Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - I Choose, Part 4: Important Over Urgent

Episode Date: August 28, 2016

We are the result of our decisions. While we agonize over little things like what to wear and what to eat, are we glossing over the big choices? There might be more on the line than you thought when you say “I Choose.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If he's not gonna play the piano, then tell him to get out of the recital. You know what I mean? Hold on one second. Yeah, buddy, I gotta make this quick. Then, may I recommend the instant demands? They're flash-fried. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't need the recipe. Just get it out here with the side of frazzled nerves and bring the check while you're at it. Absolutely.

I needed the reports like yesterday. Hey, buddy, can you replace this one with one that's burnt above him? Thank you. I've got to work late tonight, honey? I am very excited to have a bunch of very excited people in church today as we are in part four of a message series called I Choose. If you're maybe just joining us, what are we? Essentially, we are the sum total of the decisions that we make. Think about it.

Who we are today is a result of the choices that we've made in the past. And when you think about it, the decisions that we're making today will really impact who we become and what we can do in the future. So for the last four weeks, we've been talking about very specific choices that we're making. Today I want to introduce our fourth and final choice that we're talking about.

And to do it, let me ask a question. I would love it at all of our churches if you guys could participate. How many of you would say, honestly, that sometimes you wish that there was more time to do something that was really important to you? How many say, I wish I had more time to do something.

Raise your hands up. I think virtually everybody would say, I wish I had more time to whatever, to rest, to read, to spend time with my kids, to garden, to fish, to serve somewhere. I wish I had more time to do something that's really important to me. But if you're like most people, you'd say, but I've got the yard to mow, dishes to do, chores to complete a work project, bills to pay, kids to raise. And I've got to get the Instagram caption just right. You know, is it the right filter and all, and on and on. I wish I had more time to do something, but I just don't have enough time.

In fact, I don't know if you've noticed it or not, but whenever I ask people, like, how are you doing? Have you noticed one of the most common responses, how are you doing is I'm busy? How many of you noticed that? How are you doing? I'm busy. Busy. Hey, I'm busy. I don't think I've ever asked anybody how they were doing, and they said, I'm relaxed.

Right? I'm just chilling. Life is easy. I'm having quality time with my kids. I don't have much going on. How are you doing busy? I'm convinced I can't prove this from a theological standpoint. I can't prove it.

But I think that if Satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy. He'll make you busy doing things that may not really matter. How are you doing? I'm busy. In fact, if I ask how many you said, I wish I had more time. to do something and almost everybody raises their hands, I think we have a little issue here to deal with. In fact, this is why I'm training myself and working really, really hard to never say, I wish I had more time for, or to never, ever say, I don't have enough time to.

And the reason I'm working to do this is because I actually have time for what I choose to have time for, right? Think about this. We all have time for what we choose to have time for. So anytime I'm saying, well, I wish I had time to do something else, the problem is I'm actually choosing something over that something else. Therefore, I will never say I don't have time for something. I choose what I have time for. We all have time for what we choose to have time for. So our choice today I want to talk about is something really important, and that is this.

I choose, our decision, I choose the important over the urgent. With God's help, he will empower me to choose that. which is most important over the urgent. Now, I can almost imagine what a lot of you would say, but I thought that urgent things are important. Are urgent things always important? And I want to kind of bring a little bit of distinction between important and urgent, because urgent things are not always important. There's a difference. And I'll give you a few examples. For example, if you're a business owner and you've got an upset and angry customer, dealing with that customer is urgent, right? Everybody say right? That's right. Okay. But,

creating systems to keep customers from getting upset, that's important. Two different things. One is urgent, one is important. If your car engine needs repairing because you didn't change the oil on it, getting your car engine repaired is urgent. But what is changing the engine oil? What is that? It's important, right? It's important. Another example would be if you're really, really sick because you didn't take care of yourself, you didn't sleep, you're overwhelmed, you're doing too much. Going to the doctor to get treatment for being sick is urgent, but taking care of your body so you don't get sick is important.

