“Pre-decisions . . . help you make the right decision when you have to make a tough decision. If you don’t make pre-decisions, you’ll end up making lots of bad decisions, because you’ll cave into your circumstances instead of sticking to your convictions.”- Mark Batterson
As Mark Batterson continues Chapter 3 of Primal, he asserts that your focus determines your reality. For example, do you focus on what you have or what you don’t have? That determines whether you display gratitude or greed. Or, do you focus on your wants or the needs of others? That reveals whether you show selfishness of compassion, unhappiness or joy.
Most noteworthy, as your focus changes, your perspective changes. And, as your perspective changes, your life changes. Yes, you might still find yourself in the same circumstances. But your heart has changed. Also, along with your heart change, your motivations and expectations change as well. Pastor Batterson continues:
“The bottom line is this: your focus determines your reality. If you focus on your wants, enough will never be enough. And your heart will get smaller and smaller. If you focus on the needs of others, you’ll discover that you have more than enough. If you focus on the here and now, you’ll try to hang on to everything you have. But if you focus on eternity, you’ll give away everything you’ve got.”
In conclusion, Mark offers one of his core convictions: you cannot outgive God. However, the author observes, it’s easy for us to operate based on a scarcity mentality. We believe that the more we give, the less we’ll have.
Yet, in the kingdom of God, that notion gets turned on its head. For in reality, if you give less, you’ll have less. In contrast, the more you give, the more you’ll have. And your heart grows larger for the things of God.
Today’s question: What pre-decisions help you to stick to your convictions? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Our litmus test for worship”
