Encouraging one another to keep striving to grow in godliness, knowing that living out God’s character is the best place for us to be.
with Susan Curry’s applications for moms
Introductory Lesson
How many of you have been to the Grand Canyon? Several years ago my husband Gary and I took a road trip to Arizona because I had always wanted to see it. We planned to watch some baseball spring practice and follow it up with an overnight stay at the Grand Canyon.
Now, the only reason that I was in favor of driving so far was because of this side trip; I’m not really much of a road trip person—all those hours in the car seem so wasted! But to go to the Grand Canyon was worth it! So we planned the trip and reserved a room at the hotel right on the rim. I was very excited!
After driving and driving and driving for what seemed like weeks through New Mexico, we spent several days in Phoenix; then, we headed north and arrived at our destination. The Grand Canyon at last! Here is a picture of me at the rim. As you can see, fog totally enveloped it. We could barely see ten feet in front of us or down the side, much less the other side of the canyon! And the twenty-four hour forecast was more fog, and that was all the time we had! To say that I was disappointed is a huge understatement!
Since we had nothing else to do, we decided to take a walk until lunch and then leave for home. However, as we walked along the rim of the canyon feeling very dejected and staring out into the nothingness, there was a small break in the fog. I could see the light shining on a piece of the canyon wall on the other side. It was beautiful! I was amazed at the colors. Of course, I had seen pictures, but they were nothing compared to this small glimpse of the real thing! I thought, if only I could see the entire canyon! What a sight it must be!
Just as the Grand Canyon is a beautiful and amazing sight to behold, so vast that it is impossible to take in, we have a God who is beyond our comprehension! He is lovely; he is wonderful; he is loving and kind. He has complete power and yet he cares for the least of his creation. His qualities would blow us away if we truly grasped them. But we can only see him through a fog produced by our broken world and lives. At best we catch infrequent glimpses of his true beauty and greatness. Sometimes we are able to peer at his wonder, and other times we see only the fog. But when we do see him, we yearn to see more!
But originally God shaped his creation to reflect his own character. People were purposed and designed to look like him. Even now he calls each of us to give forth glimpses of godliness--
Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NET)
Perhaps you love to vacation at the beach, as I do. For years I lived near the Gulf of Mexico, and I so enjoyed days of lazing around on the sand and in the water. For many summers my husband and children spent hours building sand castles. I never participated much because I hated it when all our work disappeared with the tide! Sand castles have no foundation; there is nothing on the beach on which to build them securely and so they wash away.
Without a secure foundation it is impossible to build a castle of any kind; in the same way without faith it is useless to attempt to grow in godliness. God has to participate in the process. As women of faith, our purpose is to glorify God and love him forever. God is pleased when we mirror the qualities that he possesses, which are built on believing in him, the first quality we will consider.
Today we will read verses about faith, the noun form of the Greek verb believe, which involves conviction of the truth. The biblical concept of faith means that we are willing to step out and act because we put our trust in that truth; we are not simply assenting to it intellectually. If I had not truly believed that my husband loved me, I would never have proceeded to marry him, trusting his word to care for and about me.
Each week the lesson will begin with a look at the quality which we are studying and its presence in Jesus’ life; then, we will look at a biblical character who exemplifies that trait.
Our memory verse this week is Hebrews 11:6, written at the top of this lesson. Each week you will have a verse to learn, and I have given it to you in the New English Translation, called the NET Bible, offered free online at bible.org. However, feel free to learn it in any translation that helps you best understand God’s word to you.
Read Heb. 11:1-31 quickly, noting what is repeated throughout the passage. Repeated words and phrases show you the author’s emphasis or theme.
1. As you think through what the author stresses, what do you learn about the nature of faith or believing?
2. Explain Heb. 11:6 in your own words, as if you were explaining it to someone unfamiliar with the concept of faith.
3. Sharing question: Think of a present or recent difficult experience or situation in your own life. What was it and how diligently did you seek God in the midst of it? Did you expect Him to respond? Why or why not?
Read Hebrews 12:1-3 and 1 Peter 2:21-25.
4. How did Jesus’ faith relate to his actions according to these passages (Heb. 12:2; 1 Pet. 2:23)?
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Diamonds in the Word: Read the account of Jesus’ arrest and trials in Mark 14:43-15:37 thoughtfully, remembering that Jesus experienced all of these things for you. If you have time, read one of the parallel accounts in Mt. 26:36-68 27: 11-31; or Lk. 22:39-53; 66-71; 23:1-25 ; or John 18:1-19:30, writing down any additional thoughts that come to mind on the next question.
5. Sharing question: What do you personally learn from the way Jesus handled his ill treatment from Heb. 12:2 and 1 Pet. 2:23?
6. Responding to God: Write a prayer asking God to give you the faith you need to deal in a godly way with the trials that you face.
Yesterday we read that Jesus himself trusted God and depended upon him while he walked on the earth. For the rest of this week we will look at Peter and his faith. (With each quality we will study at least one Bible character and his or her example of that characteristic.) As you think about the quality of believing God in your own life, consider what you learn from Peter.
Read John 1:35-42, Peter’s first meeting with Jesus.
7. What did Peter hear about Jesus that motivated him to come meet him?
Diamonds in the Word: Peter was apparently with Jesus when he left Judea and returned to his home in Galilee. Read about some of the things that Peter saw and heard in John 2:1-11. How would this be a faith-building time?
Read Matthew 4:12-22.
8. Upon Jesus’ return to Galilee what was he doing (Mt. 4:17)? How would you describe Jesus’ effect upon Peter considering Peter’s actions in Mt. 4:20?
9. Sharing question: What have you heard about Jesus or from his words that has drawn you to follow him? What have you learned about him that has built your faith?
10. Sharing question: What have you been unwilling to leave behind to follow Jesus? What does that say about your faith?
11. Responding to God: Draw a picture, which you will not have to show others unless you want to do so! (I know that some of you don’t like to do this but others love it; we all learn and relate differently to God.) In the picture put Jesus calling you to follow Him. Put at least one thing that you are reluctant to give up behind you. Talk to God about what you have drawn and about your need for Him to help you let go of those things. They may be bad things (for example, addictions to food; reading romance novels; selfishness in relationships; discontent; lack of commitment) or they may be what you see as good things that you are demanding from God (a job, a husband, relief from a trial, your own plan for your child, a different boss, a certain outcome in a situation).
Today we will read about some of the ups and downs in Peter’s faith.
Diamonds in the Word: Skim the chapters from yesterday’s reading in Mt. 4 to today’s passage in Mt. 14. Consider what Peter saw and heard during that time. What things would have helped develop his faith?
Read Matthew 14:22-33.
12. Summarize what happened.
13. What does this story teach you about faith? Comment on the contrast between Peter and the other disciples.
14. Sharing question: Read Mt.17:20 in light of this story. How are you encouraged today to believe and step onto the water as Peter did in a specific area of your life?
Read Mark 8:27-33.
15. What do you learn about Peter’s faith from this passage?
16. Consider Jesus’ responses to Peter here and in the previous story. How do they relate to our memory verse Heb. 11:6?
17. Responding to God: Write out a prayer asking God to help you believe that he will move mountains in one situation in your life right now. However, be careful not to dictate to God what he must do in the circumstances rather than believe him for the answer. You may want to pray as the father did in Mark 9:24: “I believe; help my unbelief!”
Today we will look at events that led up to Jesus’ crucifixion.
Read from the account of the Last Supper in Matthew 26:32-35. Then study events that occurred afterward in Matthew 26:47-56.
18. What do you learn about Peter’s faith from his boasts and his actions? What does this teach you about faith in general?
Read Luke 22:54-62, which took place later the same evening while Jesus was on trial.
Diamonds in the Word: Use your concordance to find parallel accounts of the events in Luke in the other gospels. Read them slowly, allowing Peter’s actions to sink in.
19. Relate what happened in this passage in Luke.
20. What insights do you gain from Peter’s actions concerning fear and faith?
21. Sharing question: Think of a particular situation in which you have difficulty believing or trusting God out of fear. What one action step can you take to build your faith so that you overcome fear next time you face that situation? If you have trouble thinking of something, ask your group to help you. God desires us to relate together in community so that we encourage and assist each other by sharing the experience and wisdom that God has given us as individuals.
22. Sharing question: Peter wept bitterly according to Lk. 22:62. Have you ever wept before God because you regretted your lack of trust in him, knowing it saddened him? What happened that caused you to feel such remorse?
23. Responding to God: In light of your previous two answers, write out a prayer for God to help you replace your fear with faith. You may want to write this as your prayer request for your group this week. We often focus our requests on the daily things of life when we should be thinking bigger, more in line with God’s larger will for us. He is more concerned about our character than our circumstances, although he does care about what we face also. You may want to look at the thoughts about kingdom prayers at the back of this workbook. Consider God’s desire for you to walk in faith. Write a prayer that you would trust God in a present situation rather than allow fear to rule your actions.
The great thing about Peter’s story is that it doesn’t end with defeat. From the depths of failure and despair, his faith was ignited by Jesus’ resurrection.
Read John 21:15-19.
24. How does this account of Jesus’ love and care for Peter after his denials encourage you as you think of time when you acted out of fear or other emotions rather than in faith?
Diamonds in the Word: Read all of John 21 and any commentaries that you may have. If you do not have any commentaries, you may want to go online to www.bible.org and look up John 21 in the resources for online commentary.
Read one of these passages: Acts 2:1-41; Acts 3:1-26; Acts 4:1-22; or Acts 5:17-42. (Of course, if you have time, feel free to read more than one!)
25. Summarize what happened and share how Peter acted in faith rather than fear.
26. Sharing question: What did God impress upon you about faith from this story?
27. Sharing question: Considering all that you have studied about Peter this week, what have you learned about faith? What have you learned about God? What do you plan to do to increase faith in your own life?
Read Acts 4:23-31.
28. Responding to God: Pray according to the prayer of the disciples in Acts 4:29 for yourself and for your church. First, praise God for the great deeds that you have seen him do, as they did in vv. 24-28. Write out your prayer below.
I am still in the state of believing. This is not a “I believed, and then this happened” story. But I am discovering that believing is a change of attitude that stays in the present tense. Believing requires commitment and intellect when feelings aren’t there. A time of trial has been, for me, a time where God is saying, “Do you really believe what I say in My Word? . . . Do you really believe that you can trust me?”
