Better: Week Two

BETTER week two

BETTER IS ONE DAY

· All make resolutions. Why? We want some area of our life to be better that it was last year.

· Who wouldn’t like to have a better year this year than last?

· Why don’t we?

· We settle for a good life, why? Because good is normal.

· We love normal but long for better.

· Not just us, God wants us to be better, better than normal.

· Normal is the enemy of better, normal is easy, normal isn’t getting it done.

· Beth’s questions: What’s your normal and what can you do today?

· Financially, Relationally, Physically, Spiritually

· Let go of the good and normal and grab hold of the better.

· Pray

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God….10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere: I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Ps 84:1-2, 10

· Courts symbolize the presence of God.

· Survey 1 day in God’s presence or 1000 living the way you want to but away from Him?

· Is 1 day >3 years?

· Before you answer, remember what we all just sung.

· Many don’t believe this is true or possible.

· Look at the choices we make everyday based on how we feel right now, in the short term

· Ex. Jobs, church, relationships, purchases

· We say His ways are better than our ways but we live as though our ways are.

· We say in the presence of God we find Forgiveness * Hope * Joy * Power * Purpose * Provision

· We manufacture our own Forgiveness * Hope * Joy * Power           * Purpose * Provision

· Because that is what normal people do.

HOW DO YOU HAVE A DAY WITH GOD?

· It’s not: Bible study, pray, worship. Those help but not only way.

· We’ve been led to believe that those things are “spiritual” and there for lead us to the presence of the “spiritual one”.

· Ask Jesus how is your spiritual life—what?

· Hebrew language there is no word for spiritual.

· Spiritual life—normal life.

· Label one area as spiritual is to label other areas not spiritual.

· Everything is spiritual

· Every conversation, interaction, choice, etc.

· Everywhere you look, there is God

· Ex. Buy a new car, see car everywhere—more aware.

· You don’t get more Jesus by coming to church, you get more church by coming to Jesus.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Col 3:17

DEVELOP THE HABIT OF…

1) CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH GOD.

· Be joyful always; 17 pray continually. 1 Thess 5:16-17

Every adult I know is always available by phone / constant connectivity 

2) INSTANT OBEDIENCE TO GOD.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Gal 5:25

· Live with regret of not acting on prompting

3) A DAILY DESPERATION FOR GOD.

· My soul yearns, even faints. My heart and flesh cry out!

· Why don’t we desperately need God?

· We haven’t developed a taste.

Taste and see that the Lord is good… Ps 34:8

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. Ps 63:1-3

· Once you’ve had a day with God—never want to do one without him.

· Indescribably better

· Not day but EVERYDAY