Actions speak louder than words! It’s such a true statement, especially when it comes to teaching our children the ways of Christ. Legacy is not about the principles we say we believe. Legacy is about the practices that come from principles we truly believe. We will never leave a legacy until we first live a legacy.
Getting a focus is easy. Keeping a focus through the rhythm of consistent practice unlocks the weightier things in life.
Rhythm is more integral to our existence than any of us realize. You actually have perfect rhythm on a molecular level and this produces what scientists call biological rhythm. Rhythm of the heart, rhythm of breath, rhythm of sleep, rhythm of waking up.
God is a God of rhythm.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. NIV
Dr. Peter Manners said, “Everything owes its existence solely and completely to sound.” The sound of God is the origin of our existence and the rhythm of God is revealed in everything He created.
Psalm 33:6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made… NIV
God created by making a sound. The “word” of the Lord that made the heavens released a rhythm within all creation. I believe God didn’t merely speak the world into existence. I believe God sang the world into existence, after all Zephaniah 3:17 says God rejoices over us with singing.
This is why I believe THE BIBLE IS MORE LIKE MUSIC THAN MATH. The essence of walking with God is demonstrated beautifully by the word G.U.I.Dance. (G.U.I. = God you and I) dance.
Proverbs 29:18 If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed. MSG
Are you attending to what God is revealing in your life? Each year we challenge our church family to move beyond deciding a New Year’s Resolution to Discovering a New Year’s Revelation! A New Year’s resolution is good and devoting attention to an area in your life you desire to focus on is healthy. But a New Year’s Revelation is better as you explore what area(s) in your life God wants to focus on.
As I was preparing this message I realized 2024 will be my 30th year to practice this idea. In light of that I’d like to list three decades of this discovery from my own life reminding you that we will never leave a legacy until we first live a legacy.
1995 - Prayer
1996 - Quantity Bible Reading
1997 - Memorization & Meditation
1998 - Study & Research
1999 - Health & Awareness
2000 - Rocks, Remember & Review
2001 - Arsenal of Scripture
2002 – Keep In Step With The Spirit
2003 – Build An Ark (Patterns of refuge)
2004 – Heritage
2005 – Service With A Smile
2006 – Watch & Pray
2007 – Supernatural Servant
2008 – Appreciation = leaving people and places better than the way I found them.
2009 – Kingdom = King’s Dominion
2010 – Keep the Focus. Keep the Faith.
2011 – Empowered to Empower others.
2012 – Brighten Your Perspective
2013 – Deeper More Meaningful
2014 – Advancing Responsibly
2015 – Take Someone With You on your journey of joy
2016 – Enriched by God to enrich others
2017 – Love Is Our Source
2018 – Flourishing Lives
2019 – Fully Known, Fully Loved, Fully Activated
2020 – See The Invisible Do The Impossible
2021 – Open The Gates
2022 – Everyone Is Created For Abundant Life
2023 – Deeper
2024 – To be unveiled during our Serve Team Appreciation Night coming Wednesday, December 6th.
Each year we devote the first 40 days to being intentional about growing in the nature of Christ as our way of life. During this time we are very focused on the way we sacrificially love, serve and give. We purpose to gather sacrificially, even when its inconvenient and this involves community groups as well as congregational gathering on Sunday mornings.
In a daily pursuit we ask everyone to consider participating in the Turn The Page Challenge to faithfully get into God’s Word consistently. We come together to pray corporately at 6am on Tuesdays and 10am on Sundays. This is a great time to explore a deeper pursuit with God. Fasting and prayer is a great practice to focus on especially during this time. He is a speaking God. We must be a listening people. Prayer is relaxing into God's goodness as you practice abiding in Him.
2024 could be the best year you’ve ever known with God! Purposing a strong rhythm of pursuit could introduce you to a new normal in a new year that produces a new you!
Everywhere we go....
We Bring GP2RL: Ask God to speak to you about your New Year’s Revelation for 2024. What is on his heart for your life next year?
The Rhythm of God
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Click here for a downloadable PDF file of this guide.
UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: God, The Creator, designed all creation to carry a certain rhythm. The earth’s orbit makes a circle around the sun every year as it rotates on its axis every day. Our bodies display rhythm in the way our heart beats, in our breathing patterns and even in our cellular activity. The rhythm of God seems to be sown into the fabric of all creation. The very idea that God’s mercies are new every morning points to a daily rhythm of seeking God. God’s wonderful plan is for us to be awake and engaged. We are to be spiritually awake to the revelation of Christ and practically engaged in the practices of Jesus. Our patterns reveal our priorities. The rhythm of our lives can be born from the rhythm of God.
It is God’s plan for us to develop the rhythm of drawing close to His heart and hearing His voice together as a spiritual family. This explains the first question we start with in our groups:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
FOR GROUP LEADERS: The focus of the day is discovering the power of routines that carry the life-giving rhythm of God. A great conversation starter might be to ask people to share some of the routines in life they most enjoy and why.
Proverbs 29:18 If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed. MSG
Notice the sense of daily rhythm in the following text:
Psalms 113:1-3 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! 2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! 3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! ESV
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2. DISCOVER: Have each person give a simple 60 second summary of what these verses are saying, Encourage people to try not to add insights or application yet. Just simply summarize.
3. DEVELOP: What do you sense God may be speaking to you personally as we focus on these verses?
4. DEPLOY: We are to be doers and not hearers only. What will you do this week in re sponse to what you sense God is revealing in this time together?
Everywhere we go, we bring...
GP2RL: Ask God to speak to you about your New Year’s Revelation for 2024. What is on His heart for your life next year? He is a speaking God. We must be a listening people.