Today we are finishing up our series, Small Things, Big Difference. What we have heard all month is that it is the small things that no one sees that result in the big things everyone wants. No matter what change or improvement we want in life, it all comes down to the small things we do day after day. The first week, Pastor David invited us to choose just one word that we might want to focus on this year. Instead of trying to improve in 4 or 5 different areas, choose just one word to focus on and watch how growing in that one area can help us grow in many more. One word is a small thing that can lead to big changes.
Then we looked at how our thoughts are small things that no one sees, but they make a big difference because we always move in the direction of our strongest thoughts. If we can capture the negative thoughts, we can then make room for positive thoughts and think about only what is good and right and lovely.
Changing our thoughts is also important because our thoughts shape our words, and our words are important because they have the power to bring life or death. The words we speak to ourselves and others can lift us up or tear us down. We can change our words by doing what our parents always told us, if you can’t say anything nice - don’t say anything at all. And by remembering that if we think of something good to say - say it. Whether you are speaking to others or yourself, if you think something good, say it. Did you say something good to yourself this week?
Today we are going to finish by looking at our habits. It is the small things we do over time that make us who we are. We are what we repeatedly do. If we find success in certain areas of our life, chances are good that we have some strong habits that are helping us move in that direction. If your family is healthier and stronger than it was last year, it might be because you are spending more time together. Maybe you have been committed to intentional times of being together. If you are doing better in school, it might be that you have embraced some good study habits. Maybe you have found a process for learning class material that is working.
If you are improving as an athlete, musician, or artist, it might be that your daily time of practice is paying off, and as you improve, you are enjoying it more, and as you enjoy it more, you practice more. Most success in life comes from small habits that help us move in a good direction. We are what we repeatedly do.
Now, unfortunately, the opposite is also true. If we aren’t finding success in certain areas, it might be that we have bad habits that keep us stuck where we are or moving in the wrong direction. A habit of watching TV, gaming, or spending hours on social media every evening might keep us from healthier relationships, better grades, or any kind of improvement in sports, music or art. It’s not that we are undisciplined, we are just disciplined in the wrong things.
For years I felt undisciplined when it came to consistently reading and reflecting on the Bible every morning. I would try and do it every day but I couldn’t keep it going. Then I realized that each morning I was really good at watching the morning shows on TV. I had developed strong habits, but in the wrong areas. I can be disciplined, I just need to be disciplined in different ways.
The apostle Paul knew all this and he helps us understand what is going on when he says, Romans 7:15, 18b-20, 24-25a
I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.
I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Here is the big idea we need to take away from this passage.
Christ in me is stronger than my bad habits.
Christ in me is stronger than my bad habits. Our bad habits are strong. We know the good things we want to do and don’t, and we know the bad things we don’t want to do but do anyway. We live this day after day. We are frustrated that we can’t change, and here’s the thing, WE can’t change. On our own, in our own strength, we can’t change, but God is not asking us to change, God is asking us to allow Christ into our lives to change us.
The power of Christ, the power of God working in us, IS stronger than our bad habits, so change and growth is possible if it is Spirit led. It is the Holy Spirit that can help us choose what we want most over what we want now - and in many ways that is the definition of discipline: choosing what we want most over what we want now.
If what I want most is to have a stronger relationship with God, the Holy Spirit can help me shift from morning TV shows to morning devotions. If what I want most is to have a stronger marriage and family, then the Holy Spirit can help me carve out time to spend with my spouse and children. If what I want most is to get my financial house in order, then the Holy Spirit can help me make one less purchase this week. God sent Jesus to live with us, and the Holy Spirit to live in us, so that we could experience a healthier, stronger, and more faithful life. Paul talked about this often:
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Ephesians 6:10
While all of this sounds good and inspirational, how can we actually experience this strength and new life? How can we choose what we want most over what we want now? The key is to start small.
Paul shares with us two small things we can do that can help us see big changes. Paul writes to the people of Corinth about how we need to follow the example of athletes.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
The people of Corinth would have understood this comparison because every 4 years they hosted the Isthmian Games. People didn’t just travel to Corinth to compete, many would move there to train. The people watched athletes train and would become part of the training programs, so they would have seen the two important steps that Paul lays out here.
#1. Run with purpose. All runners should run to get the prize. Run with the purpose of winning. Run with purpose. What is the purpose behind your race? What is the purpose of developing new habits and healthier disciplines? Defining the purpose, seeing the prize, can give us the motivation to make the small changes. The purpose of my shifting from morning TV shows to morning devotions was that I wanted a stronger faith. I wanted to give God the opportunity to speak to me and shape my thoughts and words and habits every day.