For several years, our family has been under a lot of stress. We have been through many emotions with the situations and with the Lord. But what we have learned is that the details of the trial are not what is important. Seeking the Lord, drawing near to Him when we don’t feel like it, looking for and finding flowers in the desert – evidence of His Hand – these are the things that sustain us. In seeing His provision in unexpected ways, we see His love and hold on tighter to the promises in His Word. While we don’t see the purposes, we do know and believe that He is working all things together for His good, because we are called to His purpose.
Periodically I receive emails with online slide shows of digital pictures from a friend or relative who wants to share photos from a recent birthday party, a vacation, or other important event. In a similar way, the writers of the gospels share snapshots of Jesus, the disciples, and other people in the New Testament as they paint narrative pictures. While some of these pictures we would be proud to claim, others are ones that we would never put online if they were our own. I would be thrilled to be Peter walking on water, but I would not want the world to see my denial of Christ.
As a mom, assailed with doubts about my ability to be the mom God wants me to be, I am encouraged to see the people God uses. Just as God chose to use Peter, the disciple who denied Him, to preach the sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2, God chooses to use me as an imperfect mom to impact the lives of my children and to model what the life of faith in Jesus Christ looks like.
A key passage on parenting that a pastor shared with my husband and me when our oldest child was a toddler is Deuteronomy 6:4-8.
Listen, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength.
These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up. You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm and fasten them as symbols on your forehead. Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates. (Deut 6:4-8)
We can apply the principles given long ago to Israel as we parent our children today. In this passage we see that the first priority is to love God wholeheartedly. Then we are to teach our children. Our faith is not confined to the sanctuary on Sunday morning during the worship service. We are to be teaching in the morning, in carpool, in the grocery store, at the mall, and at bedtime. We are to relate what we know about God and His purposes to the everyday occurrences of life. We are to live out our relationship with Jesus Christ each day in the mundane activities of life. As parents, we are charged with the primary responsibility of teaching our children about God. We cannot outsource this responsibility.
Handing down our faith is more than asking our children to put their faith in Jesus. We can begin with the youngest child to talk about God and His love, to acknowledge Him as Creator of all things, and to build a foundation for faith. When the Holy Spirit convicts that child and draws him to the Savior, the knowledge of who Christ is has already been planted. Start today to plant seeds of the knowledge of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the basics of the Christian walk in the life of your child. Brainstorm with other moms about creative ways to impart your faith. Begin today to teach your children about the most important relationship in life, a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Action Step: Begin to hand down your faith by being intentional, relational, and repetitive in your teaching. Start by choosing a time of day and a routine that you can repeat. For example, you might decide to pray with your children each morning before they leave for school. Write out one thing you will do to teach your children about a relationship with Jesus.
(Clip of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”)
(Clip of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”)
We all know this story. Indiana Jones was forced to pass through three challenges in order to reach the Holy Grail and save his father from death. These tests were designed to prevent the faithless from reaching the cup. Dr. Jones, Indy’s dad, had uncovered ancient material that described these perils, and he had recorded them in the book we saw Indy use. In order to succeed, Indiana had to decipher the riddles in the diary to make it through the maze of dangers, or die in the process.
The last trial before entering the inner room containing the grail was the leap of faith. From Indy’s perspective, he was stepping out into thin air over a deep chasm. But the prospect of losing his father motivated him to make the leap. As you saw, amazingly a ledge, which was camouflaged from anyone trying to cross, caught him! He had firm ground upon which to walk!
We, too, are called to make leaps of faith, but we don’t have to step out into thin air uncertain of what is ahead. We jump, knowing that we step into the arms of Jesus. He is the steady ledge upon which we walk. His strength is sure, and his hold upon us is certain!
If you have children, you know that they are at first reluctant to jump into deep water. But when one of their parents is in the water with arms outstretched, they know that they have nothing to fear and will gladly and even eagerly jump because they totally trust them! I have never been much of a swimmer, but I always liked being in the water! When I was about seven, I went on a trip with an aunt and uncle, and we went swimming at our resort. Not being a strong swimmer, I wanted to stay in the shallow water, but my uncle forced me into water over my head. He tried to make me lie on my back and float, but I simply didn’t trust him to get me if I started to go under, so I refused to cooperate with him. (I still remember how angry he was!) To take a leap of faith means that you must trust the one who will catch you! Faith has an object; it is in something or someone who will protect you when you leap!
This week we looked at the faith of the apostle Peter. We saw him step out in faith because he believed that Jesus had the power to catch him.
Look at Mt. 16:13-17:
When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven!
Peter stated his faith in Jesus’ identity as the Messiah or Christ, the Son of the living God. Peter’s confession meant that he knew Jesus had the power to hold him; he would not fall.
The word Christ is the Greek word for the Old Testament Hebrew word Messiah; both literally mean “anointed one”. In that day the king was anointed with oil to represent him as God’s chosen one. By the time of the New Testament, the Jews were looking for God’s anointed one, a king who would lead them out of subjection to the Romans and restore the monarchy to Israel.
The Bible is God’s revelation to mankind because we cannot know God unless he shows himself to us. Remember what we discussed last week? Our view of God has been obscured. But God wants people to know him so he revealed himself in a personal way to many; he also had men write down what they saw him do and what they heard him say so that later generations of people could also know him.
Some of those writers were the Old Testament prophets who were sent by God to speak for him to his people. Over time they helped the Jews know more about the messiah. Let’s look at a couple of their predictions in order to better understand what Peter was saying when he called Jesus the Christ or Messiah.
Isaiah the prophet lived hundreds of years before Jesus was born; yet, he wrote some very specific prophecies about the Messiah in Is. 9:6-7:
For a child has been born to us,
a son has been given to us.
He shoulders responsibility
and is called:
Extraordinary Strategist,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
His dominion will be vast
and he will bring immeasurable prosperity.
He will rule on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom,
establishing it and strengthening it
by promoting justice and fairness,
from this time forward and forevermore.
The Lord’s intense devotion to his people will accomplish this.
The Jewish people were expecting a king to come and deliver them from foreign oppression and rule. This passage shows us why they believed this; it says that he will have a vast dominion, or your translation may say kingdom. The anointed one would rule David’s kingdom. David, of course, was the Old Testament king of Israel. Because of his faithfulness and love for God, God promised him that his descendants would rule forever. Jesus was his great, great, great, and so on grandson who will someday fulfill this prophecy when he returns again to rule over all.
Look also at Is. 11:1-5:
11:1 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s root stock,
[Jesse was King David’s dad]
a bud will sprout from his roots.
11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him –
a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,
a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,
a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord.
11:3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord.
He will not judge by mere appearances,
or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.
11:4 He will treat the poor fairly,
and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and order the wicked to be executed.
11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,
integrity will be like a belt around his hips.
Again Isaiah says that David’s descendant would rule with justice and power.
When Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah or Christ, he expressed his faith that Jesus would fulfill the promises that God had spoken to his people hundreds of years before. Although Peter probably understood the messianic predictions to mean physical rule only, he had faith that Jesus was the one.
Peter not only called Jesus the Messiah, he also said that Jesus was the Son of the living God. Although he likely didn’t yet grasp the full significance of that statement either, he spoke truth because God revealed it to him. This truth was proven by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Jesus is God himself, the God-man, who came to earth as a man to die in our place and rescue us from the effects of sin both now and forever in heaven. Jesus came to re-align our lives with his, to remake us into his image, as we saw last week.
When Peter made this statement about Jesus, he made a leap of faith. His co-workers and friends, the other eleven disciples certainly weren’t saying anything. They may have believed it, also, but Peter alone stated his faith.
We, like Peter, leap based on the knowledge that Jesus is the Messiah or Christ and that he is the unique God-man. We also make it because—
When Jesus called Peter and the other fishermen to follow him, they had already seen him turn water into wine and heal the sick. They had heard John the Baptist testify of his identity as messiah. They had watched him cause a huge catch of fish when they had not been biting. The evidence was overwhelming that Jesus had the power to catch them.
Today, there is even more evidence of Jesus’ power and identity from later events recorded in the New Testament, which was written by those who watched and heard Jesus. Although he doesn’t walk bodily among us today, we have the advantage of hearing through the scriptures from those who knew him best.
To follow Jesus there is an initial leap of faith that we must make. It is made unaided; our parents and friends cannot make it for us. We don’t inherit our faith; we must believe for ourselves. In fact, we may have to stand alone to follow Jesus, just as Peter alone made his confession. But if we truly believe that he is who he claimed to be—Messiah, God himself, then, we eagerly leap into his arms, knowing that he will catch us and keep us safe. Just as Indiana Jones left the safety of the rocks to step out over the chasm, we must leave our security, what we have known before, to take a leap of faith.
Some of you may have never heard that Jesus is God who came to earth as a man and died for you. You may not have ever realized that he desires a personal relationship with you. He calls you to follow him, just as he did Peter, to walk daily with him and know him personally. Peter left his livelihood to follow Jesus. It was risky. In the same way, Jesus calls each of us to jump and take his hand; he calls us to leave behind our old lives and follow him in a new relationship; and he promises to lead us on day by day. As you observe him and begin to recognize him as God, you will begin to trust him more and more. If you have questions or want to talk to someone about what it means to follow Jesus, I know that your small group leader or your friend who invited you here would love to visit with you about who Jesus is and how to take a leap of faith into his arms.
But faith is not a one-time thing. Faith is the lifestyle of one who follows Jesus. Faith is about trusting him to see us through the ups and downs of life today. Faith grows in time and with experience. We saw that this week as we studied Peter and his faith. Once Peter saw Jesus rise from the dead, he could stand before thousands on the day of Pentecost and declare Jesus to be the Messiah. This was the same man who had denied him three times a few weeks earlier.
Every January for a number of years, I have asked God to show me what quality he wants to work on in my life that year. I ask him for a verse based on that quality so that I can pray and believe it for my life. But for years now, I have been stuck on this quality of faith. I am apparently a remedial student!
But the truth is that none of us ever gets to the point of complete faith. It is something that God continues to build in us for the rest of our lives. But hopefully, we do grow to trust God more year by year as we continue seeing His greatness. It’s not so much how much faith we have; it’s how big we realize our God is. We only need faith the size of a grain of mustard seed to believe that he has the power to hold us. Then, even when it’s hard and the struggle is great, we can trust because of his greatness, not because we have great faith!
