The wisdom of decision making.

Decision making is a much debated and much learnt subject with courses and books to guide us in our professional development. We are told there are multiple building blocks to this Decision making process, and which qualify the quality of our decisions.

But one building block no one really talks about is the state of our mind when we are taking decisions. If we do so in a state of panic and fear, we are bound to make mistakes as our analytical abilities goes down.

Psalm 37 verse 5 gives us the key to making good decisions when it says Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. In addition to committing we also are given multiple resources, like wisdom, peace and understanding.

James 1:5, says If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Proverbs 1:5, NIV let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.

Proverbs 11:14, NKJV Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Success or failure usually depend on the choices we make in life. And the importance of correct decision making is something we can’t underestimate, since finally, we all have to live with the choices we made. So better make the right one and the wise one.

Today if you are facing a crucial decision, why not ask God for advice and counsel and the wisdom to understand your choices and choose the right one.

Can you Sleep amid a storm?

Can you sleep amid a storm? Can anyone? 

In all honesty, left to ourselves I don't think anyone can. The fear of uncertainty created by a storm just does us in.

But someone did. While on a boat, in the middle of the storm, someone was fast asleep while others were going crazy with fear. 

If we take a storm in the figurative sense, we all face it many times in our lives and most times reacting negatively (in fear and panic) with a crushed spirit to those around us, hurting them as well as hurting ourselves.

How great it would be if we could sleep through them, unconcerned about our post storm future!

Here is the thing. We can.

The man who slept through the storm was able to do so because He had peace within Himself. He didn't have a care about the future because He knew the future. 

Today, He has promised us that same peace and it is ours for the taking. He asks us to cast all our cares upon Him and in return take His peace to enjoy. 

This has some very practical implications: With that peace within us, we will be able to make the right choices (not desperate ones but logical ones) and hence the right decisions in our lives. We will be able to live a life unburdened by fear and the consequences of that fear on our health, heart and people around us. We will be able to lead without fear - shining professionally and personally.

1 Peter 5 ver 7 and John 14:27 respectively give us the keys to these promises ...

7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" 

and 

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

Bloom Where You are Planted: Our Daily Reflection

Flowers bring beauty and serenity to our lives. On every occasion we present flowers to our friends and family, to bring cheer to the day. Think about how a flower, becomes a flower and presents its beauty to the world and there is so much we can learn from it.

But what is more important is this:  a flower blooms where it grows. It does not say I will grow here but bloom there. It does not put conditions to it's blooming. It simply shares its beauty and its scent, wherever it is. It does not put-up conditions for sharing either. 

But we people do, don't we? "I wish I had more money so I could feed the hungry". "I wish I had more time, to visit the sick, or the widows, or lonely people around me".

Or simply, "I can't come to Church because my car is in the garage". 

Sounds familiar? Sure, it does, we do it all the time! 

 Let us remember some key instructions - 

..... ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

The Goodness of God: Our Daily Reflections

There is a chorus which goes - God is good all the time. Believers also constantly tall about the goodness of God. That is till our prayer requests are not answered in the way we expected, then we are not so sure.

To honestly say God is good, we must have an acceptance of His will over mine and that He knows best. If our prayers are not met in the way we expected, so be it. It does not mean He is not so good, but that he knows much better than us, as to what is good for us. So -

A. We need to believe He knows better than we do and will choose the best way in the right time, which will maximise the benefit for us, even to the point of death. and

B. His will is over mine, and which will make my journey easier.

God’s goodness shows up in our lives every single day. Although we often think of his goodness when something big happens, his goodness abounds all the time--in every hour, minute, and second of the day, in the smallest of things around us. Here are five examples of his goodness in our everyday lives as per Carrie Lowrance: 

When He wakes us up every morning He shows us His unfailing love. 

When He pours out His favors on us - Carrie Lowrance says "We need to pay attention to all the little things in our day, both big and small, that are a blessing to us. A lot of times, it’s the little things that mean so much".

When He protects us: From ill health, from malicious gossip and so many big and small things. 

Finally, when He speaks to us and guides us. 

So, lets think about life, how we have been part of receiving so much even though we may not acknowledge it or even be aware of it. Lets try and count our blessings, on by one. 

You can read more about this from Carrie Lowrance's Blog Here