I want to choose the important over just the urgent. In fact, Seth Godin is a guy I like to read. Seth is a thought leader, kind of a marketing guru, and here's what he said about the difference between urgent and important. Seth said this. He said, if you choose what is important, you won't deal with as many things that are urgent. Think about that.

If you choose what is important, you won't deal with as many things that are urgent. But he said, the opposite is never, ever true. If you're only choosing that which is urgent, then you're not going to be faced with more things that are important. So therefore, we're going to choose the important over the urgent. And to do it today, I want to look at a story in the New Testament in Luke's Gospel, Luke chapter 10, and it's a story about two sisters named Mary and Martha.

It almost sounds like a sitcom. Mary and Martha, okay? And we're going to look at Martha, who does what so much. many of us do. She is so overwhelmed by the urgent that she misses that which is most important. In fact, we'll pick up the text in Luke chapter 10, verse 38. And here's how Luke described this story. He said, 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, and we're going to see Mary chooses what's most important. Mary sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he

He said, Mary chose what was important. Martha did what many of us. She surrendered to the urgent. We're going to read ahead that Martha got all wigged out, wanting everything to be just right. And I don't blame her because Jesus is in the house. Now, be honest. How many of you, if you found out someone that you really respect it was coming over,

would go into frenzy mode cleaning up your house. Anybody do that? Right? We do it at our house all the time. Someone's coming over and it's like, everybody now! Throw stuff under the bed, in the closet. Light the expensive candle, the one we say. for company and put on worship music because they're coming to Pastor Craig's house and there

needs to be worship music, right? It's got to be just right. Panic, panic, get it all together, okay? This is just for a regular person. If Jesus is coming, you can imagine what's going on. Oh! The piggies and the blakas have to be just perfect in the little cinnamon rolls and the pulperies got to match the, you know, shower curtain to whatever.

I mean, is Jesus, the son of God, the king of kings, the Lord, the prince of peace, the great I am coming in the house. Martha freaks out as many of the people. of us would, and she misses what's really, really important. Here's verse 40. It says this. But Martha was what? Let's all say this aloud.

Martha was what? Martha was distracted by all the preparations that, what, say it aloud, that had to be made. I don't know about you. I'm getting more and more distracted all the time. I was looking for my keys in my office for probably three minutes. Where are my keys? Where are my keys? And they were in my mouth the whole time I was looking for it.

And the next day, I was looking for my earbuds. And you know where they were, don't you? You know where they were? in my stupid ears. Okay. I don't know why I'm telling you this is cheaper than therapy. It's just, you know, I'm trying to work these issues out. Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.

Had to, I love that phrase. Go, well, I have to do this. This is so important. I have to get this done. She came to Jesus, and what did she do? She tattled on her sister. She tattled. Like, Jesus!

This is what she did. She said, Lord, don't you care? my sister has left me to do all the work by myself, tell her to help me out. Martha is wigging out, throwing a fit. Jesus, tell her to help me out. She was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. I wonder today, honestly, I wonder how many of you have been significantly distracted from that which is most important.

I would say it this way. I wonder how many of us, including me, we have been full. faithfully pursuing the urgent and neglecting that which is most important. I wonder how many of us have been faithfully pursuing the urgent and neglecting that which is most important. In fact, I put in your notes a big question just to deal with, and the question is this, What is the most important thing you've been distracted from pursuing? What is the most important thing when you think about your life?

What is the most important thing you've been distracted from doing? And I hope you'll take a moment just to really let this settle in. What is the most important thing? Some of you would say, you know, honestly, those of you who are Jesus followers, you'd say, I've been distracted from spending time with Jesus. I haven't put him first. I haven't had intimate time feeding on his word. I haven't aligned my heart with them.