Let’s think a minute about what faith looks like. If we truly trust in the greatness and goodness of God, we will entrust our children to him instead of trying to control them. We will entrust our husbands to him rather than trying to change them—that’s a big one! We will believe God has our good in mind when the future isn’t turning out as expected, when we don’t have the husbands, children, or success we wanted. Faith means that we will believe that his will is best rather than trying to manipulate our own will to come to pass. We will look for his purposes in the job situation where he has us rather than automatically leave when it is difficult. We will seek his will rather than follow the easy path. We will know that he is able to turn around the hearts of those around us when we reflect glimpses of godliness before them. We will trust him for our futures when we face illness and for comfort when we face grief. We will remain faithful to him even when life is hard and we don’t understand. We will trust him to provide when a hurricane destroys all that we own.
If you want your faith to grow so that you trust Jesus like that, I would suggest keeping a written record of the times he is faithful; write down the situations when he catches you. Go back and review what you have written frequently. Then, when you are faced with a leap of faith, you will trust him enough to jump!
As Peter watched Jesus and began to realize who he was and what great power he had, he was willing to take a leap of faith. We see the story in Matt. 14:22-33. Matthew is the only gospel writer who tells what Peter did.
Let’s look again at Matt. 14:22-33:
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dispersed the crowds. And after he sent the crowds away, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already far from land, was taking a beating from the waves because the wind was against it. As the night was ending, Jesus came to them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the water they were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out with fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them: “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” Peter said to him, “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water.” So he said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind he became afraid. And starting to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they went up into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Peter alone of all the disciples had the faith to ask Jesus to call him out on the water. Peter alone experienced the feeling of being able to walk on the water’s surface. Just imagine! Think about doing that! He made a leap of faith and was blessed for it!
But then Peter’s faith disappeared, just as mine often does! He began to look around at the strong wind and began to think about the danger that he was in and lost it! When his faith left him, he began to sink. Don’t you just love Peter? He’s so like us—walking on water one minute and drowning the next!
The faith of a mustard seed moves mountains. If we never seem to move mountains, we can be sure that our faith is even smaller than that! We may be like the other eleven disciples who just sat there watching Peter get out of the boat instead of stepping out in faith themselves. If we don’t leap, we’ll never see the mountains move.
What are you facing that requires a mountain to move? Have you asked God for his will in the situation so you know when and if to leap? That is what Peter did; he didn’t jump until he heard Jesus call him to come.
Take a leap of faith, knowing you step into the arms of Jesus and—
hearing Jesus call you to come.
It’s not a matter of our being able to leap out in any situation. We step out only at his command. But when Jesus calls us to come, we can leap with confidence because he will catch us! Once we know God’s will, we step out in confidence, even when our faith is small, because we know that God has the power to accomplish his will.
And let me say this: sometimes we leap and stay right where we are. Sometimes we don’t change anything about our lives or circumstances, but we leap to the safety of Jesus’ arms in the midst of a tough situation. We leap, telling him that we trust him to move right there.
Leaping is scary, and our tendency is to stay where it’s safe. But Peter alone experienced walking on water because he alone had the faith to do it. Although he got scared and starting going under, Peter did walk on the water!
Five and a half years ago I came to Northwest. At the time I was the Director of the Women’s Ministry at the church where I had been a member for years. It was safe there; I knew the women and the other people; they knew me. I knew how things worked and what was expected of me. I knew what women I could count on and who had gifts for certain responsibilities. It would have been easy to stay. But God called me to leap. In fact the picture that kept coming to my mind as I prayed about whether to come here was a cliff. I really saw myself stepping right off of that cliff. And I hate heights! So this wasn’t a picture that would have attracted me here! But I knew deep inside that Jesus was there to catch me. I wasn’t leaping into nothing, but I was stepping into his arms. It wasn’t the easy choice, but you can’t make any other decision when Jesus is calling you to come.
What about you? What has God put in your heart to do? What leap does it require? What sacrifice will it take?
Close your eyes, ladies. If you have never taken that initial leap of faith to Jesus, see yourself at the edge of a chasm, stepping out in faith to follow him, leaving behind your old life, the life you know, the life that doesn’t work! Or if you have been following Jesus, see yourself leaving behind the security and safety of what is easy and leaping to Jesus because you hear him call. His arms are there outstretched to catch you!
But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine.
Daniel 1:8a (NET)
Obedience is somewhat of a four-letter word to many of us. We think back to the days of our childhood with unpleasant memories of being forced to obey our parents or our teachers. There is something within each of us that desires to be our own boss instead of submitting to someone else’s wishes.
But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine.
Daniel 1:8a (NET)
Obedience is somewhat of a four-letter word to many of us. We think back to the days of our childhood with unpleasant memories of being forced to obey our parents or our teachers. There is something within each of us that desires to be our own boss instead of submitting to someone else’s wishes.
As our heavenly parent, God doesn’t force us to obey him, but he teaches us that obedience is for our best. And he, as a perfect and all-knowing Father, discerns what that is!
The biblical concept of obedience could be defined as humble compliance to God’s commands. The Greek word involves listening or hearkening.1 As a mother, I can remember many instances when I told my children to do things, which they never did. Often, their excuse was that they didn’t hear me; obviously, they heard me talking but never really listened to what I had to say. True obedience means that we listen to God and then act on his words.
Before we get into the story of Daniel, we are going to observe Jesus’ obedience while he lived on earth and submitted to the Father.
Read Matthew 26:36-42.
1. What do you learn about obedience from Jesus’ example in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Diamonds in the Word: Read the parallel accounts of this story in the other gospels.
2. Considering Jesus’ prayers this night before His crucifixion, how would you say that faith relates to obedience?
3. Compare these passages to what you see in Mt. 26 about Jesus. Write down any additional insights into His obedience:
a. Hebrews 5:7-10
b. Phil. 2:3-11
c. Hebrews 12:1-2 (We looked at this last week on believing but consider more specifically how Jesus’ faith related to His obedience.)
4. Responding to God: Spend a few minutes quietly considering Jesus’ obedience on your behalf, even humbling Himself to die as a common criminal on a cross and all the abuse that entailed. You may want to read back through the verses in the previous question. Write down a prayer of thanks.
5. Sharing question: Share with your group how you felt as you considered what Jesus did for you.
The story of Daniel begins at the end of the 7th century B.C. Because of the disobedience of the Israelites, God gave them over as captives to the Babylonians, whose ruler was King Nebuchadnezzar. He besieged Jerusalem, three times deporting people to Babylon. Daniel and his friends were part of the initial deportation in 605 B.C.
Read Daniel 1:1-7.
6. What descriptions are used for Daniel and the other teenage boys taken in this first captivity (Dan. 1:3-4)?
7. Put yourself in Daniel’s position. Imagine what that kind of situation might have entailed if you had been part of his group. What things would you have lost? What feelings may have you had generally, toward those in the palace, and toward God?
Diamonds in the Word: Read in your resources about the three deportations to Babylon and about the nature of that kingdom.
8. Sharing question: Describe a time in your own life when you were placed in a difficult situation through no fault of your own. Describe your emotions. What were your feelings toward God?
9. God desires us to obey Him out of His love for us, because He wants what is best for us. In some circumstances that may be difficult to grasp, and so we choose not to obey. We all have areas of our lives where we desire to stay in control rather than following God’s lead. Sharing question: What biblical command is difficult for you because either you don’t grasp God’s reasons for it or because you don’t agree that it is best?
10. Responding to God: Talk to God about your lack of faith in his wisdom concerning that command. Confess it as sin and ask for the grace to trust Him enough to obey without always understanding.
Review Daniel 1:5-7 and read Daniel 1:8-21.
11. Summarize the problem faced by Daniel and his friends (Dan. 1:5, 8).
In this situation it would have been easy for God’s people to compromise on God’s best. Apparently, the other boys taken captive did compromise. There is debate on why this food would defile Daniel. “Perhaps it had to do with violations of Mosaic Law with regard to unclean foods, or perhaps it had to do with such food having been offered to idols.”2 I am not sure that it matters; what is important is Daniel’s obedience to what he knew God wanted him to do.
12. How did Daniel appeal the order that he felt would cause him to disobey God (Dan. 1:8-16)? Write down any insights you have into his approach.
Diamonds in the Word: Read about a similar situation in Acts 3:1-4:20. Write down your thoughts about how Peter dealt with it. Summarize what you learn from both stories.
13. Sharing question: Have you ever chosen to compromise God’s standards in order to please someone else or to obey someone in authority? If so, share the story.
14. Responding to God: There are Christians around the world presently facing situations which involve great risk for disobeying the government or others, much as Daniel did. In the United States we are grateful that at the present time we are not in great jeopardy for political disobedience. But there may be other less risky costs to obeying God. Be silent before Him, asking for insight into what you may have to give up to truly live in obedience. Ask Him if there are areas of compromise in your life. Write a prayer asking for the grace to obey Him completely.
We continue looking at Daniel as a model of obedience. Today we study a story from much later in his life. The Babylonians were eventually conquered in 539 B.C. by the Persians, when Daniel was about eighty-one years old. (Interestingly, Babylon is present-day Iraq and Persia is Iran. As we see here, these two countries have a long history of conflict.) This next story of Daniel’s obedience to God comes under Persian rule.
Diamonds in the Word: Read in your resources about the Persian Empire of the 6th century B.C.
Read Daniel 6:1-15.
15. What did the other administrative officials do and why (Dan. 6:1:3-11)?
16. How did Daniel respond to the edict? Why? (Dan. 6:10)
17. What do Daniel’s actions tell you about his faith? Why?
18. Sharing question: Have you ever risked anything to obey what God has shown you to do? It may be a job, an opportunity, a friendship, money, time, etc. Share what it was and the outcome with your group.
19. Responding to God: Draw a picture of yourself praying at a window representing the risk God wants you to take to worship and obey Him. Write somewhere on the picture one risk that you are committing today to take for God.
Review Daniel 6:1-15, and read Daniel 6:16-28.
20. Summarize how the story ended.
21. What do you learn about Darius and Daniel’s relationship from this story? What do you learn about God?
22. Compare what happened to Daniel when he obeyed to what happened to other people of God in Hebrews 11:36-40. What do you learn about God and obedience?
Diamonds in the Word: Read Stephen’s story in Acts. Although his story ends very differently from Daniel’s, what similarities do you see in the two men? What additional insights do you gain about God?
23. Sharing question: What is one specific thing that you can do to model your obedience after Daniel’s? To what one area of obedience is God calling you?
24. Copy the edict that King Darius wrote for all of his subjects (Dan. 6:25-27).
25. Responding to God: Spend time worshipping God based on this edict. Write down your thoughts.
This week we have two wonderful stories of women who obeyed the promptings of God’s Spirit, despite their great reluctance!