Two of the rhythms of life that can improve our relationship with God is Scripture and Obedience. I wanted to allow God's Word to speak to me and direct more of my life. I wanted the strength and power to obey God and go where He would lead me. To do this, I knew I needed to give God the opportunity to speak to me and shape my thoughts and words and habits. Keeping my eyes fixed on that purpose has helped me maintain a healthy spiritual habit. Define your purpose.
Maybe the purpose of your race this year is to be a better parent or spouse or friend. How can that purpose shape your next step? Maybe your purpose is to be more generous. Maybe you are running to improve your health or strengthen your faith. If we can define our purpose and set our eyes on the prize God has placed before us, we will be more likely to ask God for the strength and power to keep us going. Run with purpose.
#2 Discipline with power. The second thing Paul says is that everyone who runs to win must go into strict training. All the athletes in the winter Olympics went into strict training in order to compete. We need to discipline ourselves with power, but remember that the power we are talking about is the power of God.
If we can allow God’s power to work in us in small ways, to make small changes, it can lead us to bigger and better things. Just one small change in our habits and discipline can lead us to better choices and healthier habits. Here is what we need to remember: good habits lead to more good habits.
The author of the book, The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg, talks about discovering our keystone habits. A keystone habit is one habit that leads to more good habits. He discovered that on the days he worked out physically, he also tended to eat healthier. He could have gone home after the gym and eaten a dozen donuts as a reward, but he felt better after exercise so wanted to make more good choices. He discovered that for him a “keystone habit” was to exercise regularly.
If we can discover the keystone habits in our lives, and focus on doing those small things daily, we might see big changes. Take some time this week to ask yourself this question, on the days I am feeling good and living with purpose, what habits have helped me get there. For some people it might be as simple as setting out your clothes the night before, making your bed every morning, brushing your teeth after each meal, or making a spending plan for the month. Maybe the habit is physical exercise or healthy eating. Maybe it is morning devotions or evening prayers with your children. What is one habit in your life that has a domino effect and touches every other area? If we can commit ourselves to these keystone habits, God can change everything.
Changing one small habit can make a big difference and God shows us this when for 40 years he provided food for the people of Israel. For generations, God’s people had lived as slaves in Egypt and they had forgotten what it was like to know God or trust God. Once the people crossed through the Red Sea and were finally free, God began a process of teaching thrm how to trust Him. God set up a keystone habit. This is what God said to Moses,
I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days. Exodus 16:4-5
God could have provided food for His people any number of ways, but He chose to give them just enough food for each day so that they would learn to trust Him. You can imagine what happened the first week God provided manna. People gathered more than they needed because they didn’t trust God to provide. But when they woke up the next morning and found the manna they saved had gone bad, but there was fresh manna on the ground, the people began to trust God. God was not only feeding His people, He was doing it in a way that helped them learn to trust Him. He made a big spiritual difference in their lives through a small daily habit.
It took 40 years, a generation, for people to learn how to trust God. It took 40 years of a daily habit for the lives of God’s people to change. But it changed, they grew in their faith and trust. One small habit made a big difference. Don’t despise the small things.
This week, identify one small thing you can start doing today, or stop doing, that can begin to make a big difference in your life.
● If you want to be more caring - send thank you notes to people each week.
● If you want to be more organized - make your bed each day.
● If you want to be a faithful example for your children - pray with them at night.
● If you want to have a healthier diet - stop drinking soda.
● If you want to experience more freedom – let go of grudges and forgive someone who has offended you.
● If you want more joy - remember what the Lord has done for you.
● If you want to speak more life giving words - if you see something good in someone - say it.
● If you want to think better thoughts - capture the negative ones and replace them with what is good, right and lovely.
● If you want to see change in your life - focus on one word.
It is the small things that no one sees that lead us to the big differences we want in life.
Next Steps
Small Things, Big Difference - Habits
We are what we repeatedly do. What healthy habits do you have? What not so healthy habits do you have?
Read Romans 7:15-25
Paul’s Big Idea: Christ in me is stronger than my bad habits.
● Paul drives this point home in: Philippians 4:13,
2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 6:10
● How can knowing this help you when you see bad habits?
Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
1. Run with Purpose
● Identify some of the different purposes of your life.
● How can staying focused on these shape your habits?
● Pick one purpose to focus on this week. Check out the different Rhythms found in our 3 Relationships.
2. Discipline with Power
● What does it look like for you to draw from God’s power and not your own?
● Identify some of the “keystone habits” that lead to even more good habits in your life..
● What keystone habit could you focus on this week?
God shows us the power of good habits in Exodus 16:4-5
● What can we learn from the Israelites when it comes to developing good habits?
● How does this story remind us to “not despise the small things?”
What one habit can lead us to our one word for the year?
My One Word:________________________________
My One Habit:________________________________