I've been distracted from this. Some of you would say, you know, I'm so busy, like, doing things for my kids. I actually haven't enjoyed my kids. I haven't made a real investment in them. Some of you, if you're really honest, you'd say you've become child-centered parents. Your whole life revolves around your kids, and what have you neglected? You've neglected the marriage that is the rock that should hold the family together. And because you're so busy doing for your kids, you've neglected that which would actually strengthen

and nourish your kids' spirit. You've neglected your relationship with each other. Some would say I've neglected my physical body, and there's so much going on. And, you know, there's so many urgent things that I haven't had time to, you know, eat better and, you know, fast food's convenient. And who has time to work out? There's so many other things going on. I can't exercise. I'd love to walk, you know, every three days a week or whatever.

I just can't get to it. Some of you, it would be something more internal. There's an addiction or a habit or a reoccurring sin that you need to deal with. You need to confess. You need to get help, but you've neglected it. It's really important, but you haven't dealt with it. Why? Take time.

It'd be hard. There's so many more urgent things going on. Look at the text. I like this. Martha's distracted in verse 41. Jesus answers her. He says, Martha, Martha. you are worried and upset about many things.

Let me stop there for a minute. You're worried and upset about many things. If some of you had like a life verse, that might be your life verse, right? Think about it. You're freaked down all the time. All the time. Am I going to get it all done? Divers.

Kids, stupid husband, underwear on the ground. Got to get the... You're worried and upset about so many things, Jesus said. But few things are needed, or indeed only one. And then what does he say? Let's all say this aloud. He says, Mary has done what? Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.

What is Mary done? She has chosen what is better. She made a choice. Martha surrendered to the urgent. Mary chose what was important. Listen, if we're not intentional about this, I promise you, the urgent will crowd out the important. And this happens all the time.

We have a choice. We make choices. We have time for what we choose to have time for. That's why, with the help of God, we will choose that which is important over that which is urgent. Now, what I don't want to do is just kind of like say, hey, you know, you stink and you should do better. I want to do is kind of give up some practical tools of how to do this because I don't always get it right.

I often surrender to that which is urgent. And so I want to give you three really practical thoughts, just totally and completely practical thoughts to help empower you to choose that which is most important. In time management and energy management, sometimes in leadership, I'll teach this thought. You can write it down. How do you choose the important? I want to encourage you to do what I call of this to create artificial deadlines, to create artificial deadlines, a really strategic tool. You may say, what in the world is an artificial deadline? You can write this down if you want. An artificial deadline is actually an artificial deadline. It's what it is. It's a fake deadline. It's artificial. It's not real. For example, I'll give you an example. When is my message do?

Like the message I'm talking about now, when is it technically due? The answer is technically it's due on Saturday at 5.21 p.m. Central daylight time because that's when I start talking, okay? That's when it's due technically Saturday at 521 central daylight time. But in my mind, it's actually due earlier because I have an artificial deadline. My artificial deadline is Wednesday at noon. And for 20 years, now I've made a deadline, and that is my message is done. Wednesday at noon, and the reason is because it's an incredibly important part of what I do. Why would I leave something important up until the last minute? I also have a lot of other

important things that I do, like leading the church and being a dad and such. So by putting an artificial deadline, it frees me of an important task so I can devote my energy and my mind to other important things. If all the important things are hanging, weighing in the balance, I'm never 100% focused on anything. I'm always kind of divided. And so I'm going to finish with this artificial deadline. And here's how it really works. In your own life, you can apply this.

For example, you know if you're leaving somewhere on Wednesday to go on a long weekend trip. But you've got Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday's worth of work to do. But you're leaving on Wednesday, and you're going to leave on Wednesday because you want to get there, but you have to get everything done. What happens by Wednesday?

It's freaky. do do do do do you get all your work done five days in only three days how does that happen you had an artificial deadline that actually made you way more efficient and way more effective this is why I have a hard end to my day for example sometimes people say well I'm going to work until I'm finished okay the problem is guess what you're never really finished and so by putting a hard end on the day I leave at 345 I get to work earlier than about anybody, and I leave earlier than about anybody. I leave at 3.45, hit the gym, and I'm home for dinner.

