"And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Genesis 2:15-17.

"God gave Adam responsibility for the garden and told him not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Rather than physically preventing him from eating, God gave Adam a choice, even though Adam might choose wrongly. God still gives us choices today, and we, too, often choose wrongly. These wrong choices may cause us pain and irritation, but they can help us learn and grow and make better choices in the future. Living with the consequences of our choices is one of the best ways to become more responsible. Why would God place a tree in the garden and then forbid Adam to eat from it? God wanted Adam to obey, but he gave him the freedom to choose. Without choice, Adam would have been a prisoner forced to obey. The two trees presented an exercise in choice, with rewards for choosing to obey and sad consequences for choosing to disobey. When faced with the choice, choose to obey God." - Life Application Bible, p. 8.

Seek All Options/Available Information/The Best For Every Test

"He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him." Proverbs 18: 13, 15, 17.

"In these concise statements, the writer gives three basic principles for making sound decisions: (1) get the facts before deciding; (2) be open to new ideas; (3) make sure you hear both sides of the story before judging. All three principles center around seeking additional information. This is hard work, but the only alternative is prejudice - judging before getting the facts." - Life Application Bible, p. 1104.

Decisions Reveal Character/Have Lasting Consequences

Abram/Lot

"Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom." Genesis 13:11, 12.

"Lot's character is revealed by his choices. He took the best share of the land even though it meant living near Sodom, a city known for its sin. He was greedy for the best, without thinking about his uncle Abram's needs or what was fair. Good pasture and available water seemed like a wise choice to Lot at first. But he failed to recognize that wicked Sodom could provide temptations strong enough to destroy his family. Have you chosen to live or work in a "Sodom"? Even though you may be strong enough to resist the temptations, other members of your family may not. While God commands us to reach people in the "Sodom" near us, we must be careful not to become like the very people we are trying to reach." - Life Application Bible, p. 28.

Israelites

"Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." 1 Samuel 8:19, 20.

"Samuel carefully explained all the negative consequences of having a king, but the Israelites refused to listen. When you have an important decision to make, weigh the positives and negatives carefully, considering everyone who might be affected by your choice. When you want something badly enough, it is difficult to see the potential problems. But don't discount the negatives. Unless you have a plan to handle each one, they will cause you great difficulty later. Israel was called to be a holy nation, separate from and unique among all others (Leviticus 20:26). The Israelites' motive in asking for a king was to be like the nations around them. This was in total opposition to God's original plan. It was not their desire for a king that was wrong, but their reasons for wanting a king. Often we let others' values and actions dictate our attitudes and behavior. Have you ever made a wrong choice because you wanted to be like everyone else? Be careful that the values of your friends or "heroes" don't pull you away from what God says is right. When God's people want to be like unbelievers, they are heading for spiritual disaster." - Life Application Bible, p. 490.

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." Deuteronomy 30:19, 20.

"Moses challenged Israel to choose to obey God and therefore continue to experience his blessings. God doesn't force his will on anyone. He lets us decide whether to follow him or reject him. This decision, however, is a life-or-death matter. God wants us to realize this, for he would like us all to choose life. Daily, in each new situation, we must affirm and reinforce this commitment." - Life Application Bible, p. 353.

Pilate

"And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat...." John 19:12, 13.

"These words pressured Pilate into allowing Jesus to be crucified. As Roman governor of the area, Pilate was expected to keep the peace. Because Rome could not afford to keep large numbers of troops in the outlying regions, they maintained control by crushing rebellions immediately with brute force. Pilate was afraid that reports to Caesar of insurrection in his region would cost him his job and perhaps even his life. When we face a tough decision, we can take the easy way out, or we can stand for what is right, regardless of the cost. If we know to do right and don't do it, we sin (James 4:17)." - Life Application Bible, p. 1150.

Guidelines For Making Choices/Decisions

Chart From Life Application Bible (commenting on 1 Corinthians 9 and 10, page 2013):

If I choose one course of action ...

• Does it help my witness for Christ? (9:19-22)
• Am I motivated by a desire to help others to know Christ? (9:23; 10:33)
• Does it help me do my best? (9:25)
• Is it against a specific command in Scripture and thus cause me to sin? (10:12)
• Is it best and helpful? (10:23, 33)
• Am I thinking only of myself, or do I truly care about the other person? (10:24)
• Am I acting lovingly or selfishly? (10:28-31)
• Does it glorify God? (10:31)
• Will it encourage someone else to sin?(10:32)
• All of us make hundreds of choices every day. Most choices have no right or wrong attached to them - like what you wear or what you eat. But we always face decisions that carry a little more weight. We don't want to do wrong, and we don't want to cause others to do wrong, so how can we make such decisions?

Making Wise Choices/Decisions