Decisions, Decisions...

I first heard about the WWJD (what would Jesus do) bracelets while spending a week at a Christian summer camp before 7th grade.  They really took off in the 90’s and were designed to make people think about the choices they made.  After I left the camp, I threw the bracelet away; abandoning my moral compass in order to obtain popularity.  Looking back, I realize that part of the reason I failed to see any significance in the bracelets was because I had such a narrow view of them.

At that age, I believed the bracelets were intended to prevent me from sinning by making me remember my moral code.  It wasn’t a lack of knowledge that caused me to sin, though, it was a desire to be accepted, and the bracelets didn’t help me feel accepted.

Could I have avoided some of those failures by asking the question WWJD?  Yes, but only temporarily.  The bible mentions that the knowledge of right and wrong (the law) wasn’t meant to keep us from sin, but to reveal the sin we all have in our hearts.  We can strive to have Godly behaviors, but we are still going to fail eventually because we are human.  No one is perfect; everyone has sinned in their lives.  That’s why we all need forgiveness.

So the question arises: what does this have to do with my “narrow view” of the WWJD bracelets?

Well, I’m beginning to see the significance of WWJD bracelets again, because I have new questions which can only be answered by Jesus.  Let me explain…

One of the things I’ve noticed is the prevalence of opinions in our society.  People spend countless hours researching topics in order to tell us how to live our lives.  Take the example of the decisions leading up to a potential recall election for Scott Walker.  Very smart people have been researching ideas to fix the budget, yet each side arrives at a different conclusion.

Although each party has great ideas, neither will concede because they believe their idea is best.

This puts us in a difficult spot, because how can we know what’s right if the experts can’t agree?  Who gets the final say?  As we have seen with the Walker election, no one get the final say.  We argue instead of making unified choices.

It’s times like this that I realize I’m blessed to be a Christian, because our ways are different.  

For example:

My mentor keeps mentioning that the direction of the church is determined by biblical principles. As the pastor of a church, he submits to the authority of the elders who submit to the authority of the bible.  He and the elders ask questions like, “What does the bible say about church finances?”  Or “did Jesus train people in a small group format?”

This concept of biblical based decision making is something I’ve failed to act upon, because I thought Jesus only wanted to prevent me from sinning.  I am now beginning to realize that He wants to help answer all sorts of tough questions, and I can choose to listen to the world’s experts or the true expert: the author of Truth.

God gave us His word in order to help us navigate through tough choices, and He demonstrated that He was going to lead us in the right path through His sacrifice.  It’s impossible to say that God wants to lead us into harm when He came to earth and died on a cross in order to save us from eternal death.  So my question is this:

If you know who has the truth, and you know He wants to save you from death, why would you hesitate to ask Him for help?

Don’t believe me, read it yourself:

John 3:16   “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:17   God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Jeremiah 29:11   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.

James 1:5    If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.