You’re Doing Great But Have You Tried It This Way
Message: Better | Josiah Anthony
1. The temple was created and built as a place for God’s presence to dwell and people to express their love for God in worship. Jesus was upset because the temple was not being used for its created purpose. We are now the temple (1 Corinthians 3:16), the place changed but the purpose stayed the same. We have been created for love. The primary purpose of life is to be loved by God, to love God, and to love others. We are the most fulfilled and joyful when we are doing what we were created for.
a) God created each of us with a primary love language of how we receive love and how we show love. What are those love languages for you?
b) What things do you do which gives you the greatest fulfillment and joy?
2. The way you live even an ordinary life and live it with great significance is by making love the purpose behind everything. The measure of a fulfilling life is not accomplishments or even progress, but whether you are living life the way you were created to do it. Have you ever felt like you were doing everything you knew to do in life, giving it your best, following instructions, making progress; but everything felt off, your life lacked fulfillment and joy? Often that is a sign that our priorities are not aligned with God’s. That instead of living my life with the purpose of loving God and loving others, I am living with the purpose of accomplishing something and hopefully loving God and others along the way.
a) In a world that is fixated on accomplishments and success; how do we keep loving God and loving others at the forefront of our mind and actions?
b) Based on how I live my day-to-day life, what would those around me say my priorities are?
3. The greatest hinderance to living the life you were created for is control. Wanting control of your own life, of your future, of your environment. Experiencing the fullness of God requires surrender. Daily we must answer the question; is control of the situation around me more important than the person in front of me. In Luke 10, Martha was upset because Mary was not helping her with the meal preparations. What she was doing was good, but Jesus said what Mary had chosen was even better (in fact the only thing really necessary). Most of us are busy doing good things but are we doing what is best.
a) How do we live a life of constant surrender?
b) How do we stay focused on the one thing which is necessary?
Matthew 21:12-13 (NIV) Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.”
Mark 12:28-31 (NLT) One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Luke 10:39-42 (NIV) As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”