Make Up Your Mind

Make up your mind

James chapter 1:5-8

This morning I have a Christmas thought, not necessarily a Christmas message. Next Sunday, we will look at the Christmas story. Looking at Matthew 1 and Luke 2.

I want to look for a moment at the earthly parents of the Christ child.

I want you to see the decisions that they had to make.

How the decisions they made individually affected many people in the future.

You have a young Joseph pledged to be married to the love of his life Mary who according to Mary was about to give birth to a child by the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

Matthew records the event in chapter 1:18-

“This how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.”

(20) “But after he had considered this…(he had already made up his mind to divorce her quietly) “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Decision time- over load!

He made up his mind and God was intervening! God had ordained what is happening! You don’t see the big picture! But God is in this!

About the same time- recorded in Luke, the text that Gina read for us gives the account of Mary.

(26) “In the sixth month, God sent a angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgins name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, greeting, you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you. Mary was greatly troubled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, do not be afraid Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.”

(34) “How can this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin.

After the angel explains that this will be done by the power of the Holy Spirit overshadowing her.

(38) “I am the Lord’s servant, Mary answered, may it be to me as you have said.”

Now, thank God we don’t have to face decisions like those! Right!

That would be a hard sell, that is unimaginable!

Without God, how do you make the right decision?

Without God, how do you know what to do?

Life is full of decisions- a series of choices we make everyday.

We evaluate, decide, draw conclusions.

Frank Borham-

“We make our decisions and then our decisions make us.”

The decisions we make today can have consequences later.

The decisions we make can affect not only ourselves, but others close to us.

On Wednesday, we started a new small group course called “circle makers.” It is about praying circles around things that are important to you and things that you want to see God do something with.

We shared great testimonies of things that God has done in people’s lives and the amazing ways that he did them. A lot of times, logically, they do not fit, they do not make sense, but then, if we could do them ourselves, we would not need God.

Illustration-

A young business man went to an executive and asked for his wisdom. What is the secret of business wisdom? The man answered wise decisions. How do you make wise decisions? Experience the man answered. How do I get experience? “Dumb decisions.”

How do you make decisions?

How do you make up your mind?

Do you use common sense? Experience?

Or do you see how it lines up with God’s word.

We are only human. We have a great possibility to make mistakes or make bad choices.

Say the wrong thing

Pay too much, be deceived by someone

Let our emotions dictate our decision.

How would you like to make Mary or Joseph’s decision?

Your ordinary day just got extra-ordinary.

Just made your decisions seem easier didn’t I

James talks about decision making in James 1:5-8 (read)

James tells us if we lack wisdom to ask God.

God who is no respecter of person will give to each one of us if we ask.

He says that if we are going to ask God, we should believe that He will give us the right answer, not doubt, we should not be double-minded and unstable.