God Given Blessings

When we think about the blessings in our lives we think of all the good things that God has given us. We talk about our families, our friends, our church, our jobs, our homes, etc. I want to talk about two blessings that God has given us that we might not necessarily talk about that often.

FIRST – BLESSED WITH A NEED

When people speak of being blessed often they are saying they are blessed on a certain area. Someone might say that they are financially blessed, or they might say they have been blessed with their job, their family, their church.

The first thing God has blessed you with a need for others. As much as we might resist it, God created you to be dependent on Him, and on other believers.

1.      Have you grown in your Christian walk to notice the need for other Christians? In what way

2.      Why do you think God designed us to need each other?

3.      Jesus once said “It is more blessed to give then to receive (Acts 20:35) Do you agree and why?

4.      Have you ever been blessed by your need for others? Share an example of when you have been blessed by your spiritual family.

5.       Read Gal 6:1-5. 

How does this passage apply to you?  What are our Godly responsibilities toward one another?

Financially

SECOND – BLESSED WITH A BURDEN

The Second thing God has blessed you with a burden. A hurt intended to spur you into action.

1.      Name some individuals in the bible who were given burdens. How did God use them to make a difference even though they might have been ruined by it?

a.      A divine burden might…

b.      Make you angry (Moses, exodus 2:11-15)

c.       Break your heart (Nehemiah 1:1-12)

2.      Finish this sentence… My divine burden is…. In other words. What makes your heart ache? What are you most passionate about concerning God’s will and kingdom?

3.      Some people never feel burden from God because they do not expose themselves to his needs. They have hidden themselves, side stepped open doors, and/or bow out of any ministries. Have you seen people practice Christianity like this?

4.      How can you expose yourself more to God’s burdens?

Session 2 You Might Not Finish This Chapter

Session 2

Christianity is about taking broken people, transforming them, and then using those transformed people to transform the world. It’s always been this way, from the moment when the Holy Spirit came upon the early church in Acts 2.

What holds you back from seeking everything God wants for you and is calling you to? My suspicion is that most Christians settle for less simply because they get busy and distracted with so many other things.

Even things as good as jobs, kids, spouses, church programs, helping others, etc. can take our eyes off of what is most important if we begin to view them and use them in the wrong way.

Question and Answer

1. List the elements in your life that keep you distracted. Include both good things and bad things in this list. As I said before good things can take our attention off of the most important things. But why do these good things end up being distractions?

Once you have identified some of these things, it’s important to evaluate why you got distracted in the first place. Why do these good things end up being distractions? God wants you to be diligent and creative in your job. If you’re married, God wants you to devote time, attention, and love toward your spouse. If you have children, God wants you to invest time into their lives, loving them and teaching them how to function in the world that God created. But if you find yourself so focused on these things that you aren’t enjoying God’s presence in the midst of it, consciously trying to honor God through the way you do these activities and pursuing the things that you know God wants you to pursue, then these things have become distractions.

2. How is it that the good things in your life have come to distract you from what is most important?

3. What would it take to adjust your lifestyle and mentality in order to put the most important things back in their proper place?

It’s incredibly important that we keep our lives in the proper perspective. For one thing, we go to great lengths to avoid thinking about death. We all know that life is fragile, but who wants to think about the end of their life? It’s easy to get people to visualize wealth and success, but nobody wants to acknowledge that they could die today. We also like to live as though we were the center of the universe. Most of us would deny this, but when we examine the way we spend our time and money, it sure looks like we are the kings of our own mini-kingdoms. Our lives are focused on our goals, our desires, and our decisions. We could die at any moment and then we know we aren’t the center of the universe.

Start by reading James 4:13-17. After thinking about this then answer the questions below.

4. Make a few notes on this passage. What is James warning against? What is he calling us to do?

5. If James were to say these words specifically to you in the midst of your current life situation, what do you think he would tell you to avoid? What do you think he would tell you to pursue?

6. What are the sources of stress and anxiety in your life?

7. What can you do to remind yourself of God’s care and your dependence on Him in the midst of these stressful situations?

The Christian life is all about dependence on God. Again, this is something that we’d probably all agree on, but most of our lives look more like demonstrations of our own independence than humble attempts to rely on God in every situation. If this is God’s world, if every moment of your life is a gift from God, and if your life is about God’s kingdom rather than your own, then those realities ought to be reflected in the way you live.

8. How can you structure your life to reflect the fact that your every second is dependent on the grace of God?

Once we are reminded of our proper place in the universe, we can begin to function as God intended for us to function. Our lives will be off base and our priorities will be skewed unless we see ourselves as God sees us. Remember that this world is about God, not us. If we live for anything other than God’s glory, we will end with regrets. I’m reminded of the importance of this every time someone around me dies. It’s actually healthy for us to be exposed to death from time to time. Solomon says this explicitly in Ecclesiastes 7. By remembering that our lives are fragile—that it could all be over at any moment—we’ll find it easier to stay focused on the most important things in life.