Why? Because the gym is actually a priority that goes on my calendar, and being home for dinner is a priority that goes on my calendar. And the hard end of the day gets what it does. It makes me more productive all day long. Why? Because I don't have all day. I've got to 345. So really, it forces me to do three things. Number one, I delegate things I should not be doing.

I say no to things I should not be doing, and I make faster decisions all day long, And I am completely convinced that an artificial deadline makes me more productive and it frees up time to put my energy and effort into the places that I value most. How will this apply to you? We're cleaning the house. And guess what? We're cleaning for one hour. Whatever we get done in one hour is it because if you clean all day by the time you can clean

for four hours and it's not all done. And when you leave your bedroom and go clean the living room, you got a two-year-old that's already followed you in the bedroom. and mush fresh Cheerios in your carpet. You can't ever get it all done. So we're going to do this much, and then we're going to be free. We're going to create artificial deadlines, put so much effort towards something, and this frees us up to do that, which is so much more important.

The second thing is, if you're taking notes, is this, we're going to be, this is so important, I encourage you, beg you, plead with you to be ruthlessly selective in your yeses. Be ruthlessly selective in your yeses. be incredibly careful and prayerful about what you say yes to. In fact, I would argue with all of my heart that for most people today, the barrier to a meaningful life is not a lack of commitment, but it's over-commitment. Let me say it again. For most people today, the barrier to a meaningful life is not that you are not committed,

it's that you're way over-committed and you're doing way, way, way, way, way too much. How are you doing? Busy, busy, overwhelmed, busy, busy, busy. Understand this. Business does not necessarily equal productivity. Business does not necessarily equal meaning. Business does not necessarily equal fulfillment in life. In fact, most people, instead of adding to your to-do list, you should start a to-don't list.

I can't believe you got. I'm like so excited by this. I could explode. I don't list. Like, I no longer do these things. In fact, the most successful people, Well, they're strategic and say no to good opportunities all the time. Why?

So they can say yes to the best. No to the good, yes to the best. No to the good, yes to the best. One of the more common questions that people ask at a leadership event is, Craig, with 25 churches, you know, six kids, write books, teach leadership, how do you do it all? And the answer is, I don't do it all. Don't come anywhere close to doing it all. Do not do it all.

Do not do it all. And the principle I teach, and I want to broaden this, but this is so important is this. and you may want to jot this down. The best leaders do not do more. The best leaders do more of what matters most. So important. The best leaders do not do more. They do more of what matters most.

The best moms, listen, the best moms don't do more. The best moms do more of what matters most. The best teachers, they don't do more. They invest their energy in more of what matters most. The best and most effective follow. of Jesus. They don't do more, more, more, more, more. They do more of what brings glory to God. The best do not do more. They do more of what matters most. So we are ruthlessly selective in our yeses. If you want to have a more meaningful life, I would encourage you say no to more and yes to more

of what matters most. What are we going to do? Artificial deadlines, freeze us up for our energy to be devoted to the things that really, really matter. We're going to be ruthlessly selective in our yeses. And then the third thing if you're taking notes is this. This is the big one. Is we're going to do first what matters most. We're going to do first what matters most. We're not going to, well, if I have time then, and I wish I had time for one day,

and if ever things slow down, then I will. No, no, no. Whatever matters most, we do first. In fact, if we can go to Luke's text, as he's talking about Mary and Martha, I mean, if we're going to give the purest interpretation of this, what matters? Time with Jesus matters. Mary has chosen what is better. Time at the feet of the master, and it will not be taken away from her. In fact, if I can chase a rabbit real quick, there are those of you who are followers of Jesus, and let me tell you what you're not doing right now. You are not aligning your heart toward his kingdom every single day. You are not seeking him first in the morning.

