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The theme of today’s lesson is warmth. We typically think of warmth in favorable terms.

• If we say someone is a “warm” person, we mean they are nice, approachable, and empathetic.
• “Warming up” to an idea means we begin to like it more
• We associate warm temperatures with beaches and tropical places that are fun and relaxing
• And who doesn’t love to sit around a warm campfire with our favorite people

Today, we’ll focus on warm-hearted people and what makes them that way. We’ll start with our verse from 1 Peter 3:8, which says:

Finally, all of you have unity of mind with one another, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, a humble mind.

So, how does someone become more sympathetic, loving, tender, and humble? I would suggest that it requires real-life practice and experience. And when practice relates to sympathy, love, tenderness, and humility, it often involves our own pain, sorrow, and disappointment.

For example, if you experience a major career disruption, you’ll have a softer heart for others in that situation. Or if you lose a child or a spouse, you’ll become more empathetic and loving toward others who’ve endured the same.

Pain, sorrow, and disappointment in our lives are like friction in that they are uncomfortable irritants. But friction also creates warmth and, if we allow it to, can make us more warm-hearted. Should we view the frictions of life as unfair punishments? Or should we ask how God is using the friction in our life to mold us and help us become warmer people who are more useful to Him?

It’s up to each of us to decide how we will view the friction.

Questions:

1. Do you personally like the idea of becoming more warm-hearted? Why or why not?
2. Who is the most warm-hearted person you know? Do you admire them?
3. Do you agree with the idea that while the “friction” of life is painful, it is also helpful (in making us warmer people)?
4. Do you have any examples of how life’s friction made you more warm-hearted?
5. Are there other ways we can become more warm-hearted without having to directly experience pain, sorrow, and disappointment first-hand?

Easter is coming up in a couple of weeks and that’s the inspiration for today’s verse from Romans 8:34 which says:

Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Easter gets me all fired up. It’s a little goofy but, like Ricky Bobby praying to baby Jesus laying in the manger, I like to envision certain things in my own way. Here’s how I like to picture Easter morning at the tomb:

But unlike the scene in this video, there were not two equally-matched fighters but instead one beautiful, perfect, infinitely strong competitor (Jesus) matched against a pitiful, deceiving weakling (the devil). But still, it’s fun to think about Michael Buffer in a tuxedo standing at the tomb belting out “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!” as Jesus emerges.

Easter is the celebration of the culmination of God’s long plan to bring us as close as possible to Him in the simplest way possible. He made it like paint-by-numbers, 1-2-3, a-b-c. God, in the form of man (Jesus) bore 100% of all of our sins and all the sins of all who lived before and who will live after us, in order to offer us the gift of eternal life with Him in heaven. It is an open-hand gift and to possess the gift, we need to decide to accept it:

And the way we accept it is to claim Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. A google search of “what to say to accept Jesus as my savior” results in various simple prayers, all of which are 3-4 sentences, like:

“Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God and Savior of the world. I believe that you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I believe that through your sacrifice, I am a new person. Forgive me for my sin and fill me with your Spirit.”

Of course, if you really say those words sincerely, then that’s just the beginning of the journey. While you are saved solely through faith (accepting the gift), when you accept the gift your heart will be changed and you will want to serve Him by loving and serving others. The reason I bring this up is the same reason I picked our verse today – Jesus is our risen, living savior who is actively interceding for us in heaven.

In other words, He’s clocking in every day and renewing His commitment to us. As Easter approaches, this is a great time to ask ourselves if we’re clocking in for Him every day too.

Most people reading this likely have already said the simple prayer above, accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. But, even if that’s the case, it doesn’t hurt to repeat it and to reinforce our commitment. Everyone please take a minute to do that now. [take about a minute to say the prayer and meditate on it]

Ding ding!

Questions:

1. Does Easter get you fired up? Why or why not?
2. We are called to be “Easter People”, meaning celebrating the message of Easter at all times. What does being “Easter People” mean to you?
3. When we said the prayer of commitment today, were you moved in that moment? Did God put anything on your heart you would like to share?
4. We know Jesus is “clocking in” and interceding for us every day. What does it mean for us to clock in?
5. Following up on question 4, did today’s lesson inspire you to take action of any kind this coming week?

