Month: January 2023

Last week we talked about the fact that God wants amazing things for each of us. He wants to shower us with substantial gifts and blessings. He doesn’t want us to experience despair, loneliness, guilt, and fear. So, why do so many Christians still suffer with these negative emotions and struggle to enjoy peace, love, joy, and hope?

I think the answer may be extremely simple but, before we get to that, here is our verse for the day, which is from Thessalonians 5:18,

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I often try to see things through God’s eyes and understand Him better by imagining that He sees us in the same way parents see their children. Here’s an example – assume a child turns 16 and the parents give them a beautiful new car, but instead of black, which the child wanted, it’s dark gray.

What if that child cried and complained about the color of the car instead of expressing gratitude? How would you respond if you were the parent? Maybe you would want to teach the child a lesson. Maybe you would take the car away. Maybe you would be angry and reluctant to give the child anything else because they were so ungrateful.

Now, given the same circumstances, what if the child says “Thank you SO much! I can’t believe you got me a car. It’s beautiful and I love it. You are the best parents and you are always thinking about me and what’s best for me. You give me so much more than I could ever deserve and I can’t even express how grateful I am!”

In the second example, how do you think the parent might respond? They might want to the give the child so much more than just a new car. They might want to give the child far more than they could even imagine.

I think that maybe this is how God sees things, too. When we complain, He withholds blessings and when we are grateful, He wants to give us even more blessings. There is a lot more to discuss about gratitude but let’s leave it there for this week and discuss a few questions.

1. Today’s verse says that gratitude is God’s will for us. Why do you think God places such a high priority on gratitude?
2. Do you agree that God sees us in the same way that earthly parents see their children? Why or why not?
3. We know that God wants only good things for us. So, if we find ourselves focused on negative emotions, is that sort of like complaining about the color of the car in the example above? Why or why not?
4. What are some simple things we may take for granted that we can tell God we are grateful for?
5. When we express gratitude, who do you believe benefits most – God, us, or both?

Today’s verse is from Ephesians 4:32 which says:

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

I heard a minister lead into a sermon on forgiveness with this humorous perspective. He said for people that we have serious disagreements with, what would happen if we just went around forgiving them without first making sure they knew how wrong they were? Since each of us is always right, it is our job to help others understand how wrong they are (for their own good, of course). Once they really understand the depths of their depravity and genuinely thank us for sharing this important wisdom with them, then we can at least begin thinking about forgiving them.

This was shared with the congregation as a joke but the reason it’s funny is because there’s a lot of truth in it. But I think deep down the issue is not about being right. I think the actual issue is that we don’t want to be hurt again. And, while it might come across as us trying to be right, our actual goal is to help them understand how they hurt us so it won’t happen again.

But I want to go a little deeper in this lesson and focus on a much more valuable solution that will allow us to skip the drama altogether. Consider these two scenarios:

• A two-year-old with a lollipop accidentally drops it and it cracks into many pieces. Their lollipop is gone and they are devastated. To that toddler, this is a huge deal, and they cry inconsolably.
• [It’s funny to think of a prince eating a lollipop but stick with me for a minute.] The same situation happens to a prince eating a lollipop, but he’s not sad in the least when he loses his treat. In fact, he barely thinks about it.

So why is this not a dramatic moment for the prince? It’s because he dropped it on the floor of the immaculate castle where he lives and where every one of his needs is provided for in abundance. To cry over a lollipop would require him to ignore all the opulent blessings that surround him. It would just be strange.

That brings us to a bonus verse of the day from John 10:10 which says:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it in abundance.”

The devil is constantly poking on us and trying to get us off track. He wants to steal our joy. He wants to take our mind off of God. He wants us to think that a “cracked lollipop” is a great reason to get upset and cry uncontrollably.

But you are a child of the King! You are royalty! When we allow squabbles to steal our joy and distract us from God’s love, the devil wins. But when we look around at our abundant life and have a heart of gratitude for our status as royalty, we can get back on God’s path. We can get back to living abundantly and sharing that spirit of abundance with others.

Questions:

1. Do you agree that it’s easier to forgive someone AFTER they admit they were wrong? If so, would you say this counts as genuine forgiveness?
2. Even though you are a child of this King, is it sometimes difficult for you to accept your royal status? If so, why?
3. Why do you think God values forgiveness so highly?
4. Do you think that the “cracked lollipop” approach might help us forgive others more easily?
5. What are some of the blessings we might give up when we allow pettiness to distract us from abundance?

When our kids were little, I would put them on the kitchen counter and let them jump to me. At first, their fear limited their jumps to a couple of feet, but over time, they got to the point where they would launch themselves forward as far as they could. I was so happy to watch as they grew in confidence. And they were so happy to feel the momentary weightlessness as they flew through the air. Both my joy and theirs was dependent on them taking a risk. Neither of us would have felt that joy if they didn’t jump.

I believe that this is exactly what God wants from us. I believe He wants us to step out of our comfort zone, knowing that He will always be there to catch us. That brings us to the verse for the day, which is from Joshua 1:8-9,

Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

The risks we’re talking about are not like skydiving or running with the bulls. We’re talking about risks that God puts on our hearts. Just like I loved watching my kids take a risk launching themselves off the counter, He loves watching us take a risk so he can catch us.

So how do we know if God is leading us to take a risk? Here are a few examples that may resonate with you:

• You feel called to start something new or make a major change in your life

• You feel called to open your heart to someone new or to take an existing relationship to the next level

• You feel called to donate more of your time or money but feel uneasy about making that commitment

• You come across what seems like a great opportunity but are hesitant to act for some reason

One of the most important takeaways I picked up when preparing this lesson is that, in every scenario where God is calling us to take a risk, we must take the first step. So, what keeps us from taking that step? I can think of two primary reasons – 1) fear and 2) complacency/comfort. But, if God is truly calling you to take a risk, the great news is that He has an answer for both. If it’s fear that’s stopping you, this can be completely offset by faith (the knowledge that God will “catch” you). And if complacency is the issue, you can rest assured that the more you are willing to leave your comfort zone, the greater the blessings He will share with you.

Questions:

1. Do you agree that we are required to take a risk before God will jump into action and act on our behalf? If so, why does He make us act first?
2. If you are comfortable sharing, are there any risks you feel God is calling you to take?
3. Do you agree that fear and complacency are the two main reasons we hesitate to take risks? Why or why not?
4. If we never took a risk, what are some blessings we might miss out on?
5. If you were advising someone on taking risks, would you recommend just jumping right in or are there some other steps that might create a better outcome?