A Life of Purpose

HOSEA 11:3-4

King James Version Chapter 11

3  I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms;

But they knew not that I healed them.

4  I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love:

And I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws,

And I laid meat unto them.

I. The Pitfall of Spontaneity.

Proverbs 25:28

28  He that hath no rule over his own spirit Is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

John Guest said “A spontaneous person is like the farmer who went out to gather the eggs. As he walked across the farm to gather the eggs he noticed that a pump was leaking. So he stopped to fix it. It needed a new washer so he set off to the barn to get one. But on the way he saw that the hayloft needed straightening, so he went to fetch a pitchfork. hanging next to the pitchfork was a broom with a broken broom handle. “I must make a note to myself to buy an broom handle the next time I go to town,” he thought… By now it is clear that the farmer is not going to get his eggs gathered, nor is he likely to accomplish anything else he sets out to do. He is utterly, gloriously spontaneous, but he is hardly free. He is, if anything, a prisoner to his unbridled spontaneity.”

Does the farmer remind you of your spiritual life. Or are you disciplined in your spiritual life. In america a survey of college students said that only 1 in 5 stated that their parents had ever read to them. Maybe this is because in American society we feel that reading isn’t practical and would rather focus on careers.

How to Become a World Class Expert.

Reading one hour per day, five days a week, will make you a World Expert in your field, in 7 years.

Are you an expert on the things of God? Do you just have good intentions or do you have a good plan?

A. It will distract from the mundane.

B. It will detract from the important things. Romans 12:2

King James Version Chapter 12

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

II. The Purpose of Spiritual Discipline. Acts 11:23

King James Version Chapter 11

23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.

A. To draw us closer to the Lord.

1. By strengthening our daily walk.

2. By teaching us how to walk.

a. In our relationship with God

b. In our relationship with our church

c. In our relationship with our family

3. By opening our eyes to knew methods of worship.

B. To keep us within the confines of God’s plan.

1. Through the Word of God. Pslams 119:105

King James Version Psalm 119

105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,

And a light unto my path.

2. Through a faithful effort to live Godly. I Timothy 4:8

Pistol Pete said in an interview before he died, “The key to my ability was repetition. I practiced and practiced and practiced. I gave the sport my total commitment. I tried everything in every way I could to perfect my skills. It was like an obsession. It paid off for me as a player. I’m not sure in life. If I had given that same devotion to my faith, which is what I do now, I’d have been a better person in the long run.”