Last week, we discussed how we need to take the fight to the devil and do everything we can to irritate him. Importantly, we should stand strong knowing that God has a plan for us. He wants us to be confident, calm, and collected as we rest in his promises. That brings us to today’s verse which is from Jeremiah 29:11 which says,

“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

One example from last week’s lesson was Winston Churchill’s “ungentlemanly” war tactics with Germany and we discussed how we need to have the same take-it-to-the-enemy mindset with the devil. On the home front during WWII, the British posted three “Home Publicity” posters which included:

• Freedom is in Peril. Defend it with all your might.
• Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory
• Keep Calm and Carry On

The message was – 1) we are at war, 2) each individual’s commitment to the effort is important and 3) start with calmness, courage, cheerfulness, and a strong personal resolution.

In the same way, today we’re facing many uncertainties around the world and at home. Our minds naturally go to worst-case-scenarios, creating fear and anxiety. But, as always, the Bible provides hope and assurance in times like these.

Today’s  verse from the prophet Jeremiah was written to the exiled people of Judah who were taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. These exiles were facing far more horrific circumstances than any of us are likely to encounter in our lifetime. They went from being part of the proud and strong kingdom of Judah into slavery. But God wanted them to be at peace knowing that he had a plan to prosper them, not harm them, to give them hope and a future. And, He kept his promise to liberate them, bringing them back home and, as promised, prospering them.

No matter how difficult or troubling our circumstances, God wants us to first remain calm and focus our minds on Him. For me, the idea of sticking it to the devil and bringing a smile to God’s face is great motivation to remain calm and carry on……that is, carry on loving and glorifying God.

Questions:

1. Do you agree that one of the best things we can do to bring a smile to God’s face (and stick it to the devil) is to remain calm in turbulent times? Why or why not?
2. If God had a plan to prosper the people of Judah, why would He allow them to be taken into exile for 70 years? Why allow them to go through such a horrific experience?
3. Related to the last question, can you think of an example of how it might make sense for a parent to allow a child to face difficult circumstances?
4. If God’s promises are so clear in the Bible, why do we all struggle to react calmly and confidently (resting in God’s promises) during challenging times?
5. If your goal was to remain calm the next time you encountered an anxiety-producing situation, what is something you could do to prepare in advance?

It’s about time we all said, “forget you” (F-U) to the devil. It’s time we bring the fight right to the devil’s doorstep and crush him like the little evil twit that he is.

This is not a history lesson, but a quick story from history may provide some perspective. During his tenure as Prime Minister during World War II, Winston Churchill became increasingly impatient with the Germans as the war progressed. At first, he was committed to the idea of fighting a “gentlemanly” war but as he saw more and more of his civilian countrymen killed indiscriminately from aerial bombing, he eventually asked why the British should not take the same type of fight to the Germans. He became very angry that the enemy was brutalizing innocent non-combatants and laid plans to fight back in an ungentlemanly manner. This proved to be a decisive factor in the eventual defeat of the Germans.

Today, our biggest enemy is not the Russians or gas prices or COVID or supply shortages or a falling stock market. The enemy is today, as it has always been, the devil. That brings us to today’s scripture, which is from Ephesians 6:11-12:

Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil’s tricks. We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world.

Like Churchill, as I continue to see the news of the day, I get angrier and angrier that the devil is trying to trick us. He wants us to surrender to anxiety, worry, doubt, and distress. He wants to break our spirit and separate us further and further from our love for God and our love for people.

To be clear, the world is in turmoil, and there are reasons for concern. There are more reasons today than in recent memory to be stressed out and anxious. But this is exactly the time when we need to laser-focus on putting on the armor that God gives us so we can defend ourselves against the devil’s tricks.

Today we need to fight our version of an ungentlemanly war against the devil. We absolutely need to recognize that a lot is wrong, but we will not cower, we will not slink away, we will not cave in to the pressure. Instead, we’re coming off the top rope like Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka!

We’re claiming God’s promises. We’re putting on His armor and saying “no” to the tricks. We’re doing it for our family, for our loved ones, and for everyone around us. We’re doing it to take the fight to the devil and to glorify God by doing the exact opposite of what he devil hopes for.

Questions:

1. What are some of the devil’s tricks he uses to try to deceive us?
2. What does it mean to put on the armor of God?
3. In what areas do you personally need to put on the armor of God?
4. Call to action: What are you personally committed to doing this week to take the fight to the devil?

