Alignment or Achievement?
January 10, 2021
Randy Hageman
Apostle Paul: …we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. —Philippians 3:20 (NLT)
Jesus: ‘…Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.’ —John 16:33 (NLT)
According to the survey, the percentage of Americans who rated their mental health
The only exception was for folks who attended religious services
Attending church
We need the constant reminder of
‘… [God] made David their king. He testified concerning him: I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ (from 1 Samuel 13:14) —Acts 13:22 (NIV)
We’re often inclined to start with
Our relationship with God in Christ is like any relationship – it
The Two Extremes Of “Achievement”
• Trying
• Giving
God wants us to approach spiritual practices with anticipation and delight, but in order to do that, we need
‘… I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ (emphasis added) —Acts 13:22 (NIV)
David’s heart was aligned with God’s, regardless of what that
‘…He’s a man whose heart beats to my heart….’ —Acts 13:22 (Message)
Spiritual formation, becoming more like Jesus, means
We have to change from thinking about what I can achieve on my own for God to what God can do
Alignment is the
Spiritual disciplines are how I unite
… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. —Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
As we align with Him, He works in and through us to do
Heart and actions both matter, but
Spiritual disciplines are sometimes called “means of
God can work any way He wants, but down through the centuries He has
When we look at David’s life, we see a consistent pattern – God uses various experiences to align David
And David inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?’ And the LORD said to David, ‘Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.’ —2 Samuel 5:19 (ESV)
And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated [the Philistines] there. —2 Samuel 5:20 (ESV)
And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, ‘You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.’ And David did as the LORD commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer. —2 Samuel 5:22-25 (ESV)
David understood that prayer is about
When we approach God as David did, to listen and
The LORD: ‘if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.’ —2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)
In this passage, God promises that aligning with Him means
Jesus: ‘I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.’ —John 17:22-23 (NLT)
God tells us how to approach this new year – to start now, today,