You are not letting his word be a regular part of your life. How do I know this? Because I know human nature, and that is we add more and we add more and we add more. And more things on the outside crowd out the most important things on the inside. And you really do love Jesus and you really do want to make a difference. But you don't seek him first in the morning. Why? Because you're tired.

Why are you tired? Because you're busy. Why are you busy? because you said yes to so many things, and the things that you want to do, you end up getting put off until only if I had time, and that's why we do first what matters most. And if I can just make the strongest argument I can, the most important thing we put first is time with Jesus the first part of every single day. Not out of the legalistic I got to my pastor says, I got to do my devotion time.

No, it's because I need to choose Jesus every day. I need him every day. I need to tell them every day. I need your word to renew my mind. I need to realign my heart with your priorities. If I'm going to choose what's most important every day, I need to seek the one who's most important every day first. I want to seek you first.

Matthew 633, Jesus said, you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then everything else will be added to it. The problem with us is we're all seeking everything else first and wondering why we don't have a life that matters. We seek him first. I've got my U-Virgin reading plan. I pray and devote my whole body to God.

God, give me the mind of Christ that I may think on things that honor you. Give me eyes to see only what is pure. Give me ears to hear your spirit speaking. May my mouth be an encouragement to everyone. May I speak your truth. My heart is deceitful above all things. God, give me a pure heart that I may serve you. Use my hands, God, today to bring glory to your kingdom.

Direct the steps of my feet that I would go where you want me to go every day of realignment. If we want to seek and honor God, we seek Him first. first what matters most. And sometimes people might say, well, Craig, how do you have time to journal? How do you have time to work out? How do you have time to have dinner five nights alone with your family? How do you have time to exercise, all this kind of stuff? Because these things go on the calendar first.

How do you have a date night every week? They go on their first. I'm not going to respond to what everyone else wants me to do until I've first done what God wants me to do. Those priorities go on the calendar first. The problem is too many of us we're reactive. Yes, I can do. Yes, I can do, yes, I can do. No, you put your priorities down first. You pursue them.

Financial peace is coming up. Let me just tell you this. And I am talking about this. Why? Because my life has been changed more than you can. My children's life had been changed because at the age of 28 we went through for the first time, eight, nine week course that teaches you to manage well your finances. Lives can be changed more than you could ever, ever imagine. Some of you're going to say, but I don't have time for that. I don't have time for that. you choose to have time for what you choose to have time for. The bottom line is this. You can make excuses or you can make progress, but you can't make both. It's time to say what? No excuses.

If this is important to me, we're going to make time for what is important to me. We have time for what we choose to have time for. We do first what matters most. We do first what matters most. We will not let our spiritual enemy talk us out. of the important and consistently surrender to that which is urgent. When we do more of what is important, we'll have fewer things that are urgent, but the flip side is never, ever true. Now, why am I all wound up about this? Because this is a principle that I'm fighting for with

all my life because I don't always get it right. But I want to tell you two stories that are really meaningful to me about how this has changed who we are as people. First story I'll tell you about is Amy, my wife, she loves hosting, entertaining. The more people at our house, the happier she is. And I'm telling you, like, the more people, like, you know, which did a women's Bible study that had, like, you know, like 18 moms. And these were homeschool moms. Homchool moms, like don't hardly believe in birth control. So I could have 50 kids each, okay? So I mean, like, my house looked like, you know, Wally World for kids or whatever, everywhere. And so the tension was this, that we wanted a host, but she wanted a house to be just right. And so every week before

people had come over, it was like panic zone, and we'd like fight. I know you don't think we'd fight, but I don't know you're like, she can fight. The chick can fight. Okay, she can fight. And so we get and fight about the house isn't right and everything's, the house has got to be right. It's like massive stress, massive stress. And so we want to host, but there's so much pressure to get the house right. I never will forget. I remember, I remember, remember where I was standing, when Amy came in and she just had this sense of relief and, like, it was like this joy that was beyond what I'd seen in a while. And she said, I've got an idea.

