Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. -- 1 Corinthians 10:31

The chart offers a way to think through the Fundamental Choice in life. Will you trust God with your life and daily living? That choice determines your eternity, daily thoughts, feelings, and actions. And, especially, the health of any relationship can be boiled down to one fundamental question.

God designed us, and only God knows what’s best for us. Let me walk you through this chart from bottom to top.

Current Reality

You only need to depend upon God to allow your design to reflect the image of God. The natural tendency is to depend upon yourself, which hides or distorts your design. It is natural (AUTO PILOT) to depend on and trust “ME.” That, of course, will follow the Self-absorbed and Judgment path. On the other hand, it requires a DELIBERATE choice to trust God.

When you look at your Current Reality, some things are known, and others aren’t. Part of your current reality is that you either know what God is asking you to do in this current circumstance or don’t. You either know God’s Word, or you don’t. God’s Word is all about REALITY and how things really work. If you did an objective report on your life, that would be a good your “Current knowledge and circumstances” or your current reality. That is where you are right now, in the current knowledge and circumstances rectangle.

So, from where you are right now, this moment in your life? You have only two ways to live - 1) TRUST God or 2) TRUST something or someone other than God.

Where You Look, You Tend to Go

God asks you where you are looking when He asks “The Fundamental Question.” That critical question is, “Do you trust God or something other than God?” That is the Fundamental Decision in everyone's life. God continually asks you that one question, which comes in two critical forms. One form is for your eternal life (“Do you trust Me for your eternity?”). The other form is for your daily life (“Do you trust Me now?”).

If you accept the gift of Salvation and eternal life with God, He now asks you a second question. Everyone faces these two questions because there are only two ways to live. If you are blind to them, you depend on yourself, not God. Looking at God and trusting Him provides the best results.

Self-absorbed or Self-controlled?

If you look at “Satisfy ME” or “Trust something other than God,” that creates a path of least resistance to being self-absorbed and self-dependent. That is the natural tendency of the sin nature to esteem yourself rather than others. When temptation comes, there is a greater chance to sin because of your self-absorbed, satisfy ME attitude. You are less than willing to endure short-term pain; therefore, you will incur long-term pain from the regrets of your "ME" actions.

On the other hand, if you look at “Glorify and Trust God,” He provides the energy of the Holy Spirit and His fruit of self-control. You receive the strength to endure pain and reap eternal rewards. That helps you see the temptation, the slippery slope to sin, for what it is. Temptation is always an opportunity to operate with or without input from God or Godly sources. It is not a sin to be tempted, but it is a sin to do what the temptation is prompting you to do. The only effective way to handle temptation is to trust God and His power, not your own.

There are only two ways to live. Which path are you on?

Sin Nature & Judgments or Holy Spirit & Love?

When you start on the “Satisfy ME” path, the Judgments fuel your self-absorbed focus. The judgments fuel a desire in a woman to make her relationships meet her needs and fuel the desire in a man for work and activities to meet his needs.

Women act in ways to remove pain in relationships but end up manipulating or dominating the relationship and creating more pain. On the other hand, men act to remove pain in work and will try to control work and activities and “rule” their wives but are left with pain at work and home. Both men and women focus on controlling to meet their needs.

But, the other path of trusting God is an entirely different approach and attitude. It is not about ME but about others; therefore, the Holy Spirit and His fruit of Love—pursuing their best patiently, kindly, sacrificially, and unconditionally fuel your life.

There are only two ways to live. Which path are you on?

React & Respond or Choose & Create?

The situation gets worse on the “Satisfy ME” path. The Judgments fuel our self-absorbed tendencies and further support a REACT/RESPOND lifestyle focused on short-term appetites, impulses, and pleasures. This lifestyle leads to statements like, “you made me mad,” “I’m tired of you doing that,” or “I’m getting a divorce because she/he did….” 

Contrast that against a life that depends on God. If your fuel is from the Holy Spirit, your life is about CHOOSE/CREATE. Choosing Godly values and aspirations—a life that aligns your thinking with God’s thinking which changes your feelings and actions. Good thinking drives the right emotions and actions. Flawed thinking drives bad feelings and actions that are rationalized.

There are only two ways to live. Which path are you on?

Regrets, Grief, Slavery or Restoration, Renewal, Freedom?

The result of each path is drastically different. Depending upon yourself leads to Regrets, Grief, and Slavery, and the cycle continues with short periods of less grief that masquerades as Peace and Joy.

On the other hand, if you depend on God—the desire to “Trust GOD,” you will have a life driven from the inside out, not the outside in like the react/respond life. The result is Restoration, Renewal, and Freedom despite the people or circumstances around you. You focus solidly on God, Who is in control of life, Who alone can make sense out of life for you.

There are only two ways to live. Which path are you on?

Your Choice! Only Two Ways to Live!

So, which path are you on? Trusting self—leading to regrets, grief, and slavery? Or trusting God—leading to restoration, renewal, and freedom? All it requires is one fundamental choice.

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. – Romans 6:13

There are only two ways to live. Will you trust and depend on God, serving others with your design, glorifying God, and reflecting God’s Image? Or will you trust yourself, serving and trying to satisfy ME using or distorting your design and God’s image? Will you walk in the Spirit or the Flesh?

There are only two ways to live! Which path will you choose today?

PURSUING THEIR BEST - Freedom in Relationships