Last summer I received an e-mail from our mission pastor asking if I'd consider joining a team traveling to China to explore how our church might help with children's ministry efforts there. I have traveled a lot but had never considered visiting the Orient. To me, the culture and language were too different and it frightened me to even consider it.
My first response was "No thank you". But in the next few days things kept coming up that made me think God was telling me to go—the biggest being a sermon that following Sunday on Jonah and how he ran away when God told him to go to Nineveh. The point of the sermon was that sometimes God asks us to do things that we don't initially want to do, but that we miss out on so many blessings when we say no.
After a lot of prayer I decided I would take the leap and go. I cannot tell you how much of a blessing this trip was. I met so many wonderful people and saw firsthand the amazing things God is doing in China. And I not only had the opportunity to bring back information on children's ministries, but I was able to connect with a missionary working with young women in China and was able to connect her to our Women's Minister's on-line Bible studies to use with her group. If I had not gone, those women might still be lacking materials to use, as Christian books and studies are almost impossible to get in China. After this experience, I will be much more open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to do what God is asking me to do knowing He will work out the details and bring about wonderful things as a result.
In the past when I thought of the word “obedience”, I related it to simple things like children obeying parents. But parental discipline and instruction is simply the training ground for the rest of our lives lived in obedience to Christ. As we mature, the instruction from God’s word involves actions that are not so simple; such as following the rules in school, following protocol in the workplace and obeying the laws of the land.
Recently my husband was on a very difficult assignment that caused him to doubt his purpose in being there. It was not a situation that we would honestly say we were in agreement with at the time. He called me on a Friday and said he would be home late Saturday but had to return on Sunday. I told him that since it was such a long trip he should just stay there, but he said he felt he just needed to be in church on Sunday.
Sure enough, the message was just for us from I Peter 2:13-17 on obedience. The pastor talked about our responsibility to submit to government, even when we don’t necessarily agree as long as we ourselves are not going against God. (Acts 5:29)
For my husband, a weight was lifted. In addition, the Lord touched my heart with the conviction that I was to go with him on this assignment. And so for a month we were in the midst of extreme trauma and difficulty; not just for us, but for everyone involved. But we knew God sent us and the volunteers from our ministry into this unique battlefield to be emotional and spiritual caregivers in the middle of government employees, a secular environment, and victims of a false religion.
In the beginning we didn’t want to go and yet we were called to do so. It required sacrifice of time, emotion, resources and energy. But it became clear that God had us there for a purpose. He used this small army of volunteers to diffuse many potentially volatile situations. He used us to give comfort to hundreds who were traumatized.
On the last week there, we were asked by a government official if we could conduct a Sunday morning church service for the staff. God put us in the right place at the right time to minister in a secular setting.
God brought my husband home that first weekend because He had a message for us both. As we obeyed His call, He used His message time and time again as we shared it with other volunteers. God’s word says, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men…” I Peter 2:13-17
Our job was to go and to obey. God then provided the opportunity for ministry in a most difficult situation. The result of obedience was the safety of many people. God extended His love and comfort through His servants, His presence was known; but most important, the impact on government officials from the response of God’s people.
Did we agree with everything that occurred? Probably not, but our job was not to agree or disagree. Our role was follow God’s leading in this situation and to do what Jesus would do in the midst of it. God called, we obeyed; God directed, we followed and lives were impacted for Christ.
The impact of obedience in the situation will be more far reaching than we could have ever anticipated as we have now been asked to be the official emotional and spiritual caregivers in future traumatic events in Texas. God has paved the way in advance for His presence through His people to be in the midst of state responses to disaster.
Please know that this is not a commercial for our organization. I have intentionally omitted the names because this story is not about us; it is about God’s invitation to serve His purpose. He gave us the opportunity to obey and be used by Him in amazing ways. What a privilege to serve our Lord. To God be the glory, great things He has done.
Virginia Grounds
©June, 2008
Peer pressure is a big topic of discussion among moms. We do not want our children to be influenced negatively by others. We want them to think for themselves. We want them to be obedient and to do what is right. However, I have noticed that even moms are not immune to peer pressure. Sometimes we find it difficult to think for ourselves and we are afraid to be different.
Just as we want our children to be obedient and to do what is right, God wants us as moms to be obedient to Him. We may think that this means going to church regularly, being involved in religious activities, or going through certain religious rituals. However, we need to be obedient to God in our daily activities as well. Am I honest in my interactions with my husband? Am I looking to my husband for leadership and counsel or am I working independently of him, perhaps even in opposition to what I know he wants? Am I as a mother able to say “no” when an activity or a movie or some other event is not a wise choice for my child or for my family? Am I able to stand alone when other Christian mothers are permitting their children to do things that are not wise choices? I cannot expect my children to be obedient to God and to stand alone if I am not setting an example of obedience.
Daniel never hesitated to do what was right. In fact, when the commissioners and satraps tried to find something of which to accuse Daniel, they were unable to find any negligence, corruption, or other grounds for accusation. The only way they could trap him was to make his obedience to God illegal. In our day, there are scandals reported daily about people in government, in business, and in churches. Daniel could only be accused of doing what was right!
It is difficult to say “no” when others are saying “yes,” but God will reward our willingness to obey Him rather than to follow others. Are you willing to do what is right for yourself, for your children, and for your family? Are you willing to be obedient to God when your friends and other Christians are compromising in their obedience? Are you willing to teach your children that God rewards obedience and that pleasing Him is more important than pleasing people? Commit yourself to doing what is right and ask the Lord to help you do it graciously as you follow Him.
Proverbs 29:25
The fear of people becomes a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high.
Action Step: Pray for wisdom and discernment as you make decisions regarding what your children are permitted to do and not to do. Ask God for like-minded Christian friends who will set a high standard for themselves and for their children. Pray for your children and their friends to be obedient and to have a desire to please God. Write out your requests to the Lord below.
1 Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #5219: obedience: hupakouo- conformity to a command or authority
2 Note on Daniel 1:8 in NET Bible
I was a teenager in the 60’s. (Before I lose you while you do the math, I’m in my 50’s!) That was a time when the walls of cultural and religious norms were torn down. The culture encouraged us to live as we pleased! One of my favorite songs of that era is “Born to Be Wild”! And deep down that is how I feel. Let me do what I want to do and leave your rules to yourself! Obedience is hard for me. If you are honest, you might feel the same way!
I was a teenager in the 60’s. (Before I lose you while you do the math, I’m in my 50’s!) That was a time when the walls of cultural and religious norms were torn down. The culture encouraged us to live as we pleased! One of my favorite songs of that era is “Born to Be Wild”! And deep down that is how I feel. Let me do what I want to do and leave your rules to yourself! Obedience is hard for me. If you are honest, you might feel the same way! God’s call to obey goes against the grain of our natural inclinations; as sinners born into a fallen world, we are all born to be wild. But God pulls us in another direction by his love. He calls us to obey him out of his concern for our best. Sometimes that means we must make hard choices.
What do you do when faced with a difficult choice to obey God or not, especially when the negative effects of compromise seem insignificant? The 1981 movie Chariots of Fire reveals how one man faced such a decision. It is the story of Eric Liddell, a 1924 Olympic runner. Eric believed that Sunday was to be a day devoted to God, just as the Jewish Sabbath was. When he learned that one of the heats for his race was on Sunday, he was confronted with either dropping out of the Olympics or disobeying what he saw as God’s will. What difference could it possibly make whether he ran on Sunday in the larger scheme of things?
Liddell also faced the pressure of the British Olympic commission. After learning of his decision not to run, they called him into a meeting to convince him otherwise.
[Chariots of Fire clip]
Eric Liddell chose to obey even when it didn’t seem to matter to anyone but God. He had much in common with Daniel. Both were men of integrity who were challenged by difficult decisions of obedience. In both cases logic might say, “What difference does it make?” Let’s look at the story in Daniel
Read Dan. 1:1-8a.
In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem and laid it under siege. Now the Lord delivered King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power, along with some of the vessels of the temple of God. He brought them to the land of Babylonia to the temple of his god and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.
The king commanded Ashpenaz, who was in charge of his court officials, to choose some of the Israelites who were of royal and noble descent –young men in whom there was no physical defect and who were handsome, well versed in all kinds of wisdom, well educated and having keen insight, and who were capable of entering the king’s royal service– and to teach them the literature and language of the Babylonians.
[So at this point we know that Daniel was a young man related to the royal family of Israel; he was handsome and sharp; therefore, he was taken captive into Babylon to serve the king.]
1:5 So the king assigned them a daily ration from his royal delicacies and from the wine he himself drank. They were to be trained for the next three years. At the end of that time they were to enter the king’s service.
[Skip 6-7 and go to verse 8]
1:8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine.
From Daniel we learn to make up our minds to obey God! He was committed to God and determined to follow him, just as we saw was true of Eric Liddell. Both resolved to obey God whatever the cost, even in something seemingly unimportant.
Too often instead of making up our minds to obey God no matter what, as these men did, we choose to compromise when faced with situations where obedience is hard, especially when it seems meaningless from the earthly standpoint.
Now, you may be asking, why should I obey God anyway? Sometimes in our culture God’s ideas can seem a bit outdated! What’s the big deal whether I obey when it’s something small, something that doesn’t seem significant?
The first reason that we make up our minds to obey God is because it is God’s best for us, whether we can see it or not.
Look at Jesus’ words in Mt. 7:24-27. Just keep your Bibles open to Daniel and we’ll put all the other verses up on the screen.
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!”
I picture Galveston! A great image of how our lives will self-destruct when we fail to obey.
God’s words aren’t given to hurt us; they are for our good. As the designer, God knows how his design works best! We cannot see the future; we cannot know where our choices lead us, but God does, and he uses his word to guide us.
We make up our minds to obey because it’s God’s best for us and also because we love the One who so loves us.
If we love Jesus, we desire to please him. Love and obedience are inseparable. It is impossible to love him without obeying him. Jesus said it flatly in John 14:15:
As a child, my strongest motivation to be a good girl was to please my parents. If you have no inner motivation to please Jesus, you need to work on your love relationship with him. You need to focus on his wonder and his greatness and his love for you. When we know that he loved us enough to come to earth and die for us, we love him back. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.”
Even what seems insignificant to us matters to God. He calls us to make up our minds to obey him, even in the small things, those things that appear to be no big deal. Our obedience in the small things reveals how much we truly love him.
When we realize how great his love for us is, we respond in love for him, and we make up our minds to obey, knowing it’s God’s best for us. We also obey because it opens channels of blessing.