9. Describe some people in your life who have died abruptly. What were some of their achievements in life and what were their regrets?

10. If today was the day you died, what would you regret, and why?

11. What can you change about your life today to avoid those regrets?

12. Close your time in this session by praying. You’ve been thinking through some pretty heavy issues, and if you’re seriously thinking about making changes in your life to avoid regrets, you likely have some important changes to make. Remember that this life is all 

Session 1 Stop Praying

One of the most frightening aspects of the Christian life is that we can actually become apathetic about speaking to God! This isn’t about getting bored while talking to an economics professor, an old friend, or even your spouse—we have the privilege of talking to God through prayer, and yet most of us pray regularly without thinking about what we’re doing. I’m convinced that our relationships with God would be absolutely transformed if we all took the simple step of considering who God is. Stop and consider who God is. Now take a few minutes to actually consider who it is you’re talking to.

 QUESTION AND ANSWER
 What do you think would come out of your mouth the moment you first saw God? What would be the first words you would say?

 How has your relationship with God and your prayer life been different as a result of reading chapter 1 and considering God’s glory? If your life hasn’t been different enough, how would you like to see it change?

Solomon has some heavy words for those of us who are quick to rush into God’s presence: Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. (Eccl. 5:1–2)

Describe your prayer life. Do you find yourself talking at God, or do you take time to consider who you are talking to and enjoy being awed by His presence? Why do you think you tend to pray the way you do? Inherent in Solomon’s argument is an incredibly high view of God. If God is exactly like us, then we may not see the need to approach Him with a sense of awe. But if God is who He says He is, then Solomon’s words are especially poignant: Only fools rush into the presence of God.

How often do you stop to consider how great God is and how insignificant you are by comparison? When you do, what leads you to this point? If you never do, why do you think you’ve never done this?

How can you build these times of reflection into your lifestyle? Perhaps you’re convinced at this point. Maybe all you needed was a reminder of God’s greatness, and everything you’ve been reading has re-inspired you to view God in all His glory. Even if that’s the case, you still have many obstacles to overcome—not just now, but on an ongoing basis. It’s all but impossible to escape the incessant distractions in our lives. There are so many things—many of them good things—that keep us from thinking about that which is most important in life. Take some time to think about your specific lifestyle and context. Think about what this sort of awareness of God’s greatness would look like as a part of your daily life.

What things in your life distract you from loving and worshipping God the way He deserves to be loved and worshipped? What can you do to overcome these obstacles? In addition to the obstacles and distractions we all face, there is a more subtle and potent aspect of our lives that would keep us from living in light of God’s absolute greatness. Even if we believe that God is greater than we are, we all have to overcome our tendency to view God as an all-powerful genie.

Which aspects of your priorities, thoughts, and actions declare that you exist for God’s service and glory? 

Which aspects of your life declare that God exists for your benefit and service?

If there are aspects of your life that declare that God exists for your benefit and service, how can you begin to reorder these aspects of your life around the reality of God’s greatness and your dependence on Him? Read Revelation 4 and try to imagine yourself standing where John stood and watching this scene unfold. It may seem fanciful, but John is describing reality. As you place yourself in the midst of Revelation 4, allow yourself to experience all of the surprise and awe that John must have experienced. After you’ve spent some time reading and thinking about this passage, continue below.

Which details in this passage strike you the most? Why? Recalling the scene in Revelation 4 would be a great place to start before you pray. But there are many other things you can do to remind yourself of God’s greatness.

What can you do right now to ensure that you will pause before every prayer to consider the God you are praying to?

Spend some time in prayer. Before you begin speaking, however, put into practice some of the realities you’ve been considering. Take time to picture God on His throne. Consider the angels shouting about His holiness and the twenty-four elders throwing their crowns at His feet as they fall on their faces. After you’ve taken some time to remind yourself of who God is and to enjoy the greatness of His presence, then begin talking to Him. But even then, heed Solomon’s warning, and let your words be few.

This week in our small group we are starting a series on the book CRAZY LOVE by Francis Chan. This book is a great find for my family and I can't wait to share it with others. Attached is a link to a prezi that introduces the book. If you have some time please look at this brief prezi with videos and introduction questions.

Crazy Love Introduction on Prezi

Something to think about?

A man went to visit his preacher and was wondering why no one seemed to care about him. "What do you mean?" asked the preacher. "No one has knocked on my door to see about me. Not one person. No one cares about how I feel, or how I'm doing, or even if I am alive or not." The preacher apologized for the church's neglect of this man and asked forgiveness for the wrongs done that hurt the man.

