LEARNING DAILY

Jeremiah 17:7-8, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."

Pastor Jonathon Moore began his message with, “There has to be more to life than just a daily routine.”  He was referring to connecting daily with God. “You can live out life in the purpose God has for you!” (JM), Audrey wrote in her message notes, “A thriving life begins with making consistent decisions based upon Biblical principles. On what the Word of God says.” “Where you are today is based on the decisions made yesterday. What you sow, you are going to reap.” (JM).

Pastor said psychologists say a person makes 35,000 decisions per day. “If you want a different harvest, sow different decisions that will shape the outcome you want. Our decisions might not be bad, but Go’s will for you will lead to a better decision” (Audrey’s notes). You can make decisions that make your life better, probably not problem free – but better.

The verse from Jeremiah tells us to trust in the Lord. How do we do that? We plant our life in the Word of God. How many times have I written that? I really liked what Pastor Moore said about this. “Do not have a “hokey/pokey” faith. That is where one puts their whole heart in the Word in January, then takes his whole heart out in February, and so forth.”

This week Pastor began talking about six decisions – the first is what he called “The Priority Decision.” He said, “Be careful not to let the most important thing become the second most important thing.” Pastor used a quote by Thomas Merton for emphasis, “People may spend their whole life climbing a ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” I will ask the question he asked. Have you checked the wall your ladder is leaning against? Your answer will help you think about whether you are making decisions according to God’s Word, God’s will, and God’s way. It is important to be making the decisions that are taking you closer to God, building your faith, and leading you into a deeper relationship with Him. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Pastor gave three ways to help make God our priority. One, “Intentionally prioritize God daily.”  Start your day with Him by being in prayer and reading/studying/meditating on His Word. Doing so will help you to seek God’s guidance in your decision-making.

Second, “Overcome your priority obstacles.” Busyness, being too tired, being overworked are some obstacles to overcome. Stop looking back instead of looking up and stop be afraid of missing out on something.

Third, “Delight in the Lord.” Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” “The more you get to know the Lord, the more you will love Him, and the closer He brings you to His desires and goals” (JM). The way to love God more and walk closer to Him on the narrow way is to know Him more.

“Our decisions to thrive need to align with three criteria: God’s Word, God’s will, and God’s way” (Small group discussion guide).