Think about the blessings to these four boys in our story who obeyed without compromise. When their three years of training were over, they were found to be ten times better than the king’s own magicians and astrologers according to Dan. 1:20! God blessed the four young men with wisdom; consequently, they became a blessing to the king by serving in his court. The rest of the book of Daniel proves how invaluable they were to him.
When we obey, we are blessed and we bless others. We show them glimpses of godliness, and they see an unusual commitment in us, just as they did with Eric Liddell. They see that we are sold out to something bigger than ourselves.
So we make up our minds to obey God because it’s best for us, because we love him, and because it opens channels of blessing to us and those around us.
There is another thing for us to consider as we think through what it means to obey God in light of Daniel’s situation here in Dan. 1. Obeying God includes submitting to earthly authorities according to his commands.
We won’t read the list of all those to whom God calls us to submit, but when human authority is set up, we are to obey it. An entire section of 1 Peter deals with such authorities, but we’ll simply read the command in 1 Peter 2:13-15:
Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether to a king as supreme or to governors as those he commissions to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do good. For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.
We are to obey human institutions for God’s sake by doing what is good or other translations say doing what is right. And generally, it is good and right to obey the laws and rules set up for us.
But what if they ask us to do something that isn’t good? What if we face a situation such as Daniel did where obedience means that we cannot obey God?
If we can’t obey God and man, we obey God, who is the higher authority. We don’t submit to sin. We submit when it involves doing what is right.
In Acts 5 Peter and the disciples faced imprisonment from the Jewish authorities for proclaiming Jesus, but they said, “We must obey God rather than people.”
We read two stories about Daniel this week: one from his teenage years and another that occurred decades later. In both cases he knew that he could not obey the authorities. In the first story, he was able to get the order changed; however, in the second story, the king’s order was an unbreakable edict. Daniel had to disobey. You remember that the edict declared it illegal to petition anyone other than the king, even a god.
Turn to that story in Dan. 6, and look at his response to the edict in v. 10.
When Daniel realized that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times daily he was kneeling and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously.
Why was Daniel openly praying when it was illegal? I am sure years before, he had made up his mind to pray three times a day facing Jerusalem. Why? To answer that, we need to go back hundreds of years to the time that Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem. At that time Solomon anticipated the situation that Daniel faced and prayed about it.
We see the relevant part of the prayer in 1 Ki. 8:46-51:
The time will come when your people will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry with them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their own land, whether far away or close by.
[Daniel’s situation exactly]
When your people come to their senses in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, ‘We have sinned and gone astray; we have done evil.’ When they return to you with all their heart and being in the land where they are held prisoner, and direct their prayers to you toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor, then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help and vindicate them. Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them. After all, they are your people and your special possession whom you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace.”
Daniel was praying according to scripture, toward Jerusalem and the temple. He was being obedient to what God expected of his people when they were taken into exile. While we might have decided it was unimportant, Daniel obeyed.
So we obey earthly powers when we can do so and still obey God by doing what is right. When we can’t do both, we must obey God. However, Daniel shows us by example that when possible, we may appeal.
In one situation it was possible for Daniel to appeal but in the other, he could not.
Let’s go back to Dan. 1 and read about his appeal, beginning in v. 8.
But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself. Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel. But he responded to Daniel, “I fear my master the king. He is the one who has decided your food and drink. What would happen if he saw that you looked malnourished in comparison to the other young men your age? If that happened, you would endanger my life with the king!” Daniel then spoke to the warden whom the overseer of the court officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: “Please test your servants for ten days by providing us with some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who are eating the royal delicacies; deal with us in light of what you see.” So the warden agreed to their proposal and tested them for ten days.
At the end of the ten days their appearance was better and their bodies were healthier than all the young men who had been eating the royal delicacies. So the warden removed the delicacies and the wine from their diet and gave them a diet of vegetables instead. Now as for these four young men, God endowed them with knowledge and skill in all sorts of literature and wisdom – and Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams.
What was involved in Daniel’s appeal? First, there was an underlying acknowledgement that authority comes from God.
Daniel clearly accepted the authority of those over him. He went to those in charge and asked permission not to eat the meat and drink the wine.
We saw in 1 Peter that God sets up authority because of the fallen nature of our world. God uses government to punish those who do wrong and reward those who do right. Because of sin, we cannot get along without established order.
Although the scriptures do not tell us that Daniel and his friends prayed when faced with the food dilemma, we see Daniel pray at every opportunity throughout his lifetime. I am sure that he prayed in this situation as well. We must pray and ask God to give us favor before those to whom we give our appeal. The Scripture says that God made Daniel’s supervisor sympathetic to him. God moves hearts.
As we appeal, we acknowledge the authority and pray, but we also position ourselves with humility and entreat them with respect.
Throughout this story, Daniel showed deference and respect to those who supervised him and his friends.
When that failed to work, Daniel tried one more idea, which may work for you in certain situations. The next principle of appeal is to ask for a trial period if possible.
When I went on my first mission trip to Kazakhstan, I met with about eight women at their small church. They were facing some tough issues that we don’t face so often in our American culture. One woman’s Muslim husband had forbidden her to attend church. So she regularly lied to him, saying that she was shopping, when in reality, she was at church. Clearly, God says that we are not to forsake the gathering of believers. It is like food to us. We cannot exist long in a healthy state without the community of Christ. But we aren’t to lie, and we are also to submit to our husbands. I remember sitting there desperately praying for wisdom. And then I thought of this story in Daniel and the appeal that he made. I suggested that she ask for a test, respectfully asking him for permission to go to church for a month to see if she was a better wife when she attended church. He could test the results of church attendance! Of course, such tests are risky if you don’t plan to be a better wife! I wish I could tell you how it turned out, but I don’t know. But I do know it was the right way to handle it.
The final principle for appealing is to leave the consequences to God.
God alone controls the outcome of the appeal or the refusal to obey if there can be no appeal. We are in his hands. Sometimes we go into the lions’ den and sometimes we are spared from it. Sometimes we come out unscathed but other times we have scars to show from our ordeal. But in any case, we trust our God and believe that blessing will come from our obedience, no matter how small it seems. We believe that others will see our love for God and will be blessed by the glimpse of godliness that we show through that obedience.
Make up your mind today to obey God, whatever that means in your life. Love him enough to follow him fully and give forth glimpses of godliness to your world.
“I have told you these things so that in the world you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage—I have conquered the world.”
Jesus in John 16:33 (NET)
“I have told you these things so that in the world you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage—I have conquered the world.”
Jesus in John 16:33 (NET)
Have you ever been truly afraid? I spent much of my childhood fearing everything, or so it seems from today’s perspective. I was even afraid of dogs—not just big ones but those of any size. My sister and I would run into the house at any glimpse of a dog down the street. We never had animals ourselves and just didn’t know what they would do to us. No matter what we were doing outside, no matter how much fun we were having, we left it all and ran for our lives☺
Last week we looked at obedience and noted that it is based on faith. If we truly trust God, we obey him. Our emotions are not to drive us; instead, we are to obey God whatever that means. Sometimes the possible consequences of obedience are so enormous, we need great courage to obey God. For many believers throughout the centuries, obedience has meant that they were faced with the possibility of loss, torture, or death. In many cases they courageously chose to obey God because of their faith despite the cost. Courage is the decision to choose faith over fear in the face of danger or loss.3
Our biblical character this week is Elijah, a man of true faith and great courage.
Before we look at Elijah, we want to observe Jesus’ courage. Sometimes I get confused about Jesus, knowing that he is God and in perfect unity with the Father, and so I forget that he limited his power and relied on his faith to give him courage, just as we must do.
Read Luke 9:18-22, 43-45.
1. What was Jesus facing that would take great courage, especially considering the fact that he knew exactly what would happen to him?
2. How did the disciples respond to Jesus’ news about the challenge ahead? Consider how their response may have made it more difficult for him emotionally. Write down your thoughts.
3. Consider the following verses. How did Jesus’ actions or words require courage?
a. Luke 9:51-53 (took place after the verses you already read)
a. Matthew 23:13-36 (set after he arrived in Jerusalem the last week before his crucifixion)
Diamonds in the Word: Read this account in Mt. 21:23-46 of other things Jesus said during that final week that required courage. Write your thoughts.
4. Sharing question: Have you ever been required to show courage and act despite the risk? If so, share what that circumstance was with your group.
5. Responding to God: Spend time thanking Jesus for his courageous actions on your behalf and for your example.
Now we turn our attention to Elijah, a prophet called to speak forth God’s word even when faced with severe consequences. He prophesied during the reign of King Ahab of Israel, the northern kingdom. The Bible says that Ahab “did more evil in the sight of the LORD than all who were before him” (1 Ki. 16:30, 33). As a result, God sent a famine on the land of Israel at Elijah’s word.
Diamonds in the Word: Study more about King Ahab in 1 Ki. 16:29-33 and in your Bible resources. Note your insights.
6. Read 1 Kings 17: 1. What do you learn about Elijah that helps explain his courage?
7. Sharing question: Honestly evaluate your own life. Whom do you really serve most of the time? God? Self? Husband? Children? Beauty? Fun? Achievement? Job? Money? Friendships? Love? Feelings? Attention? Your own desires? Having others see you as perfect? Popularity?
Read 1 Kings 18:1-19.
8. Describe Elijah’s courageous behavior.
62. Why did he do this (1 Ki. 18:1)? What does this story teach us about courage?
9. Responding to God: Write a journal entry or poem about the state of your own courage and the “god(s)” whom you serve.
Continue the story that we began yesterday. Review 1 Ki. 18:1-19 and read 1 Ki. 18:20-40.
10. Summarize the story.
11. What were the odds against Elijah (1 Ki. 18:19)? How might that have affected his emotions in the situation?
Diamonds in the Word: Read other stories where the odds were against God’s people in 2 Kings 6:8-23 or Judges 7:1-23. What do you learn about God from these stories?
12. Read the following verses to help you build courage in the face of fear. Write down what encourages you to be brave when you are outnumbered or afraid of what others will do to you.
a. John 16:33 (this week’s verse)—you may want to read vv.31-32 also
b. Rom. 8:35-39
c. Psalm 91
d. 1 John 4:4
13. Sharing question: Which verse in the previous question most helps you build courage? Why? Work on memorizing it:)
14. Sharing question: Have you ever stood alone against the crowd? It may have been refusing to bad mouth your boss with the other workers. Perhaps it was the refusal to gossip with the other moms at your child’s school. If you cannot remember such a situation, can you think of a time when you now wish you had stood alone? Share the story with your group
15. Responding to God: Pray the verse(s) that you chose back to God. Put yourself in the verse, and write your prayer below. For example, you could pray this from John 16:33: Father, help me believe the things that Jesus told us so that I will have peace. Give me the grace to deal with the trouble and suffering that will happen in this world. Help me take courage in knowing that Jesus conquered the world and can give me the power to do the same.
