Erwin W. Lutzer - Making the Best of a Bad Decision: How to Put Your Regrets behind You, Embrace Grace, and Move toward a Better Future

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Making the Best of a Bad Decision: How to Put Your Regrets behind You, Embrace Grace, and Move toward a Better Future

Copyright 2011 by Erwin W. Lutzer. All rights reserved.

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Designed by Ron Kaufmann

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2010 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible , English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked PHI are taken from The New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Phillips, copyright J. B. Phillips, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1972. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lutzer, Erwin W.

Making the best of a bad decision : how to put your regrets behind you, embrace grace, and move toward a better future / Erwin Lutzer.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-4143-1143-2 (sc)

1. Decision makingReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Choice (Psychology)Religious aspectsChristianity. 3. Adjustment (Psychology)Religious aspectsChristianity. 4. Discernment (Christian theology) 5. Providence and government of GodChristianity. 6. Grace (Theology) 7. EncouragementReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.

BV4509.5.L88 2011

248.8'6dc22 2011011326

Introduction:

So Youve Made a Bad Decision...

Youre in good company!

Smart people can make foolish decisions!

Weve all known brilliant people who chose a dead-end career, married an incompatible mate, or were seduced by a get-rich-quick scheme. Weve all made decisions we would rather forget, but sometimes we cant forget them because the consequences keep piling up.

The sum of our lives equals the sum of our decisions. Our character is best revealed by the decisions weve made and the impact of those decisions on ourselves and others. Who we are will determine what we decide to do that is, our character will dictate the kind of decisions we make.

We are free to make our choices, but we are not free to choose the consequences. Even more sobering is this: One bad choice can result in a lifetime of heartache and regret. One act of immorality, one drunken-driving episode, one hasty marriagethese and countless other foolish choices can alter the direction and trajectory of our lives for the worse. And having begun on the wrong road, you might find it difficult (and sometimes seemingly impossible) to turn around.

The decisions youve made in the past have affected where you are today on the journey of life. Likewise, the decisions you make today will to some extent determine your future. Wise choices can transform the bad decisions of the past into a foundation for a more productive life and ministrystarting right now.

Making good decisions under challenging circumstances is difficult, but not impossible. The Old Testament story about a young man named Joseph, who made a series of good choices despite being grossly betrayed by his jealous brothers, is a good example. Joseph turned away from the seductive advances of his bosss wife, endured several years of wrongful imprisonment as a result, and later refused to retaliate against his brothers when he had the chance. He chose humility over pride and forgiveness over bitterness. We honor him today because his wise choices had positive consequences far beyond his imagination.

Like Joseph, we wake up every morning with decisions to make about the day. We will choose either the best path or a lesser one, but when the day is over, we never can return to where we started. Over time, the decisions we makewhether small or largewill become the legacy we leave behind.

I have a friend who bought some highly recommended mining stock and encouraged others to do the same. Every indication was that the company was poised for growthunusual growth. But an explosion in a mine ended the upswing and investors lost about 80 percent of their money. Obviously, my friend had no legal obligation to help those to whom he had recommended the stock, but he felt he had a moral obligation to them. He decided to sell his house to raise the cash to restore their investments. After all, he reasoned, his friends had lost money because of his recommendation. Think of how that man and his wife will be remembered!

This book is about making the best of our bad decisions. It is written with the firm belief that God takes what we sometimes call our second best decisions and turns them into what we can call his first best decisions, if only we will invite him to walk alongside us. When we find ourselves on a wrong road, God is able to bring us to an intersection where we can choose a new path that will lead us to something better. Its our failure to see God in the midst of our missteps that keeps us stumbling from one bad decision to another. God specializes in redirecting those who desire a better path.

In the pages that follow, you will inevitably arrive at a fork in the roadconfronted by yet another decision: Will you continue to be defined by your bad decisions, or will you look beyond them to God, who can take what you give him and turn it into something productive and eternal? You can choose a life of prolonged regret or a life of optimism and fulfillment. Its your call.

In this book, you will meet people who have made terrible decisions: criminals, sex addicts, and people who have destroyed their marriages and their families through immorality or some other form of self-absorption. Youll meet people who have made foolish promises; and others who have lost their livelihood through gambling or bad investments. In other words, if youve chosen the wrong path and are living with the consequences, youll find yourself somewhere in these pages.

But this is ultimately a book of hope . The fact that you are alive is proof that there are still some wise decisions you can make! No matter how many wrong paths youve already walked, there is still a right one you can choose just up ahead. God is bigger than your foolishness; bigger than the mistakes youve made; bigger than your sins; and bigger than the messes youve left along the road youve chosen up till now.

My prayer is to offer you encouragement , despite all the choices you now wish had been different. I invite you to join me on a journey of expectation and hope. Along the way, well learn how Gods forgiveness and power are able make a beautiful painting from the blotches we hand him.

The Worst Decision Ever Made

Thankfully, it wasnt yours

What, in your opinion, was the worst decision ever made? No matter how badly you think you have blown it, I can assure you that others have made worse decisions. God was there to redeem their poor choices and set them on a different path, so we can be sure he is there for us when we take a wrong turn on the road of life.