Jer 29:11 For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says the Lord; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
There are some people who are really fulfilled in life. They have great and meaningful relationships, strong financially and generous with those around them, they have meaningful ministries where they exercise their skills and pour out their lives on others. They love life.
Prosperity in Your City
Jeremiah 29:5-75 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished.
7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. The Lord lovingly advised these captives. The Lord wanted the Israelites to be stronger than when they were taken into exile. When people are exiled and taken captive their world usually collapses.
Elimelech Bad Decision
Rth 1:1-2 And it happened in the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. (2) And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And they came to the fields of Moab and stayed there.
Elimelech – God is King, Naomi – Pleasant
Mahlon – weakness Chilion – distress
Ruth’s Right Restoring Decision
Rth 1:16-17 And Ruth said, Do not beg me to leave you, to return from following after you. For where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. (17) Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.
Naomi Stuck in the Past
Rth 1:19-21 And both of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? (20) And she said to them, Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara. For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. (21) I went out full, and Jehovah has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since Jehovah has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?
Ruth’s Forward Looking Hope – Work with Favour of Failure
Rth 2:1-2 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech. And his name was Boaz. (2) And Ruth of Moab said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said to her, Go, my daughter.
Rth 2:8 And Boaz said to Ruth, Do you not hear, my daughter? Do not go to glean in another field, neither go away from here, but stay here close by my maidens.
Boaz Ruth Blessing
Rth 4:11-12 And all the people in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. May Jehovah make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, for these two built the house of Israel. And may you be blessed in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem. (12) And let your house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give you of this young woman.
Rth 4:13 And Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife. And when he went in to her, Jehovah made her conceive. And she bore a son.
Ruth Restores All To Naomi
Rth 4:14-16 And the women said to Naomi, Blessed be Jehovah, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, so that his name may be famous in Israel. (15) And he shall be to you as a restorer of life, and one who cheers your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you has borne him, she who is better to you than seven sons. (16) And Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse to it.
Look In, Look Out….
Pro 20:27 The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the innermost parts of his being. Look in
Look out – with eyes of fire, holy eyes, see as Jesus sees
Look up – Help from the Lord, under the Lordship
Look back – How Jesus Helped, lessons learnt
Look around – your mission field, life work
Look ahead – Godscope, directed path
Quantity & Quality of Decisions
The quality of your decisions determines the quality of your life
Why Do We Struggle to Make Good Decisions?
- We are overwhelmed with choices
Decision Fatigue – As volume of decisions increase—Quality of decisions decrease
Indecision
- We’re afraid of making a wrong choice. (Missing God’s will)
Perfect school—Job—House—Marriage!
Indecision is a decision!
Indecision is the enemy of progress
Emotional Decisions
So often the emotional decisions that hurt us most!
- Don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary emotions.
One of the best ways to live forward-looking, people-loving God-glorifying life—Decide before what you will do later.
The Power of Pre-Deciding!
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Prov 16:3
When your values are clear, your decisions are easier
You make your decisions, and your decisions end up making you. – What do you value? Integrity? Faithfulness? Purity? Generosity?
When your values are clear, your decisions are easier
I am ready. I am consistent. I am devoted. I am generous.
I am faithful. I am a finisher.
Impulse buying, addictive eating, road rage, show your anger, take revenge, eye on lust
Range of Decisions
Accept Christ as Saviour
Marriage
Friends & Community – affect choices & character
Children’s future & Godscope, spirituality of kids
Seek first God’s kingdom – Church, Time for God, Ministry – family & mission outside Matt 28:19
Work field, Finances & tithing
Major purchases – house, vehicle
Minor purchases
Unholy Ambitions, migration
Benefits of Godly Sorrow – Rectify Consequences of Bad Decisions
2Co 7:9-11 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. (10) For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Forward favour
(11) For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you:
what vindication of yourselves,
what indignation,
what reverence,
what longing,
what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.
