A young businessman once went to a successful executive and asked,” what was the secret of his success?” The man said, “Wise decisions.” “How can I learn to make wise decisions?” -“Having experience.” “How do you get experience?” The man said, “Dumb decisions. To make good decisions we all need wisdom. It does not matter who you are or what your ethnic background is, we all need wisdom and the best wisdom comes from God.

The Judgement of Solomon is the biblical story from 1 Kings 3:16-28. It tells the story of two women who came to the King with two young babies- one alive and one dead. Both claimed that the living child was their own and that the other woman was only pretending to be the mother of the surviving infant. Solomon, using the wisdom of God, lays a trap for the women. He orders his soldier to cut the living baby in two so that both mothers could have half each. The real mother cried out ‘Please Lord, give her the live child. Do not kill him!” while the liar exclaimed “It shall be neither mine nor yours- divide it.”

Thus it becomes clear which of the women has true maternal love for and a protective instinct towards the living the child, allowing Solomon to determine which mother the newborn belonged. All Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment. Vv. 28.

The best wisdom comes from God. The quality of your life will be determined by the kind of decisions you make in life. Some of them we regret and some of them we feel good about. Today our study of James is to help us make good decisions in life.

I Good Decision Come from Life’s Testing. V. 4

1. Good decisions can be made even when the winds of adversity strike at home or on the job. The testing of your faith produces patience”. Patience is the Greek word “hü-po-ma-nā’” (who palm- ma- na) meaning endurance or perseverance. Through tests and trails a Christian will learn to with stand, to endure. Trials do not destroy faith they only put it to the test. Folks, the faith that stands the test is proven to be genuine and the faith that fails the test is proven to be false. —Joni Eareckson Tada

2. The kind of trials that come into life are designed by God to move people out of their security. To arouse them to the fact that they either trust God or they don’t. Even in the most ominous of human circumstances. Trials do serve a very helpful purpose in affirming to us either legitimacy or the illegitimacy of our faith. —Joni Eareckson Tada

Often times, these trials bring us to one of those cross-roads where we feel lost and don’t know which way to go. We don’t understand the cause of the trial or its purpose. We need God’s wisdom to make a good and proper decision. The first rule of thumb is ‘do not make a decision when your decision maker is broken’. Wait on God. James continues and says, “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

Here we have the idea of the finished product. I asked for strength. And God gave me difficulties to make me strong. We need to be made strong for God purposes.

Folks, God is the master craftsmen and he only makes quality products.  God will not rush nor will he use inferior materials to complete his work.  He wants to make us just like Jesus and he will never cut corners to do so. God not interested in making “particle board” Christians. No, His desire is to make us like wood…the real thing; In contrast like Jesus the real thing. –

Look at I Peter 1:7…That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

4. When trials come into our life, they reveal that our faith is real or not.  The trials develop endurance. James teaches; the endurance brings perfection and perfection here means spiritual maturity.  Spiritual maturity will wean you from the world.

Our father allows trials to wean us from the world to call us to concentrate on eternal things.  He allows trials to reveal to us what we really love.  He allows trials to teach us the value of God’s favor and blessing.  He allows trials to enable us to help others in their trials.  He allows trials to develop in us greater strength of greater usefulness and yes, sometimes he allows trials to chasten us for our sin and push us toward perfection. These testing give us,

II. The Power of Good Decisions vv. 5, 6

1. The Bible speaks about a divine resource we can utilize when we come to those trials. It is called wisdom. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,” that is a command for us to pray, “let trouble drive you to God, let trouble drive you to prayer.” And may I suggest this to you? If you are going through some deep trouble in your life it can enriched your prayer life driving you to the throne of grace. The source of wisdom is there if we will go there.

2. God has wisdom available for us and God wants to give it to the seeking heart. When you are going through a trial, when you are going through difficulty, don’t lean on your own understanding.

  Trust in the Lord with all your heart- Pr. 3:5, 6.

But there’s a sense in which He holds it back until you come and ask for it, demonstrating your love, your trust and your dependence on Him. Now the word “liberally” is the word, ha’plos, it means bountifully. It means freely and generously.

Then he also adds, in v. 5, “And upbraideth not.” Now that’s an old word and it basically means he holds back nothing. He gives liberally, generously without reservation. God wisdom is greater than that of any individual, group, or nation. The heavenly Father gave the life of Jesus Christ to make Him an everlasting example to us and to bring us salvation. His pain brought us gain.

3. Prayer makes any problem easier to understand it puts us in touch with the awesome power of God. It shows what we have to do next to solve the problem. I can make good choices in spite of not seeing all of the answers to my problem. Wisdom is important to maneuvers the course of life in a way honoring to God. — Nehemiah 1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Illustration:

Sometimes as we drive down the road of life, we come to dangerous intersections. State Farm Insurance rated the most dangerous intersections for accidents in the United States the corner of Belt Line Road and Midway Road in Addison, Texas. The reported figures for 2023 stand at 137 accidents with 66 injuries. There were 263 reported crashes at that intersection in the Dallas suburb. That’s about five wrecks per week, not counting the unreported fender benders. These dangerous intersections we sometimes refer to them as “forks in the road.”

They are those moments where a choice we make or don’t make sets us on a course that could influence the rest of our journey. Do we stop or go. Turn right or left. Go ahead or turn back. Perhaps you feel like you are at a dangerous intersection right now in your life. Wisdom is important to maneuvers the course of life in a way honoring to God.

4. There are three truths we see in these texts.

1. Practical wisdom for making decisions in life is a common requirement for all Christians.

2. Practical wisdom for making decisions in life is a divine gift. – It only comes from God.

3. Practical wisdom for making decisions is conditional. – We must ask for it.

 …I can ask God for wisdom then trust that He will give it to me.

III. The Problem of Indecision vv. 6-8

1. The greatest enemy to answered prayer is doubt. James compares doubting believers like to the waves of the sea…verse #7- Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Jesus did not many miracles because of unbelief. —

2. In v. 8 “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” In Greek,

(dip sy ch os) the word “double minded” literally means “two souled” — pulled apart in different directions, divided loyalties, divided priorities. The “di” at the beginning is two and the word suchos is the word for soul, two souled, two minds. 

A soul divided between God and the world is devastating, because it makes you unstable. If you can’t make up your mind it produces an unstable lifestyle. We all had this problem…note Mark 9:20-24. You need to make a decision for Christ. – Gospel

Conclusion:

I want to invite you to make the greatest decision you can ever make. For those of you who cannot honestly say today that you have experienced a relationship with Jesus Christ I want to extend an invitation for you to do so today.