Relationships That Matter Series

Life choice series

Relationships that matter

Good Morning everyone…

We are so glad that you have joined us as we dig into God’s Word and continue with the series “Life Choices”

Life choices involve life decisions… and life decisions should be thought out before they are made.

We know that most decisions have some kind of ripple effect meaning that unless it is a preference decision that most decisions have some kind of effect on other people.

Monday night coming back from a visit I decided not to go home the Pa. Turnpike and come back I-81 and I got caught up in traffic for an extra hour because of construction on the highway. Had I made the choice to go home the turnpike, it would have been quicker and easier to get home- but because someone was in a hurry and got into trouble, it caused a ripple effect on the traffic that was doing what they were supposed to.

Boundaries play a factor in our lives- those we put up for our safety, emotional and spiritual well being, right down to time issues and the bettering of time management. But there is also a group of lawmakers that got together and said that we cannot get on the highway and travel at 90 miles an hour... the speed limit is set at 65.That choice has been taken away from us for the betterment of mankind and to break that law would involve a ticket and maybe up to imprisonment for not obeying the law laid down to us.

The most important lesson from last week was that there are some decisions that have eternal benefits and those that have eternal punishments if we make the wrong decision.

That is the starting point of how you will make good and godly decisions. With Jesus as Lord of your life, you will make decisions that are pleasing and lining up with His Word.

Making decisions without Jesus being Lord, we will make decisions that are selfish and not lining up with God Word and will get us into trouble…ANYONE KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT?

What are we/you going to do with Jesus?

Will we accept what He has done on the cross for us and accept Him as our Lord and savior or are we going to reject his invitation of salvation and have to stand before the Lord one day and have no way of atoning for our sins.

I used three elements for making good decisions and how to deal with them.

Strategy- Have a plan

Tactically- Work the plan

Operational- Make it a routine in your life

If you remember strategically is a long-term high level decision where our lives are affected and they have to be thought out.

Tactically is once we make those decisions that we have a plan in place on how we are going to live them out.

Operational- everyday routines that are put into practice-

No one has to tell you to eat- you do that without much thought.

You do not have to be told that hot can burn you and cold will freeze you.

No one should have to tell you as a Christian to be in church on Sunday hearing and learning God’s Word.

No one should have to tell you to love you spouse and take care with the needs and safety of your family.

THESE ARE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE SETTLED IN YOUR MIND AND THEY BECOME A PART OF YOUR EVERYDAY LIVING.

THIS MORNING I WANT TO TALK ABOUT FRIENDSHIPS/relationships-

The fact that we are Christians should play a factor on how we make decisions and who we will hang out with in our lives.

We are as Christians to base our relationships on things that line up with God’s word and God’s principals.

These principals will help us make friends, find spouses, enhance our marriages, and provide for us direction to do service for Jesus in the kingdom!

Somebody say Amen!

I am serious… when you came to Jesus, you probably lost some friends because you no longer think like them and some of them didn’t want to hang with you anymore.

There are some that you painfully had to stop hanging with because they were pulling you down and causing you to do things that you no longer want to do in your life as a new believer!

Remember last week King Agrippa almost became a Christian-He put it off and said he would not make a choice so quickly after Paul was laying out the Plan.

We have a world full of almost Christians- the world has no idea if they are believers or not!

I ask you three questions-

Do you know what it is to be a friend?

Do you know what you are looking for in a friend?