Below is a simple prayer to get us started and you can personalize it to your own experience:

God, this is a challenging time in the world and I come to You to claim your promises. Help me understand what it means for me personally to put on Your armor so I can defend myself against the devil’s tricks. I am particularly concerned about……, ……, and …… but please help me be settled and at peace as evil and disorder swirl around me. Help me to be a source of light and encouragement to everyone around me to give them a thirst to know You better. Show me how I can personally take the fight to the devil today and lift up & glorify Your beautiful and holy name in the process.

Where I went to college, most classes were theory-based. There was even a class called “theory of accounting”, which seemed odd since the numbers are the numbers despite whatever theory you apply to them. The graduate school I attended was different. It was application-based which was a nice change. It seemed very practical and useful.

In the same way, it’s very important to study the character and nature of God, which will always be a critical element of any Christian education, but it’s also nice to have very practical/applicable lessons. For today’s lesson, we’ll apply some of our recent studies to the headlines about Russia invading the Ukraine. Every news outlet has the same headline today (something about the invasion) and it is difficult to find any voices speaking words of comfort or reassurance right now.

That brings us to today’s verse which is from Ecclesiastes 7:14 and says:

In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider— God has made the one as well as the other So that man will not discover anything that will be after him.

The first part of this verse is easy – ‘in the day of prosperity, be happy’ – but the second part is more challenging. Note that it doesn’t say “don’t be sad” when you face adversity. It says consider that God made both prosperity and adversity because we might get lax and stray away from Him if there was only prosperity.

If you asked my opinion about the most important word (other than “God”) in today’s verse, I would say it’s the word “consider” and here is why……

As I write this, Russia is actively invading Ukraine, the stock market has been down for several days and the futures are way off, sanctions are being imposed, energy prices are high, politicians on both sides are blaming each other and the world is on high alert. But we know the truth and the truth is that this is part of the plan, and we know it will ultimately all work to glorify God and draw us closer to Him (at least until we stray again). As the saying goes, there are no atheists in foxholes.

So, here’s a simple, two-step plan I would recommend today:

1. Stop watching the news or at least stop watching as much; then use that extra time for #2
2. Consider where God is moving today in the world, in our community, in your family, and in your life.

Questions:

1. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being “most anxious”, where do you think most people fall on that scale today vs. a couple of weeks ago? And how about you personally?
2. The idea that God “makes” or allows adversity can be a challenging concept. If He’s a good and loving heavenly Father, then why don’t we have sunshine and unicorns every day?
3. There was a lot of adversity that came out of the “great recession” that started in 2008, but can you think of any good things that resulted from that period? If so, please share with the group.
4. Do you agree that the “simple” two-step plan above is a good strategy to help settle our minds and hearts today?
5. If you were explaining to someone the value of this two-step plan, what would you include as some of the benefits?

Today, we have two scriptures. The first is from Psalm 90:12 which says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. Moses wrote these words after leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and serving as their leader in the desert for many years. He is encouraging the people to make the most of every day and try to make wise decisions because we never truly know how many days we have left.

The second scripture is a passage from Luke 16-21, which says:

And Jesus told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

The point of Jesus’ story is that this man will never truly be happy, no matter how much wealth he accumulates. He will always strive for more and, in doing so, will be distracted from loving God and loving people.

One of our recent lessons focused on storing up treasure in heaven vs. on earth. Today’s scriptures and lesson take that message one step further to emphasize the importance of doing it now. For example:

• Are you planning to spend more time with your family and friends once you are more established in your career and/or have more financial stability? Don’t wait – spend more time with them now.
• Are you going to focus on giving more time and/or money to your favorite charities once your schedule is more manageable? Don’t wait – give more now.
• Is your goal to get in better shape and eat/drink more responsibly “soon”? Don’t wait – make those changes now.
• Have you been meaning to spend more time praying and reading the Bible? Don’t wait – put it on the calendar and guard that time.

Each of our days are numbered, so here are a few questions to help us do more to make each day count:

1. Since there are a limitless number of “good” things we can start doing, how would you advise someone to do more to make each day count without getting stuck in analysis paralysis?
2. If part of the answer is that we should stop doing certain things, what are one or two things you might like to give up?
3. If you can identify a couple of things to give up, what then would be something you would like to move up your priority list?
4. If the core message of today’s discussion is so simple, why do we struggle with it?