I said, what is it? She said, whatever, what if? We choose people over perfection. I'm thinking, that'll preach, but I'm not sure what it means. I mean, I can preach that. You know, like, you know, sounds good, but what does it mean? And she's like, what if we just choose people? Like, when people come over, we just choose them.

and to minister to them and love them and have relationship with them over perfection. In other words, the house doesn't have to be just right. We can just kind of be ourselves, and if they don't like us, then that's okay. But we're just going to be ourselves, and we're going to choose relationships over image. We're going to choose people over perfection. And all of the sudden we're like, yeah, that makes total sense. And so now, if you come over to our house, come on in. There may be Cheerios on the carpet, and there may not be worship music playing,

and the expensive candle is not burning because we can't find it anywhere in our house. But I'm going to tell you what, there's going to be some drinks in the refrigerator, and we're going to sit down and we're going to enjoy one another. Why? Because people are so much more important than things. So much more important than things. And we're going to choose the important over the urgent. And it's changed our lives, man.

I'm telling you what, we have people over all the time, and the house hadn't been clean since about 1997, okay? And it's a choice. We're choosing the important, important over the urgent. important. The moment that changed me was years ago. We have six kids now. Back then we had two, Katie and Mandy, and we were building the church. And in the early years of the church, I'm just going to shoot straight with you. I worked myself into the ground, into the ground, and did it without apology, you know, charged all for the glory of God. And Katie, my oldest daughter, who's now married,

She was just old enough to talk. And I said, baby, I'll be home tonight. You may be asleep, but I'm going to pray for you. I'm going to kiss you good night. But I'll see you when I get home. And I know, man, she looked at me and she wasn't hateful. She was sweet and innocent. She said, Daddy, this isn't your home.

Your home is the church. And I heard that. And the next day I called a counselor. And I submitted myself to counseling for being a workaholic. And I changed. Different. Katie's married, and she texted me recently after she got married, and she said, my greatest prayer, dad, is that I have a marriage like you and mom.

And one day that my husband would be a dad like you are to our kids, and I'd be a mom like mom was to our kids. It's my greatest prayer. And then Anna, my 17-year-old, she's my third daughter. She said something on Instagram. you know your kids will never say something nice to your face, and then they post something like, like, grab whatever you can, grab whatever you can.

And so it was my birthday or something. She put a picture of the two of us up, and she said, the thing I love most about my dad is that he has unlimited opportunities to do whatever he wants, but he always chooses me over the opportunities, and I love him for that. And I thought, all right, that's the problem. prize. That's the prize. And I don't always get it right. And I know you don't either. But with the help

of Christ, every day I choose Jesus. Every day I choose Jesus. Because every day I need Jesus. First thing. Do first what matters most. So for me, first thing. Uversion Bible app, God's word in, prayers out, and attack the day aligned with the purpose. priorities of God. Then, because I've sought him first, it becomes so much easier to say, no, that's a good opportunity. No, that's a distraction. That is important. That is important. During this season of my life, I'm saying no to all these other things. So I can say yes to the most important things. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. You have a choice. Listen, you have a choice. You have time for what you choose to have time for.

You can make excuses or you can make progress. You cannot make both. If you choose that which is most important, then there won't be as many things that are urgent. But the opposite is never, ever true. Martha was distracted by urgent things. Mary chose what was most important, and it will never be taken away from her.

That's why, with the help of Jesus, who we choose every single day, who we seek every single day with his help, we will choose the important over the important. the urgent. Father, I ask that your Holy Spirit would do a deep work in our hearts, God, because in our culture, we need it. God, help us to align our hearts with yours, that we could truly have the courage and the wisdom to say no to the good, to say yes, only to your best. God help us to choose that which is important over that which is urgent.

