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Be Intentional #1 Living By Decision Instead of Default |
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Today we begin a series as we look at becoming people of purpose, people of intentionality. This is probably the biggest area of my life that God is dealing with me right now. I have lived far too long as a person who just let’s things happen, and not focusing my life on pleasing God and living for Him in whatever situation I find myself. God has convicted me of my need to be a person who does not live by default, but lives by decision. To be a person who determines that I will do what it takes to know God better and love Him more, so that He can work in me to become more Christlike. And in becoming more Christlike, to become the type of husband my wife of 30 years deserves. To become the type of father my kids deserve. To become the pastor you deserve. To become the type of person God can use in the lives of other people. So that’s where we will be spending our next few weeks. Looking at the whole area of intentionality, and breaking it down into specific areas of our relationship with God. The intention today is to lay the groundwork for the series, and to challenge you to become a person who is intentional in all areas of your life, with the expectation that God will do wonderful and marvelous things in you because of it. I’ve told you this before, but it bears repeating: there are three types of people –
It’s no different in the Christian life. Spiritual growth requires an intentional effort. Spiritual stagnation and decline require no effort at all. Live redemptively. God has redeemed you not just from sin and its penalty, but he has also redeemed you from an empty life. Steps to Living by Decision Instead of Default Determine to live decisively. It always starts with a decision. The problem is that too many people end there. EPH 5:15 Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Determined people strive to make wise decisions. Decisions based on the Bible are wise decisions, no matter what the world says. If you’re in business and you want guidance on making wise, ethical decisions, then let me suggest reading the book of Proverbs regularly. The practical wisdom contained in that one book alone has transformed many businesses. My point here is that you need to put this kind of determination not on the back burner, but on the front burner, and turned on high. Determine to live decisively. Elevate correct priorities. Priorities should:
Covenant with God to submit to His authority. Quiz time: who created you? God. Who has the right to tell you what to do? God. We need to recognize that only by the grace of God are we even here today. Can we not be so grateful that we allow the ruler of earth and heaven to have his way in our own lives? Surely He deserves that much! He is Lord, whether we want to admit it or not. Allow Him to not only be the Savior, but the Lord, the boss, the CEO, or whatever you want to call Him. But He is the One we need to submit to above all others, especially ourselves. Tell Him you are serious about following Him as Lord. Increase time in the Bible and Prayer. Colossians 3:16 says to… “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Doesn’t it just make sense that if you want to live a life decisively seeking to please God, you need to know what pleases God? I think so. And the best way to learn what pleases God is to read and study His Word. Some of us need to increase some. Others need to just plain start. That’s okay. But start. Read 5-10 minutes a day. It doesn’t have to be an hour. Choose a time that works best for you. If that’s the morning, great. If it’s the afternoon, great. If it’s the evening, great. The issue is not when you do it, but the fact that you do it. And it’s best to be consistent on the time. If you are not in the habit of daily reading the Bible, then start off small. But start. And if you are in the habit, then bump it up a little. Pray while you are reading the Bible. As God prompts your spirit to respond to what you’re reading, just do it. After that, go over any requests for your family and others, then for yourself, always keeping in mind that prayer includes praise and thanksgiving as well as requests. The next principle in living by decision instead of default is to… Daily renew your walk with God. You do that by just setting aside that special time every day to meet with Him, to tell Him you love Him and His Word. Renew your covenant of love and submission on a daily basis. Expect God to move. I say this because, if you were to only look at what I’ve said so far, you would think that the results of living by decision are brought about by your own effort. In fact, it’s only by the grace of God that He decides to move and work in your life at all. These things are not an attempt to jump through a bunch of spiritual hoops, trying to please God with our spirituality. These ideas, these concepts are only tools to help us gain insight into the marvelous love and care of God, who works in us, not because we’ve done everything just right, but because He is honored in doing it. But let me point something out to you. Even if God did nothing in your life because of your decisive efforts to become closer to Him, have you lost anything? I don’t think so. Your deeper knowledge of God will be of benefit to you. Your clearer view of correct priorities will help you achieve the goals you have set for yourself and family. You get the idea. But the point here is that God brings the results, not us. We do these things trusting that God will be pleased to mold us to be more like Him. In comparison to what Jesus has done for us, is it really too much to ask that we spend a bit of time to deepen our relationship with the One who made that relationship possible? Is it easy? No. But God works and makes it worth it. I came across a verse during a short vacation I took a couple months ago. It’s 2 Chronicles 16:9, and it has become one of my personal favorites lately. Listen to what it says. “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” I want to issue a challenge to you today. I want to challenge you today to make a commitment to live decisively. If you have been living life by default, then I want you to make a bold step today. I want you to decide right now to live by decision. You don’t have to have it all figured out right now, but you need to decide that you will make a determined and decisive effort to deepen and strengthen your walk with God, so that it effects every area of your life, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. And I guarantee that if you make the effort, God will change your life. Believe me, He wants to do that for you. But you need to be intentional about being intentional about it. These next weeks I am going to give you some very practical ideas for doing that. Ideas that you can take and put into practice, or modify to your situation. None of the ideas will be original with me, but borrowed liberally from men and women of God who have walked the walk for a long time, and have shown the wonderful working of God in their lives. Let’s pray.
I want
to issue a special challenge to the fathers in our group. |
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