Aligning Life's Dominoes with God's Will

Devotional

Day 1: Aligning Life's Dominoes with Christ

True happiness and fulfillment are found when we align our lives with Christ, allowing Him to guide us toward a life of blessing and joy. Life is unpredictable, and our plans can often be disrupted, much like a series of dominoes that don't fall as expected. However, when we set our life's dominoes in alignment with God's will, we invite His guidance and wisdom into our journey. This alignment doesn't mean life will be free of challenges, but it assures us of His presence and direction through every season. By trusting in Christ, we find a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment that transcends the temporary successes or failures of our plans. [01:43]

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (ESV): "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."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to realign your plans with God's will? How can you invite Him to guide you in this area today?

Day 2: The Influence of Companions

The progression from walking to standing to sitting with the wicked highlights the importance of choosing our companions wisely. Our relationships significantly influence the direction of our lives, and we must discern who we walk with to maintain our relationship with God. The psalmist warns against the subtle progression of being influenced by those who do not follow God's ways. Instead, we are encouraged to surround ourselves with those who uplift and encourage us in our faith journey. By choosing our companions wisely, we protect our hearts and minds from negative influences and align ourselves with God's path. [05:18]

Proverbs 13:20 (ESV): "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."

Reflection: Who are the people in your life that influence your walk with God? Are there any relationships that you need to reevaluate to ensure they align with your spiritual journey?

Day 3: Delighting in God's Law

True happiness comes from delighting in the law of the Lord and meditating on it day and night. Immersing ourselves in God's Word shapes our thoughts and actions, guiding us on the path of righteousness. The psalmist emphasizes the importance of not just reading but delighting in God's Word, allowing it to transform our hearts and minds. This delight leads to a deeper understanding of God's character and His desires for our lives. As we meditate on His Word, we find guidance, comfort, and strength to navigate life's challenges with wisdom and grace. [07:26]

Psalm 119:97-98 (ESV): "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me."

Reflection: How can you incorporate more time for meditating on God's Word in your daily routine? What specific steps can you take to delight in His law today?

Day 4: Rooted and Sustained in Christ

Like a tree planted by streams of water, a person rooted in Christ is continually nourished and sustained, even in difficult seasons. Our identity and worth should be found in Christ, not in the fleeting things of this world. The psalmist uses the metaphor of a tree to illustrate the stability and nourishment that comes from being deeply rooted in Christ. This rootedness provides strength and resilience, enabling us to withstand life's storms and remain fruitful. By finding our identity in Christ, we are freed from the pressures of seeking validation from the world and can rest in His unchanging love and purpose for us. [14:22]

Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV): "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

Reflection: In what ways can you deepen your roots in Christ to ensure you are nourished and sustained in all seasons of life?

Day 5: Transformation Through Trust

Trusting in the Lord transforms our hearts and desires, allowing us to resist worldly temptations. This transformation leads to a life of blessing and happiness, as we follow God's path and dine at the King's table. The psalmist highlights the transformative power of trusting in God, which reshapes our desires and aligns them with His will. This transformation is not about conforming to the world but being renewed in our minds and hearts by His Spirit. As we trust in the Lord, we experience a profound change that empowers us to live a life of purpose and joy, dining at the King's table and partaking in His abundant blessings. [28:12]

Romans 12:2 (ESV): "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to trust God more fully to experience His transformative power? How can you take a step of faith in this area today?

Sermon Summary

In life, we often set up our plans like a series of dominoes, hoping everything will fall into place perfectly. However, life is unpredictable, and sometimes our plans are disrupted. This morning, I want to explore the idea of the domino effect in our lives through the lens of Psalm 1. The psalmist emphasizes that true happiness and fulfillment are found in Christ. By setting our life's dominoes in alignment with God's will, we allow Him to guide us toward a life of blessing and joy.

Psalm 1 begins by describing the blessed person as one who does not walk in step with the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the company of mockers. This progression highlights the importance of choosing our companions wisely, as they influence the direction of our lives. Instead, we are called to delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night. This means immersing ourselves in God's Word, allowing it to shape our thoughts and actions.

The psalmist uses the metaphor of a tree planted by streams of water to illustrate the life of a person rooted in Christ. Such a person is continually nourished and sustained, even in difficult seasons. In contrast, those who do not follow God's path are like chaff blown away by the wind, lacking substance and meaning.

Our identity and worth should be found in Christ, not in the fleeting things of this world. When we trust in the Lord and follow His guidance, He transforms our hearts and desires. This transformation allows us to resist the temptations of the world and remain on the path of righteousness. As we walk with God, He intimately knows and guides us, helping us navigate life's challenges.

