Intentional Choices: The Path to a Blessed Life

Devotional

Day 1: Intentional Associations Lead to a Blessed Life

To live a blessed life, one must be intentional about their associations, choosing to align with those who pursue righteousness and encourage faith. The psalmist in Psalm 1:1-3 illustrates a progression from walking to standing to sitting with the wicked, symbolizing increasing levels of association with evil. This progression serves as a warning to be mindful of the company we keep, as it can influence our spiritual journey. By choosing to walk, stand, and sit with those who pursue righteousness, we position ourselves to receive God's blessings and grow in our faith. [03:48]

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: Who are the people you spend the most time with, and how do they influence your walk with God? Can you identify one relationship that encourages your faith and one that might be hindering it?

Day 2: Delighting in God's Law Transforms Our Hearts

Delighting in and meditating on the law of the Lord involves bending our hearts, minds, and souls toward God's commandments. This means loving God with all our being and extending that love to our neighbors, even those who may be our enemies. By immersing ourselves in God's word, we allow it to transform us from the inside out, aligning our desires with His will. This transformation is not just about following rules but about cultivating a heart that reflects God's love and character in all our interactions. [06:06]

Psalm 119:97-99 (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. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation."

Reflection: What specific steps can you take today to delight in God's law and let it shape your thoughts and actions? How can you extend love to someone you find difficult to love?

Day 3: A Life Rooted in God's Word Bears Fruit

A life rooted in God's word is like a tree planted by streams of water, symbolizing continual nourishment and growth. Such a life bears fruit in its season and remains resilient even in difficult times. The story of Joseph exemplifies this truth, as his life was marked by blessing despite the hardships he faced. By delighting in God's law and remaining faithful, Joseph's life brought prosperity to those around him, demonstrating that a life rooted in God can thrive in any circumstance. [07:25]

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 God's word today? How can you ensure that your life bears fruit that blesses others, even in challenging times?

Day 4: Righteousness Through Relationship with Christ

Our righteousness and state of blessing come not from our own efforts but from our relationship with Christ. Through His sacrifice, we are invited to live in a perpetual state of blessing, akin to the Garden of Eden. This relationship with Christ is the foundation of our spiritual life, enabling us to experience God's blessings and live in His presence. It is not about striving to earn God's favor but about resting in the finished work of Christ and allowing His righteousness to transform us. [10:52]

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV): "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Reflection: How does your relationship with Christ influence your understanding of righteousness? What steps can you take to deepen this relationship and live in the reality of His blessings?

Day 5: Examining Our Lives for Spiritual Growth

We are challenged to examine our lives: Do we delight in God's law? Do we meditate on it? Are our relationships encouraging us in our walk with Jesus? By reflecting on these questions, we can identify areas where we need to grow and make intentional changes to align our lives with God's will. May we strive to be like trees planted by streams of water, living lives that reflect our knowledge of and relationship with God. [11:24]

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV): "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Reflection: Take a moment to examine your life today. What is one specific area where you can grow in your relationship with God? How can you make a practical change to pursue this growth?

Sermon Summary

In our new series, "The Domino Effect," we explore how our decisions can set off a chain reaction in our lives, much like a line of falling dominoes. Today, we delve into Psalm 1:1-3, which offers profound insights into living a blessed life. The psalmist begins by describing the blessed person as one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. This progression from walking to standing to sitting illustrates increasing levels of association with evil. To live a blessed life, we must be intentional about our associations, choosing to walk, stand, and sit with those who pursue righteousness and encourage us in our faith journey.

The psalmist also emphasizes the importance of delighting in and meditating on the law of the Lord. This means bending our hearts, minds, and souls toward God's commandments, which are summed up in loving God with all our being and loving our neighbors as ourselves. This love extends even to those who may be our enemies, reflecting the character of God in our interactions.

A life rooted in God's word is likened to a tree planted by streams of water, symbolizing continual nourishment and growth. Such a life bears fruit in its season and remains resilient even in difficult times. The story of Joseph exemplifies this truth. Despite being sold into slavery and imprisoned, Joseph's life was marked by blessing because he delighted in God's law and remained faithful. His life brought prosperity to those around him, demonstrating that a life rooted in God can thrive in any circumstance.

Ultimately, our righteousness and state of blessing come not from our own efforts but from our relationship with Christ. Through His sacrifice, we are invited to live in a perpetual state of blessing, akin to the Garden of Eden. The challenge for us is to examine our lives: Do we delight in God's law? Do we meditate on it? Are our relationships encouraging us in our walk with Jesus? May we all strive to be like trees planted by streams of water, living lives that reflect our knowledge of and relationship with God.