Continue Elijah’s story by reading 1 Kings 18:41-46.
16. How does this relate to 1 Ki. 18:1-2?
17. What do you learn about God from this passage? What do you learn about Elijah?
18. Compare James 5:16-18 to this story. Write down your insights.
19. Sharing question: Elijah’s prayer was based upon the will of God. How well on a scale of 1-10 do you ask God to know his will before you begin to pray about a situation? With how much patience do you wait to hear his answer so that you can pray in accordance with what he wants to do? If you did, do you think that you would have more courage when you face trouble?
20. Read these verses on praying in God’s will and write down your thoughts about how doing so may help you grow in courage.
a. Jn. 14:13-14 (to ask in Jesus’ name is to ask according to his character and his will)
b. Jn. 16:23
l. 1 John 5:14
Diamonds in the Word: Read in some Bible resources on 1 Kings 18. Journal what God shows you in his word.
21. Responding to God: Write a prayer asking God to reveal his will about a specific situation to you so that you can pray accordingly. Ask him to give you the time and patience to wait for the answer rather than jumping ahead and possibly praying something opposite of his will.
Read 1 Kings 19:1-18.
22. How did Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, react after hearing about the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal (1 Ki. 19:2)?
23. What was Elijah’s reaction to her message (1 Ki. 3-4)? How would you explain Elijah’s loss of courage?
24. Sharing question: What do you learn from Elijah’s fear response that you can use in your own life when you are faced with a dangerous or difficult situation?
25. Sharing question: What do you learn about God from his response to Elijah in 1 Ki. 19:5-18, and how does it encourage you today?
Diamonds in the Word: Go back to Heb. 11, which we considered in Week One reading vv. 32-40. Consider these characters and what you learn about courage.
26. Responding to God: Draw (yes, stick figures are great!) a picture of yourself defeated in some way, maybe not in a cave but wherever you go when you are down, tired, and fearful. Draw something to represent God’s care for you, perhaps angels ministering to you in some way. Thank God for that care.
Each of us has an area where we need courage, but it probably doesn’t involve torture or imprisonment but an everyday area of life where we are truly afraid. Sara and Bob Ann share such stories.
Part of my job at a local television station was answering phone calls from viewers who had questions or complaints about programs that aired on the station. Two weeks prior to airing a very controversial program, my boss suggested that I watch the program ahead of time so that I would be better prepared to respond to the onslaught of complaint calls that were expected because of the pre-publicity about this particular program.
I watched the program one day during my lunch hour. The subject matter and the way it was presented was the complete antithesis of my Christian beliefs. Immediately my stomach churned and my heart sank. I knew the Lord was showing me that I could not continue working at the station, even though it was my "dream job" and I had worked there for seven years.
I decided that day that I would give my two-week notice, and be out-of-there by the time the program was scheduled to air. This was probably the biggest decision I had ever made.
However, I felt a complete peace about my decision even though I had never quit a job before without having another job already lined-up.
My boss, my co-workers, the president of the station, and my family, all were keenly aware that I was leaving over a matter of principle.
God strengthened my faith through the whole experience. God honored my courage to stand-up for Him and my faith when I had no prospects or plans to find a new job, by providing a new job for me within the exact two-week-period!
Would you courageously give up a job with nowhere to go and no one to support you in order to stand alone for God?
I had not been a Christian many years when I was asked to introduce someone to a large group of women at Northwest. I have a terrible fear of public speaking, so I was really praying and thinking and trusting God for what I would say. The morning that I spoke I remembered part of a verse that said God would give you “the peace of God”. I couldn’t remember anything else. I knew I needed peace so I began to search my Bible for the verse. I found it in Phil. 4:6&7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be make known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
At that time I did what the verse told me to do: I prayed, thanked God for the opportunity to speak, and told him that I was scared. I waited for peace and it didn’t come. I still had to introduce the lady, so I got up to the podium and began to speak. At that time I realized my fear was gone; I introduced the lady, and then told everyone about God answering my prayer. It was at that time that I realized that God doesn’t necessarily answer prayers ahead of time; he waits until the time when we need him the most.
What is your greatest fear? Would you trust God and courageously step out in faith when he calls you to do it?
As I was working on this section, I received a call from a mother who is in a crisis situation with her teenage children, their friends, and the friends’ parents. She is walking through a stressful situation that requires both courage and wisdom. We have talked several times, but I felt prompted today to encourage her to read through the book of Proverbs noting every verse that applies to her situation, particularly the ones that apply to a confrontation with a difficult perhaps even abusive person. I reminded her that the LORD could speak through her and give her the confidence and wisdom she needs to be His representative at a potentially dangerous meeting. I told her that the Holy Spirit could call to her mind wisdom from God’s word during the meeting exactly when she needs it.
This mother called me back that same afternoon to say that while talking with another mother who is involved in the situation, the Holy Spirit did call to her mind a verse from Proverbs that she learned long ago but had not looked at in quite some time. She had to look in the concordance to find the reference, and there it was – Proverbs 21:1: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord like channels of water; he turns it wherever he wants.” She not only was encouraged that God had already reminded her of a verse she had forgotten, but she was also appreciative of God’s reminder to her of His sovereignty. God is the one who can change someone’s heart. Rather than focus on fear, she can focus on God’s control both of the situation and of the heart of the abusive person. Her courage will not be from her wisdom or her boldness, but her strength will come from the Lord.
We do not have to teach our children to be courageous in their own strength but to know that courage and boldness come from the Lord. We are able to face the enemy in His strength not in our own. When our children face a problem at school or a problem with a friend, we can pray for them by name asking God to go with them and give them courage. When we face difficult situations with the strength that comes from the Lord, we model for our children that confidence and courage do not come from within ourselves but from God.
Lord, help me to remember that You are the source of my confidence. I thank You that You are sovereign and that You control all things. Help me to place my confidence in You rather than in circumstances, people, money, or any of the false gods of our culture. Help my children to be God-confident and face difficult situations in Your strength rather than in their own ability.
Proverbs 14:26
In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,
and it will be a refuge for his children.
Action Step: Tell your children about a time when you were frightened but you asked the Lord to be your confidence. Share with them how the Lord allowed you to get through the situation and how He worked in your behalf. Explain that God wants to do the same thing for them as they face their own difficulties.
A Precious Word from God
For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NET)
In our culture today many consider God’s ideas of purity to be hopelessly outdated; yet, relationships are ripping apart, marriages are not working, and sexual disease is rampant. Perhaps we should reconsider God’s teachings on sexuality. This week we will reflect on what it means to be pure and holy women.
A Precious Word from God
For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NET)
In our culture today many consider God’s ideas of purity to be hopelessly outdated; yet, relationships are ripping apart, marriages are not working, and sexual disease is rampant. Perhaps we should reconsider God’s teachings on sexuality. This week we will reflect on what it means to be pure and holy women.
Our memory verse calls us to be holy, meaning set apart or consecrated unto God. When we entrust ourselves to him, we give him all of us—heart, mind, and body. He calls us to purity in all of those areas. Purity is simply one area of obedience that arises from faith. In today’s world it may take the quality of courage, which we studied last week, to obey in this matter.
Some of you women are thinking that this lesson does not apply to you because you are married and faithful to your husbands or because you are single and not sexually active. But sexual purity is more than simply abstaining from having sex outside of marriage. You may need to make some changes in your life to become truly pure.
Day One Study
Why does God place such restrictions on sexuality? Is he simply old-fashioned or out to destroy our fun?
1. Read Gen. 2:18-24 and write down your thoughts about God’s design for sexuality. Consider also Eph. 5:31. How would meeting sexual needs outside of marriage damage the marriage relationship and spoil God’s purposes as revealed in these passages?
Diamonds in the Word: Study your Bible resources on Gen. 2:18-24, jotting down your thoughts.
2. How do the descriptions of Jesus in the following verses inform you that he lived a sexually pure life?
3. According to the previous verses, how can Jesus help believers when we face the temptation to be impure sexually?
4. Sharing question: Of the verses in #2, which is most meaningful to you as you consider the temptations you face not only in the area of sexuality but also in other areas of life? Why?
5. Responding to God: Spend time before God asking him to show you any area of impurity in your life in thought, deed or spirit. Write a prayer confessing that sin. Thank him for forgiving you when Jesus paid for your sins by dying on the cross. If you are in a relationship that involves sexual impurity, know that God is there to forgive as you repent (1 Jn. 1:9). You should recruit a safe and mature Christian woman to support you and pray for you as you determine what to do about the relationship. Consider telling your small group leader or even the entire group. God’s plan is for us to rely on the community of believers for support in our areas of weakness, and we all have them!
Day Two Study
The biblical character that we will study this week is Joseph; however, before we read about how he handled impurity, I want us to study a bit about his background, which honestly makes his purity the more amazing to me!
Read Gen. 37:2-10.
6. How did Jacob’s oldest 10 sons feel about Joseph? Why?
7. Read Jam. 4:1-3. How do these verses relate to jealousy?
Read Gen. 37:15-28, 36.
8. Relate the story of how Jacob’s older sons dealt with their jealousy of their younger brother Joseph.
It seems almost daily that we hear reports of tragedies arising from jealousy—a man spurned by his girlfriend or wife returns to kill her, a father kills his own children so that his ex-wife cannot have them, or a grown adult sues his siblings when he/she gets a smaller share of their parents’ estate. As we note in our story, it has been that way for a long time! We need to be sure that we recognize jealousy and get rid of it before it leads to other sins.
Diamonds in the Word: How is God’s jealousy for his people different from the jealousy of Joseph’s brothers (Jam. 4:5; Ex. 34:14)? Feel free to use any resources available to you.
9. Sharing question: Are you in conflict with anyone today? Is jealousy part of the cause on either side? Are you harboring a jealous spirit? Perhaps a co-worker has received undeserved praise or promotion. Maybe your sister was more loved by a parent. It could be that a friend has more “stuff” than you do. There may be all sorts of reasons for jealousy. Be honest before God and yourself.
10. Responding to God: Write out a prayer of confession before God. Ask him to give you the grace to see that your relationships with people are more valuable than whatever has caused jealousy between you. Commit before him to work to rebuild that relationship. Pray Rom. 12:18.
Day Three Study
When we left Joseph, he had been sold by his own brothers and found himself in Egypt as a slave in the home of Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials.
