The path our
life takes is determined simply—by our choices. Sometimes choices, like whether
to go to church this morning or not, seem small and insignificant but have
long-reaching, even eternal, consequences. Others appear dramatic and life-changing
at the point of decision, like what to major in at college, but later prove to
be merely passing scenery when we look back along the path our lives have
taken.
So how do we
know which decisions are the important ones? Often we only find that out in
hindsight. So what do we do? How can we insure that we are where we are
supposed to be, doing what we are supposed to be doing?
We can choose
to put our trust in Jesus. It is the one choice that will affect all our other
choices. When we choose to follow Jesus, to put our faith in Him both as our
Savior from all our sins and failures, and as the Lord of our lives, He
breathes His Holy Spirit into us. From that moment on, we have a Guide to help
us make good choices, to direct us along the best path—if we will just listen
and obey.
For that
first choice, the choice to trust Jesus, leads to daily choices of whether to
follow Him or not. He doesn’t make us robots or even well-trained dogs that
obey automatically. He continues to give us freedom of choice—in the big
decisions and in the tiny ones.
God’s
greatest desire is what is best for us, but he doesn’t force it on us. We must
decide if we trust Him enough to obey Him. But how can we know for sure what
choice is God’s choice?
In
Confirmation classes my husband teaches that in the United Methodist Church,
there is a principle called the Wesley Quadrilateral. John Wesley believed the
core of the Christian faith is illuminated for the believer by (1) Scripture,
(2) tradition, (3) reason, and (4) experience.
“Scripture is considered the
primary source and standard for Christian doctrine. Tradition is the witness of
development and growth of the faith in the past. Experience is the individual's understanding and
appropriating of the faith in the light of his or her own life. Reason is the
discerning and cogent thought an individual Christian brings to bear on the
Christian faith.” (Source: A
Dictionary for United Methodists, Alan K. Waltz, Copyright 1991, Abingdon Press.)
It seems to
me that Wesley’s Quadrilateral is a great avenue that the Holy Spirit can use
to speak to us about our choices. When we cover each of these areas with
intentional, focused prayer, we can rest assured that God is guiding our
choices.
Blessings!
Pam
©2016
Pamela D. Williams