All of our churches today, just taking a moment to reflect. There are some of you, I ask you earlier, what is the most important thing that you're neglecting? I want you to choose one, and some of you know what it is. It's your body. It's your health. It's your marriage. It's your finances. It's your kids.

It's your spiritual life. It's something that's really obvious to you. And if you recognize that you have allowed the urgent to overwhelm and crowd out the important and suddenly it's become clear, I need God's help. I want his help. With Christ's help, empower me to choose the important over the urgent. If you recognize there's something important that you have neglected, you're not doing it. it, you're not pursuing it, you're not becoming it. Ask God to help you today. And all of our

churches, if you say yes, there's something important that I've been neglecting. I need God's help and I want to choose that which is important to this. You lift your hands high right now. All of our churches, lift them up high. God, I thank you so much for people who come to church every week ready to receive from you. God, I thank you that you're a God who speaks. I thank you that your word is living and active. And God, it penetrates our soul, conforms us to the image of your son. God, I pray that in our life groups this week, we would discuss openly. Here's what you're doing. Here's what you're saying. Here's what you're showing me. And, God, we commit to choose that which is important. God, give us the courage to say no to so

many other things that may seem so important, but are really just distractions. God, I pray that we would seek you first, align our hearts with your heart, that we would truly understand, God, where we can make the biggest difference. God, direct our step. that every day aligned with your truth, we would choose that which is most important. In God, we thank you that that would never, ever be taken away from us. Help us to choose wisely and to follow the direction of your heart. Help us to choose important over just what is urgent. As you keep praying today at all of our churches, there are many of you facing all sorts of urgent things.

do this, go here, there, and you're about to make a choice that's more important than anything you could ever imagine. And I'm just going to ask you to do this, to choose today, who you're living for, just to make a choice. Are you living for yourself? That's what most of us do. Are you living for what other people think? It's a really attractive option. Or are you living for the one who loved you so much he sent his son for you? Be really, really honest. Are you living for the one who sent his son that we could live eternally. What is our problem? Why is it that we're so easily distracted from serving God?

Because by nature we are sinners, and because we're sinners, we verge off of God's path. And the tragedy is, the problem is, all of us are sinners. Every single one of us. We have all sins. You know it. We've all done things wrong. And that breaks any potential fellowship with God.

And on our own, we do not have the ability to earn it back. And that's why God in his goodness did something for us that we couldn't do for ourselves. He became one of us in the person of his son, Jesus, who was perfect in every way, who died for our sins on the cross and rose again from the dead. Why? So that anyone, and this includes you, anyone who calls out on his name, the name that is above every name, we would be forgiven of our sins.

The old is gone. Everything becomes new. And all of our churches, there are those of you. You recognize you've been choosing anything but him. And today, by faith, you choose to put him first. When you cry on him, you become completely new, not a better version of you, a new version of you. The old is gone and the new has come. And all of our churches there are those of you, you recognize this is why you're here.

You've got a choice to make and you choose him today. By faith, you turn from your sins, you turn toward Jesus, and you surrender saying, take my life. I give it to you. All of our churches, you say, that's my prayer. I need his grace. I need his forgiveness today. I choose Jesus and give my life to him. Lift your hands high now.

All over the place and say, yes, that's my prayer. Right back over here. God bless you. Up back here toward the back. Others of you today over here on this side, both of you, praise God for you ladies. Right back over here in this section over here. Church online, you click right below me.

Others today. I choose him. I need his life. I need his grace. I need his forgiveness. Would you all pray with those around you? Everybody pray. loud Heavenly Father, today I choose Jesus to save me, to forgive me, and to be first in my life,

make me brand new, change my heart, forgive my sins, fill me with your spirit so I could know you and serve you and follow you for the rest of my life. My life is not my own. Today I give it to you. thank you for new life. Now you have mine. In Jesus' name I pray, would you all worship big today? All of our churches welcome those born into the family of God.