John 20:6-7 (NLT) - 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings.
Genesis 1:1-2 (NLT) - 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
8 Things Order Does:
Day 0 - Order has a VISION.
- Order sees potential in chaos.
- Vision to see potential
- Vision to see opportunities
- Ultimately this is faith! The ability to believe something great is here.
Day 1 - Order has an ACTION.
- "Then God said, let there be light!"
- You can't live in the dream and vision stage forever; you must take action.
- Our human tendency is to keep the chaos in the dark!
Day 2 - Order creates SEPARATION.
- "Let there be a space between the waters."
- This is the ability to distinguish what is good and bad.
- The wheat and the chaff
- The sheep and the goats
- You must be able to separate.
- The important from the non-important
- The pure from the impure
- The necessary from the unnecessary
Day 3 - Order plants SEEDS
- "So dry ground may appear...sprout with vegetation and seed-bearing trees."
- God's strategy to bring order is often in the form of a seed!
- When we bring order into our lives, we need to look for a place to plant a seed!
- James 3:18 (NLT) — 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
- A gift is a seed.
- A kind word is a seed.
- Time spent is a seed.
Day 4 - Order builds SYSTEMS.
- "God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good".
- God creates systems
- If you want to create sustainable order in your world, develop systems.
Day 5 - Order creates BEAUTY.
- Then God said, "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind."
- God is an artist with a profound appreciation for beauty!
- It's not all about functionality with God.
Day 6 - Order establishes STEWARDSHIP.
- Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground."
- You can't just create order with no plans to see it maintained.
- When you set order into a thing, system, or place, make sure that it has a plan of stewardship.
Day 7 - Order produces REST.
- The ultimate goal of bringing order is REST.
- Create a place where you can Rest.
- A few principles:
- Don't stop before you're done.
- Call it good at the end of every day to remember that the pain is worth it.
- Rest is the fruit of order. Until you achieve order, there is no true rest.