Articles
THE DECISION IS MINE TODAY!
Believe it or not, we are about to finish the second month of the year 2019! So, how are you
doing with your “new year” resolutions? How are you doing with the challenge of reading your
Bible everyday and keeping up with our study, “Look at the Book”? (I really have appreciated
having personal stories shared with me regarding our year long study.) I’ll be upfront with you,
I’ve not done very well with some of my “resolutions”. Oh, I have plenty of excuses as to why I
have not done so well, but I have no reasons. Yes, there is a difference between excuses and
reasons. Bottom line: I just haven’t decided to accomplish those resolutions.
While attending a conference in Searcy this past week, one of the speakers stamped on my
brain the answer to why we don’t always succeed in “resolutions”. Here it is: “The decision … to
follow the Lord … is mine … today!” I remember it well, because he had us repeat it about a
dozen times. But think about it for a moment. There are many excuses as to why we don’t
accomplish those things we should, but really only one reason. And that one reason is because
we just never “decided” to do it. The reason we may fail at diets, is because we never “decided”
to take the first step in succeeding. The reason we didn’t create order out of the chaotic mess in
our houses is because we never “decided” to. And the reason why some have never read the
Bible everyday, attended worship faithfully, taken on teaching a Bible class, etc. is because we
never “decided” to. We allowed many things [excuses] to stand in our way of “deciding” to
fulfill those goals or resolutions.
Notice that the statement involves three very important factors necessary for success. The
first is the word “mine”. No one else can help me or make me do what I don’t want to do. You
can allow others to try to help, but the only way to be successful is to take the step yourself. In
the above mentioned goals or resolutions, we already know what we want to do, but each of us as
individuals must take the steps to “decide”.
Second is the word “today”. I believe many of us are into the bad habit of procrastination.
So, “today” really is a key word. We may put off for sometime what needs to be done today, but
at some time, you will no longer have the opportunity to do what needs to be done.
Third is the phrase “follow the Lord”. The only thing really keeping you from “following
the Lord” is you! You may make all sorts of excuses as to why you won’t “follow Him”, but it
really all comes down to the fact that you are unwilling to “decide”.
Won’t you decide today to follow the Lord? ~P. Mowrer
