Think Before Making a Decision: Will It Bring Good or Bad, for You and Others?

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Think Before Making a Decision

Will It Bring Good or Bad, for You and Others?

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Think Before Making a Decision: Will It Bring Good or Bad, for You and Others?

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On May 22 in Cincinnati a 61-year-old bicyclist was killed by a driver who admitted to using heroin before getting behind the wheel, according to the Hamilton County, Ohio, Sheriff's Office. The young man, named Sickle, admitted that he "snorted dope" before driving. It reports he told police he had purchased $10 worth of heroin in downtown Cincinnati. He was charged with two felonies: fleeing the scene of a deadly automobile crash and aggravated vehicular homicide. Two lives ruined, one dead, because the 33-year-old made the wrong choice to do drugs and drive.

On March 29, 2017, a bus filled with a group of choir members from the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels, a town about 35 miles northeast of San Antonio, Texas, was in a horrific car accident. They had just attended a three-day retreat and were heading back to the church when the unthinkable happened. 

A young man driving a truck lost control and veered over into the wrong lane hitting the church bus head on. It was a horrific accident, as 13 people lost their lives that day.

20-year-old Jack Dillon Young admitted to texting while driving his truck—a decision he made that will affect the rest of his life and others forever.

Repeatedly we see warnings: “Don’t Text While Driving.” Here in Cincinnati the ads run continually. I am sure Jack Dillon wished he had heeded those warning—events would have turned out so differently.

Dillons’ home state of Texas is in the process of passing a bill that bans texting while driving. Texas, like many other states, has also had the signs along the road. They have run terrifying ads on television reminding drivers to put the cell phones down and keep their eyes on the road. Dillon’s story reminded me of a young man that I wrote about years ago, Kenny Isaacs.

In 1993, Kenny also ignored a warning sign. Instead of going the speed limit on the sign, he decided to go faster while going around a curve. Kenny lost control of his car and ended up going over an embankment. He was instantly killed. His family’s life was forever changed. My daughter and I attended the funeral, and it was horrible to see the faces of his grief-stricken parents.

God tells us to obey the laws of the land. Why? Jesus gives us the answer: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

Notice that when you obey the laws of the land it is not only good for you, but also good for those who could reap tragic consequences from you breaking the law. There are always innocent victims who suffer from our bad decisions that involve breaking a law, either God’s commandments or man’s laws (Romans 13:1-6).

“A complete stranger has the capacity to alter the life of another irrevocably. This domino effect has the capacity to change the course of an entire world. That is what life is; a chain reaction of individuals colliding with others and influencing their lives without realizing it. A decision that seems miniscule to you, may be monumental to the fate of the world.” ― J.D. Stroube, Caged by Damnation

Every decision that we make can have massive consequences. If that decision is good or bad, every decision will affect us in some way at some point.

Kenny and Jack and now Sickle are examples of that. They made what seemed to be a harmless decision that turned out to be horrific for so many. Their decisions cannot be taken back.

“There are some choices you can only make once. You can't go back to where you made a choice and then take the other one.” ― Mary Hoffman, City of Flowers

Take great care to obey the laws of the land. In every decision, you make ask yourself if this will render good or bad consequences. Start with obeying God’s Ten Commandments first, which will encourage you to obey and respect the laws of the land.

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Comments

  • Janet Treadway

    Another very sad example of making bad choices, is of the young man here in Cincinnati, Otto Warmbier, While he thought it was fun to deface property in Korea, that bad choice cost him his life. Of course the punishment was far more severe than he deserved, it is just another example of why we should be careful to make wise decisions. So always ask God for guidance and wisdom in every action you make.

  • J G

    Paul LeBlanc of CNN, 19 June 2017, reported: "According to the North Korean government, Warmbier was detained because he...had stolen a political poster."
    God gave His law (while against us/contrary to us per Col 2:14) to ancient physical Israel as a gift, which was not given to the rest of the world. God does not impose His law upon this world, but what are the wages of sin? "For the wages of sin is death..." (Rom 6:23). Steal a pencil? Death! Sin is sin. Are there any other wages? It is death. Of course, many others may be impacted negatively including the one in whom sin dwells. Sin is in all of our lives (Rom 7:17, 20), and we all will receive the same wages as Otto: death.
    Otto learned about evil. We learn it too. It is all a part of this creation MADE SUBJECT (Rom 8:20) to vanity. Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel...learned about it too. We all will learn to hate evil that is present (Rom 7:21) with us.
    Death is only a necessary temporary cessation from life that God allows for a purpose. Otto, like each of us, has a future thanks to:
    I Cor 8:6
    Romans 6:23b
    2 Cor 5:19 "..God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.."

  • Janet Treadway

    Very good point. Otto sure was an an example of a harsh penalty, death, for breaking a law. Hopefully people will learn from his horrible mistake. God tells us to obey the laws of the land and that would apply on foreign land.

  • kathysanny

    This very thing has been on my mind lately. Mr. Gary Petty had an excellent sermon a number of years back that I think was called "The Two Trees" on this subject. I wish all young people could hear that sermon which clearly shows how decisions today can limit your choices down the road. None of the young people you mentioned will ever be the same again. Their future choices are now limited by those actions. So many of us unthinkingly make decisions while we are inexperienced in our youth that affect us for many years to come and maybe even for the rest of our lives.

  • Janet Treadway

    Thanks Doug. However sometimes things happen when the parents, the father did their best to teach God's laws and the kids still reject it. It is true though that many who go astray it is because of bad parenting. Like the drug epidemic here in Cincinnati. Many of those poor kids also see their parents in the same behavior. The kids don't even have a chance. But there are great parents out there who sadly see their kids making bad decision. Like the prodigal son. One day God will make it all right.

  • douglasyo

    Great article. God's laws, especially, are there for OUR good. The principle also is seen in families reaping the consequences of the decisions of the father/husband. See Achan in Joshua 7:25. Daniel's lions-den accusers, Daniel 6:24. The parable of the unforgiving servant, Matthew 18:25.

  • Janet Treadway

    Thanks Doug. :-)

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