Life Plot & Best Harvest from Seed & Season
Good & noble ground yielding the maximum harvest from all seeds & seasons God sends
Wayside with Ravens & trampling – wrong decisions
Stony ground – many plantings, no roots,, try again & again with failed harvest – holding o to past unwise choices
Good ground with mixed seed – wheat & tares, not filtering your choices
Muddied ground – world’s pollution, compromise – Lot
Life Ground not brought under God’s Rule
Fallow ground – unploughed – not allowing God’s righteousness to plough you
Hos 10:12-13 Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you. (13) You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice, You have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors,
Commit to the Lord whatever you do.
Proverbs 16:3 says, that, Whatever you do, scripture says, commit it to the Lord. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do.” If you’re dating somebody, commit your dating relationship to the Lord. If you’re married, commit your marriage. If you’re parenting, commit your parenting and your children to the Lord.
If you’re making financial decisions, commit your financial decisions to the Lord. If you’re making professional decisions, relational decisions, friendship decisions, what to wear decisions, what to eat decisions, commit everything to the Lord,
Decisions determine direction, and direction determines destiny.
I’m kind of hands off, laissez faire. I let life come at me rather than coming at life for the glory of God.
Cultivate Faithfulness
Psa 37:3-7 Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land – Elimelech & Lot migrated out of God’s blessing
and cultivate faithfulness – faithful to God, faithful to what God gives you (thanksgiving), faithful in relationships.
(4) Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. – when desire is right, many hurts are avoided
Detailed Plan & God Goal
(5) Commit your way to the LORD,– have a detailed spiritual & financial plan & goal for your family
Trust also in Him, and He will do it. – make sure it isb what God can do, God will do. If not you have sweat, toil thorns, dust, bleed
(6) He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. – God works to ingrain His righteousness in you & raise a witness for Him
When Evil Obstructs You – Rest Patient
(7) Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Psa 37:11 But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
Work on the basis that God will come thru & thru bad He will fulfil His best for us
Rom 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Consistent & Devoted
What are you? I am…- Consistent.
– In a world where people often stray from God and lose their passion, and the devil tempts them to take God for granted, not be students of his Word, not be glorifying him, we will be devoted to God. What are you? I am…- I am Devoted. –
Generous & Faithful
In a world that tends to be selfish, we’re gonna be God-honoring. We will choose ahead of time that what I have belongs to God, and I’m going to be generous. What are you? You are… Generous.
– We’re gonna decide ahead of time, in a world where unfaithfulness seems be the norm, as followers of Jesus, we are not the norm. We are faithful. What are we? We are…faithful
It Is Finished
– And finally, Jesus said on the cross, “I did everything the father sent me to do.” He said, “Teletestai.” He said, “It’s finished.” We honor God with excellence. We don’t back down. We don’t back off. We don’t walk away. We are finishers. What are we?
We are finishers.
We are ready, we are consistent, we are devoted, we are generous, we are faithful, and we are finishers
Devotion & Generosity, Faithful Finisher
Heb 12:1-2 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Five Areas of Light Carriage
Marriage & family life displaying God’s love & goodness
Children obedient & shining with God’s favour in their talents
Your testimony under temptation trial tests
Others want to know Jesus because of your witness – character & works
No dark power can operate in your sphere – when believers carry the light, demons cannot operate in that sphere. Nations see Light
2024 Carry the Light & your lamp
Lamp can flicker & fail because of external winds or bash up. However, more commonly lamp fails….
If reckless movement cracks up clay & leaks oil – “in the way of sinners”
If the oil is mixed up with compromising liquids – counsel of the ungodly or does not refill
Lamp & Wick
If the wick burns for other passions, glories or fires
If the wick is not cleaned – confess sin & uncleanness sooner than later
If isolated in a cellar or under the bushel, for lack of oxygen (association)
If moved to polluted places – snuffed out, quenched – seated in the seat of the scornful
Listening to go slow advice, don’t be that bright, just be like others.