The man was at church that next Sunday and the preacher saw him and told him how glad he was to see him at worship. The preacher asked, “Can you go and visit Brother Thomas? I noticed he wasn’t here today.” “I would, but I have a really busy day planned today,” replied the man. “Well, what about tomorrow?” asked the preacher. “Well, tomorrow I have to take care of some things around my house.” “Then what about Tuesday?” asked the preacher once again and once again the man was too busy to go to visit brother Thomas.

I hope you don’t find yourself in either of these men’s shoes. The man who was offended, the preacher or brother Thomas. All of these men could have been hurt by the actions or lack of action of a brother in Christ. How are we doing?

In Him,
Joe

Questions

There was a time in my life when I felt completely clueless about computers and other forms of technology. I remember sitting in college classes thinking there was no way I would be able to use a computer to its fullest. Slowly I asked enough questions to the right people and I started to learn what button to select, how to copy and paste (thought this was a life savior), how to email, how to search on the internet, and more each day. I learned that the computer could help me accomplish certain task and what not much benefit with others. Eventually technology sparked my interest enough that I completely change my degree plan (don’t act like you have never done that) and go after a degree in network engineering. I was the one in the class that everyone could expect a Q&A session from at the end of each theory class. Although it’s not my comfort zone to speak in front of a large group of people I put that aside in order to learn all I could so that one day I would be marketable in the work place. Lesson learned ask questions in order to succeed.

The same goes for Christianity. So many times we don’t want to ask the questions we have out of fear that someone will look down on us, or maybe we don’t want the answer because of what changes we might have to make in our lives. Seems there was a rich man in the bible that asks what he must do in order to be saved and didn’t like the answer he got.

There was another character in the bible named David knows as the man after God’s own heart. He constantly went straight to God with his difficulties and got his answers.

Did you also know that one of the most famous verses in the Bible came about as the result of someone asking a question? Check it out:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:1-16)

I might be completely wrong about this but I am sure you have some questions about God and his word. Here is something I recommend you try with all your questions:

1. Go to God – Trust me there is not a question that you have that he hasn’t heard. More importantly there is not a question you have that he won’t have the answer to.

2. Ask a minister, elder, deacon, or teacher at church. Let them minister to your spiritual needs.

3. Know that there are some questions that we all have that will remain a mystery until we meet our maker.

In Him,

Joe

New Routine

STORY

There’s a true story of a man I have worked with who has spent his entire life believing that his ears were not symmetrical and therefore sunglasses always looked crooked on his face. He came to accept this over time, until he came in touch with mindfulness practice.

One day as he was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom he chose to take a moment to come down from his busy mind, become present, and really look at himself. What he noticed was astonishing.

He suddenly realized that he had not been standing straight and that one shoulder was slightly lower than the other. In that moment, he chose to stand up straight and low and behold his eyeglasses were no longer crooked on his face. All this time he thought his face was lopsided in some way when in effect, it was his posture.

This story is just a metaphor for the rest of us in our lives. Over time, what do we just get used to and learn to accept that keeps us limited in how we see things? What in our lives has become routine to a point that we have lost our sense of wonder in this world?

LESSON

Do you ever get that feeling that you’re tired of the same old routine? Your tired of getting up going to work or school accomplishing the task that are placed in front of you only to go home and do the same thing you did the night before. Maybe you go home and watch TV until you fall asleep, or play games, or maybe you clean house or do chores. Whatever you do most of us have some type of routine that we fall into.

We stop and pause from time to time and have a urge to just get away from it all. See something or do something new for a change, but most of us don’t we stick to the routine. It’s that so wrong? It’s not like it’s going to upset the balance of the earth if for a change you just drive home a different way from work, or walk a different path on the way to class. Maybe instead of watching TV when you get home you will go outside and take a walk.

Jesus lived a life that I would say was far from routine. Maybe the only one and true routine that he might have would be to seek and save the lost, but each day there seemed to be a different path in which he would go. Why do you think that is? His goal was to meet as many people as possible and to save them. To share his story with them and let them decided to follow him.

How is it that if we are charged with the same instruction as Jesus (to seek and save the lost) we are not meeting more people? Why do we not go out of our way to meet someone new each day? When is the last time you meet someone new? It’s really hard to meet new people when we are stuck in our routines.

The world tells us that our time is our time and everyone else can wait. That understanding is the complete opposite of Christ. He tells us that we are here to serve others and by doing so we are to give them our time.

If we rely on human reasoning to get through life, we'll eventually be led astray. Sometimes a choice or an option appeals to us or seems right, but it really isn't. We need spiritual discernment from God to help us understand what's truly good and what isn't.

Proverbs 14:12 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹² There is a way that appears to be right,
but in the end it leads to death.