Key Takeaways

1. The progression from walking to standing to sitting with the wicked illustrates increasing levels of association with evil. To live a blessed life, we must be intentional about our associations, choosing to align ourselves with those who pursue righteousness and encourage us in our faith journey. [03:48]
2. Delighting in and meditating on the law of the Lord involves bending our hearts, minds, and souls toward God's commandments. This means loving God with all our being and extending that love to our neighbors, even those who may be our enemies. [06:06]
3. A life rooted in God's word is like a tree planted by streams of water, symbolizing continual nourishment and growth. Such a life bears fruit in its season and remains resilient even in difficult times, as exemplified by the story of Joseph. [07:25]
4. Our righteousness and state of blessing come not from our own efforts but from our relationship with Christ. Through His sacrifice, we are invited to live in a perpetual state of blessing, akin to the Garden of Eden. [10:52]
5. We are challenged to examine our lives: Do we delight in God's law? Do we meditate on it? Are our relationships encouraging us in our walk with Jesus? May we strive to be like trees planted by streams of water, living lives that reflect our knowledge of and relationship with God. [11:24]
** [11:24]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:10] - Introduction to The Domino Effect
[00:25] - Reading Psalm 1:1-3
[00:41] - The Impact of Decisions
[00:58] - Understanding "Blessed"
[01:34] - Avoiding the Counsel of the Wicked
[02:10] - Walking, Standing, and Sitting
[03:37] - Association with Evil
[04:20] - Living a Life of Blessing
[05:08] - Delighting in the Law of the Lord
[06:06] - Loving God and Neighbor
[06:51] - The Tree by Streams of Water
[07:40] - Resilience in Difficult Times
[08:25] - The Story of Joseph
[10:35] - Righteousness Through Christ
[11:24] - Challenge and Prayer

Sermon Clips

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night he's like a tree planted by the streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither whether he does not wither whatever he does prospers." [00:55:28]

"First of all blessed is is this beautiful idea that when Adam and Eve were created they were in a blessed state that they were in the Garden of Eden without sin in their life and so prior to their sin they were in a continual state of blessing and so that's what this passage is talking about is that you and I can be in that similar state that we can be in a garden of Eden even today." [01:29:04]

"Now this idea of walk is to actually associate with to do life with people that are wicked that people that that choose to not be a positive contributor to the church community that they are walking in a way and their purpose and their meaning of life is not to know God and to pursue God." [02:21:44]

"Not only we not going to walk with those that are wicked not only are we not going to stand with those who who choose to do evil and and to stand strong with them but also we're not going to sit down and to have deep fellowship with those who mock God this idea of mockers is a strong idea it's those who willingly choose to do evil who willingly choose to sin and not only do that but then also turn around and mock those that are the innocent to mock those that are the righteous." [03:59:12]

"To live a life of blessing to live a life that is is like the life in the Garden of Eden means that we are walking with those in community with those who are in pursuit of Jesus that we're standing with those who are standing for the right things the things of justice and that we're sitting with those and doing life and fellowship on a deep level with those that don't mock God but actually encourage others to move toward God." [04:34:56]

"To delight is is that you you literally you bend toward that the your heart and your mind and your soul bend toward the law of the Lord and what is the law of the Lord well it's pretty easy it tells us in Matthew and in Deuteronomy it's to to love the Lord your God with all of your heart with all of your soul and with all of your mind and that we show how we're bending toward God with our heart and our soul and our mind by the way that we love our neighbor." [05:19:04]

"The blessed life is one that delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it that we delight in the fact that we have an opportunity to know and to love God and that by knowing and loving him and we get to know his character and how he cares for people that we then have an opportunity then to to love our neighbor as God loves us even if that neighbor is an enemy to love and to pursue them." [06:02:48]

"That type of life is like a person that's planted by streams of water and so that's the idea that it's a tree that's planted by streams of water is that it's a tree that's there and it's continually sustained it's continually refreshed and so that in season it will produce fruit it will be productive it will be healthy it will be a fruitful life it will be a fruitful faith it will be continually growing and maturing." [07:06:48]

"Even when it's not in season to produce fruit the leaves won't wither so even in winter even when life gets difficult there's still evidence of the fact that we're in a relationship with God and that God knows us and that we know him and that that's the meaning of the of a life that's a tree planted by the streams of water is that one God knows us and and we know him and that yes there's going to be seasons where we are fruitful." [07:37:20]

"Joseph was a young man who delighted in the laws of the Lord in season and out of season he was sold into slavery by his brothers and then he ended up in Pterer's house and in Piper's house because he delighted in the law of the Lord the house of Piper prospered and even Piper's wife tried to get him to to mess up to miss the mark and he said 'No I can't I can't go that direction i don't want to miss the mark in this area of my life.'" [08:32:56]

"Joseph even in prison was like a tree planted by streams of water because he delighted in the law of the Lord and he meditated on it he actually brought life to a place many of us would say is lifeless and that he got out of that place because he brought life to a lifeless place he ended up in the Pharaoh's house second of command of all of Egypt and it says in the word that everything that Joseph touched turned to gold." [09:18:92]

"Our righteousness isn't based upon what we do about how good we are how good we're not our righteousness comes from Christ and Christ alone that if you've said yes to Jesus and what he's done on the cross then you've received his righteousness and so now you do live in a state of blessing you are continually in a state of blessing you live in the Garden of Eden because of your relationship with Christ not because of anything you've done but was because of what Christ has done for you." [10:47:88]

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