Abraham in Genesis 13. The herdsmen of each of these men argued over their rights to particular grounds upon which their cattle, sheep, and camels grazed. Abraham and Lot conferred on this and God gave Abraham the wisdom to tell Lot they should choose from the land God presented to them. Abraham offered Lot the opportunity to choose which land he preferred. Lot looked at the land and chose the green, fertile land on the Jordan River side of Bethel. This decision left Abraham with green areas and dry regions. Abraham chose to give Lot first choice. How did Lot choose? It appears he chose based on what he thought would make him more prosperous, the greener territory. He gave the land that appeared less prosper­ous to Abraham.  

Abraham did to Lot what God does to us; he gave Lot the choice be­tween two good things. Lot chose, though, what he, as a human, thought was best. In the end, the land Lot chose was not the best land, only a good place. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah was located in the region Lot chose and God eventually destroyed those two towns. Abraham received what appeared to be a good parcel of land. Occurrences soon showed him it was not just a good choice, but it was the best choice. God assured this land, as far as Abraham could see, as the Promised Land for the family from the line of Abraham (see Genesis 17). Lot had the preference of choosing and he chose instead of seeking God’s will to get the best. Abraham had the option of choosing first, but gave the choice to Lot. Abraham chose the best, by honoring his nephew with respect by allowing him to choose first. From Abraham’s decision, the best decision, God provided the best land, the chosen Promised Land for the Israelites. 

With  this said- how does this apply to us? God sometimes gives His children a choice between options He approves. If we jump to make a choice based on our rights, such as “I have a right to whatever I want because God has given me these choices,” then we might not choose the best alternative. When God does give us the choice between two things of which He approves, we must always seek God’s will for us and choose what the “best” opportunity is. Remember, God knows what will happen in our lives, so He knows what is best for us to help us get to and get through future expe­riences. I know giving our choices to God is not easy. As humans, we want our rights and if God gives us a choice, that becomes our right. Consider it a further growing opportunity. We have the opportunity to come before God again and trust in His wisdom so we can choose what is best for our lives, not just what we want because we have a “right.” I pray each of us will learn to do this, take the options to God and let Him choose for us. This will give us the opportunity to grow spiritually. We must continually walk with our eyes towards God.