Best Decision Ever

Life is full of decisions, big and small. Small, like what will I wear or what will I have for lunch today? Big ones, such as whom will I marry? Where will I go to college? When will I retire? What should I do about my relationship with my spouse or child? Everyday we are making decisions that can have a lasting impact on our lives and those around us. The decisions we make are like rocks tossed in a pond; there are ripples of positive and negative results that come from our choices.

Around the age of 33, Jesus began his public ministry in Jerusalem where he began preaching about a new kingdom that was launching. This one would have a different set of norms and boundaries. The irony was that there was an existing kingdom during Jesus’ day. It was the Roman kingdom and it was a strong and powerful force. The Roman kingdom demanded fierce allegiance to the emperor who was basically the king of all. For Jesus to come and announce a whole different way was revolutionary. At the launch of this kingdom, we meet a man named Nicodemus. He was a religious scholar and Jewish pharisee who knew the law well. He curiously, yet cautiously meets with Jesus at night to inquire about the signs he’s performing. During their meeting, Jesus says something remarkable to him about his kingdom:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

Nicodemus is confused. He begins to question what this could mean. “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus was not talking about a physical rebirth. That would be impossible. Jesus was talking about a spiritual one, where God’s spirit enters a person and they begin a journey of being apprenticed by Him. At a different place, John says to his readers that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. Now, what does this have to do with decision making? Well, everything!

If we are called to advance Jesus’ kingdom, we must first see the kingdom. In order to see the kingdom, we must be born again. We must make a decision to surrender our lives fully to the work of God’s spirit. It’s not enough to attend church to see God’s kingdom. It is not enough to be kind to our neighbor or say that we are Christian. We actually have to surrender EVERYTHING over to the work of God’s spirit in your life. When we do, there is an internal change; a rebirth of our heart and mind that shifts our lives into a kingdom focused trajectory. Though there is an initial first surrender, it becomes a daily decision. Like John the Baptist once said, “You must increase and I must decrease.” Thus, if we want to see the kingdom of God, and also be empowered to make wise (God-honoring) decisions each day, we must be born again.

What does it mean to be born again? First, it starts with repentance and confession. Acknowledging our need for a Savior to forgive our wrongdoings. It means admitting that we are not in charge of our lives, nor are we in control. Second, we make steps to re-prioritize every area in life. Take becoming a parent for the first time as an example. When I became a dad, it changed everything about my life. My routine, decisions, and priorities changed forever. Why? Because I had a little 6 pound baby laying in front of me that needed love, affection, and diaper changing! The same goes for being born again and surrendering all of my life to Jesus. It should change everything about how we live and make decisions.

Bottom line, the most important decision that you and I can make, the one that will influence all decisions in our lives, would be to fully surrender to Jesus and to become born again. Doing so will not only give us the gift of eternal life, but bring a new desire to make choices that will further God’s kingdom on earth, not ours.

Have you made the best decision ever?