11. What similarities do you see between Joseph’s situation and that of Daniel, whom we studied in Week Two, if you did that part of the study? (You may want to review Gen. 37:2 and Dan. 1:3-6) If you had been in Joseph’s situation, what would you have felt and thought about your captors, your master, God, and the new country where you were forced to live?
12. Sharing question: When the time came for you to be separated from your family by going to college, marrying, or simply moving out on your own, did you react to that freedom by rejecting your family’s values or by living by them? Why?
Read Gen. 39:1-6a.
13. Describe Joseph’s accomplishments in Potiphar’s service. What was the reason for his success? What does this teach you about God?
Diamonds in the Word: Read Psalm 139:13-18 in light of who you are and what gives you success. Write your thoughts in a journal.
14. Sharing question: How has God blessed you in your career or home because of your obedience to him? Share one situation where God has been with you and given you favor in the eyes of other people.
15. Responding to God: Thank God for the gifts and abilities that he has given you, knowing that whatever you do well comes from the way that he made you. Write down the strengths that he has given you. Ask him how he wants you to use them.
Day Four Study
You may be wondering when we will get to anything in Joseph’s life that deals with purity. Today is the day!
Review Gen. 39:1-6a and read Gen. 39:6b-10.
16. How did the temptation to sexual impurity come to Joseph?
17. What motivated Joseph not to succumb to this ongoing temptation (Gen. 39:8-9)?
18. Read Jesus’ words in Jn. 14:15, 21. How do they relate to Joseph’s decision to remain pure?
19. Sharing question: How has Jn. 14:15, 21 been true in your own life as you have said no to temptation in any area? In light of 1 John 4:19 what one practical thing can you do to grow that love so that you stand strong against temptation of any kind?
I think it would have been almost impossible for Joseph as a young man in his prime to say no to sexual temptation without his love for God. With the extreme focus on sexuality and love in our culture, the same is true for us. Many women have a desire to be loved and are willing to give up their sexual purity hoping to fulfill that need. The lies of our enemy Satan deceive us into believing that sex brings love, and we pay the price of guilt and disappointment.
20. Read 1 Thess. 4:3-8. What is God saying here in light of our cultural emphasis on sexuality and the rampant temptation around us? (Our week’s memory verse is in this passage.)
Diamonds in the Word: Use your concordance or topical Bible to find proverbs that focus on sexual purity. Memorize your favorite.
21. Responding to God: Talk to God about your purity and your need to love him more so that you desire nothing outside of his will. Write down a prayer or love poem to him below.
Day Five Study
Review Gen. 39:1-10, and read Gen. 39:11-23.
22. How did Joseph handle the temptation to impurity?
23. Consider these verses. What can you learn from them to help you when faced with sexual temptation?
24. Read Mt. 5:27-30. How do Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount enlarge the accepted definition of sexual impurity?
As women, we must realize that purity is not simply physical but mental as well; otherwise, we may think we are pure if we are not doing anything physical outside of marriage. Most women indicate that love is their greatest need. Rather than look at pornography, we may read romance novels and dream about a man to sweep us away. Or we look at other men and fantasize about how much better it would be to have them as husbands rather than the ones we have promised to love and cherish, forsaking all others. We may go online and chat with men, sharing thoughts that we do not communicate with our own spouses. Such thoughts and actions can begin a chain of events that leads to physical impurity, even if the thoughts are not sexual initially. Jesus says that even the thoughts are impure, and we must learn to avoid such temptation.
Diamonds in the Word: Look at the Ten Commandments in Ex. 20:3-17.How do they relate to purity?
25. How do these verses relate to this issue?
26. Sharing question: In what ways are you most tempted to be mentally impure as you live day-to-day in our culture? In light of the verses we have read this week, what specific action can you take in order to avoid temptation?
27. Responding to God: Remember that God’s forgiveness is total. You need not live in guilt over your sins once you repent and ask forgiveness of both God and anyone else impacted by your sin. Write out 1 Jn. 1:9 below and memorize it if you do not already know it.
Susan P’s Story
2008—the call to Purity! How much fun is that? Purity is about being whole inside. It is not about settling for the latest and what may seem greatest.
Early in my Christian life I made a commitment to purity. I held fast to that commitment for what seemed like a lifetime. Years passed and I decided I must not deserve a mate so why not enjoy the temporal. I went headlong into a relationship that I knew would lead nowhere. That became the pattern. I didn’t spend time with God in those days. I figured He knew where I stood on the issue, and I wasn’t interested in changing my mind. I did know that these relationships were not fulfilling. They were fun, they were convenient, but the depth of commitment wasn’t there. These relationships also left me alone, questioning my value, at a distance from other women, and at arms length from God.
There was one man I’d seen sporadically that I really liked. Over pillow talk he told me he had become a Christian. I told him I that our relationship was not consistent with his new life. Wow-where did that come from? God had my full attention now. The next months I made the decision to give up these relationships. It was simple, but it was not easy. I had Christian friends that I knew would support me. I even kept a note card next to the phone that read, “No, I will not see you.” It was a very scary place.
I prayed that God would allow me to regain the years I had lived without Him by my side. He has done that. Do I miss sex? Yes. But God shows me daily reasons for remaining chaste.
The decision to give up purity came in an instant but the realization that my commitment was conditional has taken a lifetime to understand.
In 2008 purity is not popular unless you are Figi water or organic foods, but it is still important.
Growing in Godliness for Moms - Pure
Our culture is saturated with impurity and we are confronted with the world’s messages everywhere we go. From magazines at the checkout aisle in the grocery store to billboards on the freeway, moms learn that they need to be thinner, more beautiful, sexier, and in better shape. Our world tries to pour us into its mold and bombards us with its viewpoint.
Our children are also seeing and hearing these messages every day. In the connected world of cell phones and the internet, it is impossible to completely shield out children from unbiblical messages and images of immorality. We need to be discerning and to teach them to be discerning.
How can we remain pure in such a situation? How can we teach our children to be pure? According to Psalm 119:9, we can maintain a pure life by keeping it according to God’s word. When we know God’s word, the Holy Spirit uses it to speak to us and to remind us of God’s standards. Of course, this implies that we know God’s word and that we are able to apply it to our lives.
The book of Proverbs is a great place to begin learning to be wise and discerning. Proverbs addresses many practical topics such as speech, money, and friends. It also gives specific instructions and warnings about avoiding the lure of sexual temptation. For a period of time when my children were younger, we read a chapter of Proverbs each night. In order to keep their interest, I asked them to pick out their favorite verse in the chapter. I then wrote the date in my Bible and marked it as their favorite. Putting God’s word both in our hearts and in the minds of our children is a protection against impurity.
We cannot shelter ourselves or our children from all the temptations that the world offers. Even complete isolation would not remove the temptations that come from within. As our children face the culture and the immorality that is both portrayed and lived out, we can arm them with the truth of the word of God and with our prayers – the prayers of a mother who wants God’s best for them.
Proverbs 4:26-27
Make the path for your feet level,
so that all your ways may be established.
Do not turn to the right or to the left;
turn yourself away from evil.
Action Step: Develop a “spring cleaning” mentality when it comes to things in your home that promote impurity or glamorize immorality. Begin to throw away anything you would not want in your home if you knew that Jesus were coming to visit. In what room will you begin your cleaning?
If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.
2 Timothy 2:13 (NET)
“You have my word on it” or “Let’s shake on it” used to be words that meant commitment and trust. When people agreed to a deal, a handshake or a promise sealed it. Today, even signing a legal contract doesn’t seem to bind the parties, who often look for ways to get around their promises.
If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.
2 Timothy 2:13 (NET)
“You have my word on it” or “Let’s shake on it” used to be words that meant commitment and trust. When people agreed to a deal, a handshake or a promise sealed it. Today, even signing a legal contract doesn’t seem to bind the parties, who often look for ways to get around their promises.
Faithfulness means being trustworthy, trustful, sure, and true.4 We may say we’ll do something and then change our minds and not follow through. But God is always true to his word to us; he is committed to do exactly what he has promised.
Today we will look at God’s faithfulness, knowing that we are to be like him.
1. What do these verses say about God and faithfulness?
a. 1 Cor. 1:9
b. 1 Cor. 10:13
c. 1 Thess. 5:23-24
d. 2 Thess. 3:3
e. 2 Tim. 2:13 (our memory verse)
2. Sharing question: Which verse in the previous question was most meaningful to you? Why?
Diamonds in the Word: Look up Old Testament references to God’s faithfulness. Memorize your favorite verse.
3. What do you learn about Jesus’ faithfulness in Heb. 3:1-6?
4. Read Heb. 11:17-19. How did Abraham’s belief in God’s faithfulness affect his actions?
5. Sharing question: Consider a situation with which you are dealing right now in your life. If you truly believed that God is faithful to his word and his promises, how would that affect your attitude or your actions? Write down your thoughts and be prepared to share them with your group. Consider making this your weekly prayer request, asking for enough faith to act on God’s faithfulness to you in the situation.
6. Responding to God: Pray your prayer request for yourself; begin with praising God for his faithfulness. You may want to pray back the verse in #1 that was most meaningful to you. Write down your prayer.
This week’s example of faithfulness is Jonathan, who was a prince, the oldest son of Saul, the first King of Israel. Today we begin his story.
Read 1 Sam. 13:1-14, (The first biblical reference to Jonathan is in v. 2.)
7. Summarize the situation Saul and Jonathan faced and what happened. Write it as a newspaper story, highlighting the important points and maybe including quotes from first-hand witnesses. What most important point should be the headline in your estimation? To understand what happened, read 1 Sam. 10:8, realizing that several years have passed since this statement.
8. How do you understand the problem with what Saul did?
9. What would have been the ramifications to Jonathan from his father’s foolish sin?
Diamonds in the Word: Read 1 Sam. 15:1-23, and consider Saul’s sin here and God’s response. What do you find similar?
10. Sharing question: How would you have felt toward your father, toward Samuel, and toward God at this point if you had been Jonathan? Why? Have you ever borne the brunt of the sin of another person, perhaps a parent or grandparent? What was it, and how did you feel toward those involved?
11. Responding to God: Our families of origin greatly impact us, either for good or for bad. Spend time thanking God for the good that you gained from them or praying for those who hurt you, as Jesus told us to do. Claim the promise of Rom. 8:28-30 and believe it.
After God rejected Saul as king and his family as heirs of the throne, he sent Samuel to anoint David to be the next king in 1 Sam. 16:1-13. If you have time, you may want to read this part of the story as well.
