A higher standard for Christians

On the journey of recovery, we have to learn to live life differently; we need to learn new ways of seeing things, new ways of responding, and new guidelines for making decisions.  

And while no one plans to mess up their life, few have a plan on how NOT to mess up.  To keep us on the path of recovery, we need a plan to help us regret proof our lives.

Frankly, if we don’t have new guidelines for making decisions, we will end up precisely where we had no intention of going!

Whether we recognize it or not, every time we make a decision, it is preceded by a series of questions.  Sometimes we ask them out loud; sometimes we simply process them in our subconscious.  Typically we question whether something is moral, ethical, legal, or harmful.   According to Scripture, the question is not whether something is moral, ethical, legal, or harmful.  For Christians, there’s another question even more important than those – it is the BEST QUESTION EVER.   The Best Question Ever will help us stay out of the situations and circumstances that rob us of our potential, our opportunities, and our future. 

The Best Question Ever is found in a letter written by the apostle Paul as an encouragement to the first followers of Christ in Ephesus.  Ephesians 5.15- “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.”

The Best Question Ever is “Is this the wise thing for ME to do?” 

 The question you and I must ask is NOT is this right, is this ethical, is this culturally acceptable, is there a “thou shalt not” in the Bible about this.  Those are the wrong questions.  They set forth the wrong standard.  All of us have done things that are right and ethical but they were “unwise.”  And we who state we are followers of Christ are instructed to live “like those who are wise.”

In an attempt to regret proof your life, you should ask Best Question Ever of every relationship, every opportunity, and every invitation.

The Best Question Ever engages the past, the present, and the future. 

“In light of my past experience, what is the wise thing to do?”

“In light of current circumstances, what is the wise thing to do?”

“In light of my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?” 

What is the wise thing for me to do?  It’s a new standard isn’t it? 

God didn’t tell us to be wise without giving us some guidelines on how to be wise. 

Here’s how to Regret Proof your life:

Think (ask the Best Question Ever) (Ephesians 5.15)

Pray (for understanding what God wants you to do.) (Proverbs 3.5/6)

Ask (wise counsel from someone you trust  - Proverbs 12.15)

Act not React! (Proverbs 13.16)

Wisdom is part of the transformation process that God desires for you.  Transformation is not simply asking the Best Question Ever, it is allowing God to change the way you make decisions and living out those changes.

*Information without transformation is nothing more than endless repetition.