You write the story of your life one decision at a time.
Good questions set us up for good decisions.
Question #1
The INTEGRITY Question
• Am I being honest with myself… Really?
Question #2
The LEGACY Question
• What story do I want to tell?
Question #3
The CONSCIENCE Question
• Is there a tension that deserves my attention?
One more mile keeps you going down the same road.
Our natural inclination is to live as close to the line as possible.
Which line?
The line between legal and illegal.
The line between responsible and irresponsible.
The line between moral and immoral.
The line between ethical and unethical.
Fueling this incessant flirtation with disaster is a flawed assumption that
informs so many of our decisions.
It’s an assumption that impedes our ability to make good decisions.
If it’s not wrong, it’s all right.
If it’s not illegal, it’s permissible.
If it’s not immoral, it’s acceptable.
If it’s not over the line, it’s fine.
As a Parent, I bet you don’t set the bar that low for your children.
Essentially we are asking…
How low can I go?
How close to bad can I get, without actually being bad?
How close to wrong can I get without actually doing something wrong?
How close to sin can I get without actually sinning?
How unsensible can I be without creating unmanageable outcomes?
Is there anything wrong with this?
Which usually leads to a second question…
How did I get myself into this?
And often, it’s not even the behavior or one decision that is the most
alarming, but it is the direction we or that person is heading.
Remember, the decisions we make are no better than the questions we
ask.
If you will…
Ask
Answer Honestly
Act
…you will make better decisions, and have fewer regrets.
THE MATURITY QUESTION…
• What is the wise thing to do?
It may not be illegal, it may be permissible, it may not even be immoral,
but is it wise?
Something can be not wrong, and yet unwise at the same time.
Your greatest regrets were preceded by a series of unwise decisions.
They weren’t necessarily wrong, illegal, immoral, but unwise.
What is the wise thing for me to do?
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as
wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
-Ephesians 5:15-16
Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could reclaim all the time, energy, and
loss we wasted on bad decisions?
We don’t live in a morally, ethically neutral culture.
Culture pushes us towards now, immediate, more.
It’s why the fourth question may be the best question ever.
This question is most effective when we ask it from 3 different
perspectives:
1. Past
2. Present
3. Future
In light of my past experience, my current circumstances, and my
future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing for me to do?
PAST
If we don’t pay attention to what got us into trouble yesterday, we’re
heading for the same trouble tomorrow.
What are the things that tempt you?
In light of my past experience, my current circumstances, and my
future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing for me to do?
PRESENT
In light of my past experience, my current circumstances, and my
future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing for me to do?
Remember, so often, our greatest regrets are preceded by a series of
unwise decisions.
FUTURE
In light of my past experience, my current circumstances, and my
future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing for me to do?
Nobody plans to undermine their own future they just don’t plan not
to.
“But I’m not hurting anyone.”
“I can handle it.”
“There’s no law against it.”
“God will forgive me.”
The purpose of this fourth question isn’t to stop you from doing
something wrong.
It’s to keep you from doing something unwise.
Unwise is the gateway to regret.
Would you be willing to put away your old, worn out excuses once and
for all.
Our excuses escort us to the threshold of regret.
In light of my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing for me
to do?
1. Where do you want to be?
Am I being honest with myself… really?
2. What do I need to do to get there?
Everybody ends up somewhere in life.
I want you to end up somewhere on purpose.
Don’t settle for good, don’t settle for even legal, permissible, tolerable.
Set up for best.
End up wise.