Ultimately, the choice is ours: to be like a tree planted by water, sustained and fruitful, or like chaff, blown away and without purpose. May we choose the path of blessing, happiness, and transformation in Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. The Domino Effect of Life: Life is unpredictable, and our plans can be disrupted. True happiness and fulfillment are found in aligning our lives with Christ, allowing Him to guide us toward a life of blessing and joy. [01:43]
2. Choosing Companions Wisely: The progression from walking to standing to sitting with the wicked highlights the importance of choosing our companions wisely. Our relationships influence the direction of our lives, and we must discern who we walk with to maintain our relationship with God. [05:18]
3. Delighting in God's Law: True happiness comes from delighting in the law of the Lord and meditating on it day and night. Immersing ourselves in God's Word shapes our thoughts and actions, guiding us on the path of righteousness. [07:26]
4. Rooted in Christ: Like a tree planted by streams of water, a person rooted in Christ is continually nourished and sustained, even in difficult seasons. Our identity and worth should be found in Christ, not in the fleeting things of this world. [14:22]
5. Transformation Over Conformity: Trusting in the Lord transforms our hearts and desires, allowing us to resist worldly temptations. This transformation leads to a life of blessing and happiness, as we follow God's path and dine at the King's table. [28:12]
** [28:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - The Domino Effect of Life
[01:04] - Pursuit of True Happiness
[01:43] - Setting Life's Dominoes in Christ
[02:19] - Guardrails of Life
[02:49] - Blessed is the One
[03:27] - The I Am Calls Us
[04:07] - From Slavery to Freedom
[04:49] - Walking, Standing, Sitting
[05:18] - Choosing Companions Wisely
[06:17] - Community and Discernment
[07:26] - Delighting in God's Law
[09:05] - Trusting the Father's Guidance
[12:36] - Meditating on God's Word
[14:22] - Rooted in Christ
[17:24] - Present and Future Blessings
[20:09] - The Chaff and the Tree
[21:25] - Intimate Knowledge of God
[23:46] - The Path of Righteousness
[26:01] - Trusting in the Lord
[28:12] - Transformation Over Conformity
[30:07] - Dining at the King's Table
[32:03] - Responding to God's Call

Sermon Clips

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. So that word blessed is or happy is ostra that's in your notes and it's those who live according to Yahweh and I am's instruction. In other words, if you look back in the Old Testament there's a passage in Exodus 3:14 where Moses and God are talking and God's shown up and he's talking to Moses and he's like 'Hey Moses my people are in bondage in Egypt and I want you to be the voice I want you to be the leader to move them from slavery to the promised land.'" [00:02:47]

"And so that for us to experience the blessing and happiness of moving from a lifestyle and a life of bondage and slavery to get to the promised land where there's a life of happiness and of joy and of all the things that God has for us, you have to move from slavery to life. God the I am moves us out of that place. So who has called us out of slavery and bondage? It's the I am, God Yahweh, where his very name of his breath is our breathing pattern. He calls us out." [00:04:00]

"There's some people that you're going to encounter in your life that are going to try to walk with you and you're going to be like 'Hey listen It's good to know you but we can't walk together because you're an influence in my life that I don't need.' Any of y'all have those so right you have the righteous and those that aren't pursuing righteousness. So you got to make that decision." [00:05:06]

"That we're in pursuit of helping them know the joy and happiness that we have in Christ but they're not going to be our tight friends our 2 a.m friends because the advice and the counsel that they're going to give us are not going to be the counsel and the advice of the Lord. It's going to be wisdom for the world which is going to be like chaff and not like a tree planted by water." [00:06:38]

"How many of you loved when your parents told you no right like no? In the moment when you're certain ages you're like you look at your parents and like you said no but I don't believe you and you go do your own thing. Any of y'all ever done that y'all had some timeouts? I don't know. In my house we didn't have timeouts. We had whoop the heiny time you know." [00:07:34]

"Because maybe you've done this. I had a friend that did this. He was on a path. He was on a journey and he hadn't had Chinese food in a little while and he was driving along and he saw a convenience store and they said they had Chinese food. Listen I'm pretty sure this is in the law of the Lord. Convenience store and Chinese do not go together. Okay but my friend decided I'm going to go off the path." [00:09:39]

"God's like 'Listen my child you can't handle what's 30 feet in front of you much less what's 30 yards. Let me just light up the next step. Will you trust me enough to take the next step because if you see 30 yards in the future you might be mindboggled by what I'm going to be placing in front of you and how I'm going to walk you through that safely.'" [00:11:32]

"Think about this. In Christ you're like a tree planted by a stream of water. You're sustained all the time. Your roots are growing deep. You're in winter. It's lifegiving. The winds and the storms of life can come and blow. But in Christ your life are sustained. But outside of Christ your life is like chaff. And even the slightest breeze blows it away." [00:19:51]

"And so the Lord walks intimately with his children. He walks us along the path of life. He's got the guard rails. He's trying to keep us from being distracted one step at a time so that as we're walking that path that an oak tree shows up and we're like 'What in the world?' And he says 'I don't know either. It's people from Lraange.' And he says 'But we're going to go around it.'" [00:23:37]

"Romans 12:2 says this 'Do not conform to the pattern of this world.' That word conform literally means don't be pressed into the image. Don't be pressed into don't be molded into the image of the world because the world tells us you need to do this you need to have this you need all all these different things. And if you have all these things that will equal happiness and joy." [00:27:40]

"Why would you settle for convenience store Chinese food when the best restaurant is ahead at the next off-ramp and you get to dine with the King of Kings and he brings out the biggest steak. He brings out a big old vat of wine. Sorry Baptist. Brings a big old vat of wine and he brings out all this stuff and he's like 'Listen this is like a wedding party. This is this is the best of the best.'" [00:29:18]

"Sometimes Jesus won't meet our expectations but may you continue to follow him because his destination and his path is giving his life for us. Surely we can walk the next step and trust that that kind of God is trustworthy. Let's continue to worship together." [00:34:50]

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