A thought from Today’s Pentecostal Evangel:
Decision-Making 101

February 29, 2008

By William E. Richardson

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!” (Joel 3:14, NKJV).

As soon as you awoke this morning, you had a decision to make. You either popped out of bed or closed your eyes again. Maybe you hit the snooze button. You’ve been making decisions ever since.

Some of your selections have been personal preferences that hardly matter, while others may have far-reaching results. Some choices will affect only you. Some will touch the futures of others.

The Book of 1 Kings describes a lot of people who made big decisions. Let’s open its pages to see how one leader determined what to do.

According to the sundial, it was time to crown Rehoboam, son of Solomon, to be king. His followers gathered around him. They voiced one request: “Please lighten our load.” He promised an answer in three days (1 Kings 12:1-5).

King Rehoboam sought the counsel of two groups. His father’s seasoned advisors told him to treat the people with gentleness. His boyhood chums said he should flex his kingly muscles (verses 6-11).

Unable to separate the wheat from the chaff, he took the second option. Upon hearing it, the people rebelled. Israel split into two kingdoms (verses 12-17).

On the positive side, Rehoboam refused to hand down his decision on the spot. He allowed himself time. He consulted others. To his detriment, he didn’t consult God. We remember his father Solomon for his God-sought wisdom. We recall Rehoboam as lacking wisdom after leaving God out of the process.

We can draw at least four conclusions from Rehoboam’s tragic story. They can help us improve our decision-making skills.

1: Go to God first. God is all-knowing. When you pray, He’ll guide you, causing principles from His Word to come alive. Seeking God’s help before human input can avoid a lot of regret.

2: Esteem experience. The novice king trusted too much in his immature friends. They offered opinions but not wisdom. It’s not about age as much as about insights gained only by experience.

3: Take some time. Life’s most important matters can’t be decided in a few seconds. Before you sign up for that new car, new house or new job, take time to get the facts and weigh the pros and cons. See how the scales tip.

4: Consider the future. How will that new relationship color other parts of your life? How will that financial obligation affect you in the months and years ahead? Give it some thought.

For making decisions that matter, you have help. These four conclusions drawn from the life of King Rehoboam will take you far.

— William E. Richardson is senior pastor of Afton (Iowa) Assembly of God.