We’ve talked about how we can summarize the Bible in one sentence (The Bible is the story of God pursuing us). No matter where we focus our attention, He is always running toward us, trying to bring us closer to Him. There is no better verse to describe this pursuit than John 3:16, which says:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

In today’s lesson, we will focus on how we should then respond, knowing these two truths:

1. God always pursues us, and
2. We are called to be the hands and feet of God on earth by modeling His love for others

We’ve talked a lot about what it means to show love to others – patience, kindness, not envying, not being rude, not boasting, not being easily angered and all the other elements of love. But today’s lesson is focused on how we should pursue others (just as God pursues us) so that we can then love them.

It’s easy to be loving once we know someone needs our love, but we can’t love them until we become aware of their need. If they don’t tell us, then we might never know. But if we call, email, or visit them regularly to check in, we’ll know more about what is going on with them and better understand how we can love them.

For example, a parent may hesitate to engage with their children regularly, especially as they get a little older, because they might worry about bothering them or taking them away from friends or other activities. The fear of being seen as a nuisance or a bother may outweigh our desire to pursue a deeper relationship with a child. But even in the worst-case scenario in which the child really sees it as a bother, the only negative result would be that the child might think, “why does my dad keep trying to talk with me?”. Ok…..that’s no big deal at all, especially compared with the potential good that can come from deepening and enriching the relationship through actively pursuing them.

And the same may be true of any relationship. We might think “they’re busy” or “I don’t want to interrupt them” or “it would be weird for me to be the one that always reaches out first”. But, again, the potential rewards far outweigh the risks.

When we pursue others, we are modeling the love of God who always pursues us. God will bless & honor these actions. And, being intentional about pursuing others will remind us that God is pursuing us, which may help us remember to quit running away so He can catch us more frequently.

Questions:

1. Do you agree that the fear of being a nuisance or appearing awkward/weird can keep us from pursuing others more frequently?
2. The lesson suggests the risks of pursuing others are not as great as we make them out to be. Do you agree or disagree?
3. Is there anyone in your life you should pursue more regularly? If you are comfortable doing so, please share your examples with the group.
4. Do you agree that pursuing others can also help us grow closer to God? If so, in what ways?
5. If you wanted to create a plan to be more intentional about pursuing others, where would you start and what would be some of the key steps?

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about practicing spiritual disciplines and how practice can help us play the “game” of life better. Even though that is a simple concept, we all still struggle with it. And when we fall short in our practice, we often face fear, worry, and anxiety.

We can’t eliminate fear, but we can work on controlling it, which we’ll discuss today with a story about King Jehoshaphat from 2 Chronicles 20. It says that Jehoshaphat was a good king and “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord”. This book begins with three large armies coming to attack King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. His advisors told him “A vast army is coming against you from Edom…..”. We are told that he was alarmed, but he didn’t panic. Instead, he “resolved to inquire of the Lord and he proclaimed a fast for all of Judah.” So, his first step was to turn his eyes to God and seek guidance from Him.

The next thing he did showed far more faith than most of us have. Verse 21 says that Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out “at the head of the army”, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”

The king sent singers to stand in front of the army as a sign that he believed his God, the one true God, was more powerful than any army he could send into battle. And God honored the king’s faith by causing the attacking armies to fight each other until every one of them was dead. The story goes on to say that it took three days for Jehoshaphat’s men to collect all the plunder. And finally, verse 26 says that they assembled and praised the Lord.

So the formula they followed was:

1. Face a seemingly insurmountable challenge
2. Inquire of the Lord (and let Him fight the battle)
3. Collect the plunder/blessings that God provided because of their faith
4. Praise the Lord

All of us fight battles, and sometimes the odds seem insurmountable. When you fight your battles, is your first instinct to go to God for His guidance? Do you focus your praise on him no matter how tough the circumstance? That’s something that all of us struggle with, so to help us improve in this area, here are a few questions to think about.

1. What are some examples of modern-day “battles” that we face?
2. When faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, is your first instinct to turn it over to God and praise Him, or do fear and anxiety creep in?
3. What are some examples of “plunder” that we can collect by praising God foremost, even in the face of our most challenging circumstances?
4. Do you think God allows us to face certain challenges so we will be drawn closer to Him?
5. Would it be effective to plan ahead before we find ourselves facing challenges? If so, what are some proactive steps we can take before we are in the battle?

