The other day I was reading about Jesus crying as He looked at Jerusalem. He said, “They will crush you to the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you have rejected the opportunity God offered you.” (Luke 19:44 NLT)
Isn’t that crazy? God, who can do whatever He wants, decided to come down in the form of a human and offer His people an opportunity. He didn’t control them or force them to make a decision. He simply offered an opportunity, and was in tears when they made the wrong decision.
I’m on the journey like you, but here are three things I do when I’m faced with a fork-in-the-road decision:
1. Ask God to give me wisdom, insight and discernment, and ask what decision He thinks I should make (I should say, “know I should make”—He is God). I believe James 1:5: “If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask Him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.”
2. Determine the motives behind the decision I want to make. This helps me minimize emotion blurring my choices.
3. Err on the side that will make God smile. This does not mean safety. This means quitting an advertising job when I was asked to design a Reef ad (known for girls in thongs). Or confronting a boss on ethics.
Here is the first part of that verse: “But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, He began to cry. ‘I wish that even today you would find the way of peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you.’” (Luke 19:41-42 NLT)
Yep, they lost the opportunity, but even scarier, they won the consequence.
Make sure you carefully consider your opportunities…you will have to live with them forever!