If you ask Kirby Smart, how his Bulldogs were able to win the College Football National Championship this year, you might hear him say something about preparation and practice. After UGA beat Florida last year, Coach Smart said this in a post-game interview:

“I have fun watching these guys practice. These guys go about their meetings and practice days so serious, taking notes, getting nuggets. Their coaches do a great job, but these kids right here, they’re special.”

Coach Smart and his Bulldogs won the National Championship on January 10, 2022 but they secured the victory in advance with excellent practice and preparation, which brings us to our scripture for today. We have two verses, both focused on the practice of seeking the Lord.

The first is from 2 Chronicles 15:2 which says:

The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

And the second verse is from Psalms 34:10:

Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Seeking the Lord is the act of practicing our spiritual disciplines. Just as practice was critical for the Bulldogs, as we seek the Lord, it is critical that we consistently practice spiritual disciplines.

The C.S. Lewis Institute describes spiritual disciplines as “those Bible-prescribed activities that are explicitly said to increase our sanctification, our conformity to Christ Jesus, our spiritual maturation.” These may include prayer, study, fellowship, worship, service, giving, sabbath, fasting or anything else that helps us avoid/reduce sin and become more like Jesus.

So, if these activities are the “practice”, then what is our spiritual “game”? I would suggest that the “game” relates to using our sanctification and spiritual maturity (that we gain through practice) in God-glorifying ways, including:  

• Do we treat others with love?
• Do we want the best for others and show it through generosity?
• Do we act ethically in business?
• During challenging times, do we respond in fear or in faith?
• Do we have self-control and avoid overindulging?
• How do we respond in traffic when someone cuts us off?
• How do we respond when someone is disrespectful toward us?

If we wait to build our game plan until after the game starts, we are unlikely to win. But by practicing our spiritual disciplines, we’ll win more victories (for God) while playing the game of life on earth.

Questions:

1. Do you agree with the analogy comparing football practice to the practice of spiritual disciplines? Why or why not?
2. If you have an example, please tell the group about a team you were on that won a big victory (athletic, academic, professional, other) and how practice/preparation made that victory possible.
3. Do you have an example of how practicing spiritual disciplines helped you succeed in a situation that might have been a failure otherwise?
4. What are one or two spiritual disciplines you would like to practice more consistently in 2022?

Today’s scripture is from Matthew 6:19-21 in which Jesus says: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

This lesson was inspired by a tough question I heard recently which was “what do you really own?”. The idea was that if it can be taken away from you, then you don’t really own it. And the follow up question asked why we spend so much time and energy working so hard for things that we’ll lose one day (at death, if not before).

The point of today’s lesson is not to recommend selling everything and giving it to the poor. Certainly, God expects us to be generous and give at least 10% back to the church and other Christian ministries, but the point is not to take a vow of poverty. In fact, please pursue unimaginable riches if you feel that’s where God is leading you. But, no matter what you pursue on earth, remember to store up treasure in heaven.

So what does that really mean? Jesus didn’t immediately follow this command with a detailed list, but here are a few items to consider that are consistent with His other teachings and with other Biblical principles:

• Building your relationship with God – praying, reading scripture
• Spending quality and quantity time with family and friends
• Patience
• Kindness
• Volunteering with the right motivation
• Encouraging someone who is down
• Inspiring others and living a life worth imitating
• Teaching or leading ministry efforts
• Singing or playing musical instruments in church
• Serving where your spiritual gifts are most needed

The goodness and blessings that come from each of these things can never be taken away from you……and you truly “own” them.

For me, the most powerful part of today’s scripture was the idea that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What a great reminder to laser focus our hearts and minds on God no matter where we are or what we’re doing. When we do that and truly bring Him into our decision making, we are much more likely to hit the target of accumulating riches in heaven.

Questions:

1. Do you agree that we don’t truly own something if it can be taken away from us?
2. What did you think about the follow-up question regarding why we work so hard and stress ourselves out so much for things that will be taken away?
3. On the surface, today’s topic is not complicated or confusing so why is it so difficult for us to consistently focus on storing treasure in heaven vs. on earth?
4. What is one thing you can do in the next week to store up some treasure in heaven?