Read 1 Sam. 18:1-4 as we finally get to the crux of the story that reveals Jonathan’s faithfulness.
12. What happened between Jonathan and David?
The action of giving David his robe and fighting gear indicate that Jonathan made a covenant with David. These gifts were merely symbols of the pact between the two of them involving promises of peace and protection. They indicate that the parties are becoming “blood brothers” as many cultures called them, sealing the pact with blood.
Diamonds in the Word: Read about covenants and their symbols in your Bible resources. Note anything that applies to this story.
Skim 1 Sam. 18:5-30 in light of the next question.
13. What created a rift between Saul and David?
Read 1 Sam. 19:1-6.
14. What was Jonathan’s role in the situation between his father and his friend? How does it relate to their covenant?
Read Mt. 26:26-28.
15. Sharing question: When you become a believer in Jesus, you enter a covenant with him. What does it mean to you to be Jesus’ “blood brother” as you think of the promises that attach to that covenant?
16. Responding to God: Write a prayer or poem of thanks to Jesus for shedding his blood to become your blood brother.
Read 1 Sam. 20:1-23.
17. Summarize the story.
18. How do you see Jonathan’s faithfulness through his actions?
19. What further promises did the new covenant between Jonathan and David involve (1 Sam. 20:14-16)? What did Jonathan say here that suggests that he knew that David was God’s choice as the new king?
Diamonds in the Word: Read the story of David’s faithfulness to his promises to Jonathan here in 2 Sam. 9:1-12.
20. How does Jonathan epitomize Ps. 15:2-4? (Read the entire psalm to get the context.)
21. Sharing question: Have you ever regretted a promise because fulfilling it was disadvantageous to you? Perhaps it was the promises you made when you entered the marriage covenant or simply a promise to do something for someone. Did you keep it or not? Why?
22. Responding to God: If you were not faithful to your word or promise in the past, is there any way to make amends, not simply through words but also through deeds? What should you do? Talk to God about this and ask for his forgiveness, knowing he wants you to commit to restoration or recompense if possible, asking for forgiveness without excuse. Write down your prayer and your commitment before God, and be faithful to these words.
Read 1 Sam. 20:24-42.
23. Summarize how Jonathan was faithful to his words to David.
24. What did Saul say to Jonathan to remind him that it was to his advantage that David die (1 Sam. 20:31)?
25. Read these verses and record your insights concerning faithfulness:
a. Mt. 5:33-37
b. Ecc. 5:1-6
c. Prov. 25:19
d. Gal. 5:22-23
Diamonds in the Word: Use a topical Bible or other topical resource to find other verses on faithfulness.
26. Sharing question: It is very common in our culture to fail to follow through with obligations. We even back out of commitments we have made to the church and to God himself. How counter-culture would believers look if we backed up all of our words? What kind of statement would we make as believers if we worked to the best of our ability because that is what we were hired to do? What if we never lied about sick days? What if we followed through with a commitment even when it became inconvenient or to our disadvantage? Share your thoughts with your group.
27. Sharing question: Is your yes really a yes and your no a no? Do you follow through with what you say you will do? Think of both big promises and off-the-cuff words that you say. Consider your marriage vows or contracts that you have signed—big promises! Have you paid off the debts that you promised to pay or did you choose to go bankrupt without repayment? Have you backed out of commitments to your friends, co-workers, or church? Rate yourself from 1-5 in faithfulness. Share your rating and your reasoning with your group. What one practical step can you take so that you don’t agree to things that you later regret?
28. Responding to God: Confess your unfaithfulness to God; commit to show the world what he is like—faithful to his word and his promises!
Shortly after my first daughter, Emily, was born I realized the need for more volunteers in Children’s Ministry. The truth is, I had always been aware of the ongoing need for volunteers in this area and had even responded once before as a young, single woman. That time God redirected me to High School Ministry in which I served for several years. Though that service was time consuming and very challenging, it also brought great rewards such as lifelong friendships, spiritual growth (mostly for me, but hopefully also for those I served), and a sense of joy and excitement in serving God well.
Now, as a new mom, I sensed not only the urgent need for workers in Children’s Ministry, but also the expectation (subtle and otherwise) that I would help to meet that need. Other moms would innocently ask, “Where do you serve in Children’s Ministry?” or “Do you help in the nursery or preschool area?” I felt guilty dropping off and picking up Emily knowing that others were giving their time to care for her and I was doing “nothing.” Finally, I caved in to all the pressure and agreed to work in the nursery. But it didn’t take long for me to figure out that was not the place for me. I dreaded going. I barely managed to get through my shift. I left discouraged and exhausted every time. I began to feel resentful. I talked to my husband about it and he tried to encourage me (but then he actually enjoys serving in Children’s Ministry, so it was difficult for him to relate to how I was feeling). I talked to God about it and basically He said, “What in the world are you doing in Children’s Ministry? Did I ask you to do that?” I realized I had made a mistake—being more concerned about other people’s needs and expectations than God’s. However, I had made a commitment and I knew God expected me to fulfill it. (He swears to his own hurt and does not change Psalm 15:4c.) So I did, to the best of my ability and totally dependent on the Lord. The when it came time to “reenlist,” my husband did and I didn’t, and I was OK with that.
I’d like to say I learned my lesson from that experience, but the truth is that I made the same mistake a few years later when Emily moved to the preschool area. Kevin and I signed up to teach her class on a regular basis. I thought I might enjoy it more. I let myself get talked into it. Then after a few weeks I deeply regretted my decision. Still, I finished out the year as best I could (with greater humility than enthusiasm).
Now, I think I get it. I’ve learned the importance of responding to God’s leading rather than others’ expectations (real or perceived). He’s been gracious in allowing me to serve Him in ways that, while still challenging, are fun and rewarding for me. And now I don’t ever just assume He wants me to do something just because I “can,” since the truth is that I can’t apart from Him. He keeps me from over committing time or energy and He gives me peace and permission to say “no.” Sometimes He even pushes me to say “yes” to things I’d rather not—like occasionally volunteering a few hours in Children’s Ministry.
In the lesson this week, we saw the faithful friendship between Jonathan and David. Jonathan was someone that David could count on. Jonathan demonstrated loyal love to his friend. How does this speak to us as moms?
Have you experienced unfaithfulness from a parent, a friend, or a spouse? How did it feel to know that you could not trust a person to keep his word? How secure did you feel in that relationship?
Our children need to know and experience a relationship with us in which we are faithful. Our love is constant. We keep our word. We are not shifting from day to day based on whims. Our faithfulness gives them security.
I have experienced this type of faithfulness from my husband. He is constant in his unconditional love for me and in keeping his word. I have thanked the Lord for allowing me to know what this kind of faithfulness and unconditional love feels like.
In a similar way, our children can have a foundation of security as we relate to them in faithfulness and unconditional love. The world may accept them conditionally and may not follow through on promises, but we can provide a place where they know that they are loved and accepted.
Even if you have not experienced faithfulness in earthly relationships, you can break the cycle and be the first in your family to be faithful. You can leave a legacy of faithfulness to your children that they would not have otherwise. Ask the Lord to help you be faithful in spite of the disappointments, hurts, and broken promises that you have experienced. Begin by reminding yourself of the faithfulness of God. We can always depend on His faithfulness.
In the turbulent and unstable world in which we live, our children need to know that they can depend on us as moms. It is difficult to break out of the mold of broken commitments and instability that characterizes so many families. However, God wants to demonstrate His love and His faithfulness to our children not only through His word but also through us as moms. Are you willing to let God use you to display His character to your children through your faithfulness?
Lord, we live in such a broken world. Families are torn apart by infidelity. Broken promises, ruined lives, and fractured families are the rule not the exception. Please help us as Christian moms to love our husbands and our children unconditionally and to live out faithfulness in all of our relationships.
Proverbs 20:6
Many people profess their loyalty,
but a faithful person – who can find?
Action Step: Write a note to each of your children affirming how much you love them and how thankful you are that God created them exactly as He did. Remind them of God’s love for them and let them know that you are always there for them.
4 Strong’s #4103 pistos
How many of you have ever regretted a commitment you made, something you agreed to do which later turned out to be more than you bargained for? Watch this clip of a woman who knows how you feel.
Clip of Private Benjamin
Although I don’t recommend the movie, this clip communicates the problem very well. All too often, I am afraid, we are like Private Judy Benjamin; we commit and then to our horror discover that the obligation requires more than we are willing to give. We don’t want to pay the cost of our words. We feel that we enlisted in a different army, we took a different job, we joined a different church, or we married a different man. The reality has turned out to be quite unlike our expectations; consequently, we want out. Surely, God wouldn’t expect us to remain true to the words of commitment that we spoke. Surely, he understands that we can’t possibly do this! The cost is too great!
This week we studied Jonathan, whose friendship with David likely made him feel that what he got was not what he signed up for! But Jonathan was faithful despite the cost.
Because God calls us to be equally as faithful, we have much to learn from Jonathan. What does he teach us about being faithful to our commitments?
First, Jonathan’s ultimate commitment was to God and his kingdom. He was faithful by seeking God’s kingdom above all else.
Let’s review the background of our story. I’m sure you remember that Jonathan was the heir to the throne of Israel, being King Saul’s son. However, because of Saul’s disobedience, God rejected him as king, saying in 1 Sam. 13 that he would replace Saul with a man after his own heart.
Saul knew this, and we can be sure that Jonathan did also. Then, David entered the story. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel as God’s choice as king. But it took years before he was brought to power. In the meantime he became part of Saul’s family. He served Saul faithfully as a warrior and as his son-in-law. But later events prove that at some point early in those intervening years, Saul and his household became aware that David was God’s choice. He would be the next king rather than Jonathan.
With that in mind, turn to 1 Sam. 18:1-4.
When David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan and David became bound together in close friendship. Jonathan loved David as much as he did his own life. Saul retained David on that day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house. Jonathan made a covenant with David, for he loved him as much as he did his own life. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with the rest of his gear, including his sword, his bow, and even his belt.
Covenants are solemn agreements sworn before God, and in this case it was a mutual agreement to care for and defend one another. Jonathan was the one who initiated this covenant. As the prince of Israel he was the superior, and he had to be the one to approach David, which he did because of his love for David.
But I think he was motivated by something else as well. He was prompted by his faith and led by his God. Because Jonathan knew that David was God’s chosen king, he committed to be loyal to him as the next ruler. Why do I say that?
The Bible Knowledge Commentary (p. 369-370) says this:
Sword, bow, belt: these were treasured items that would not have been casually surrendered. With these gifts Jonathan ratified his covenant with David. In retrospect, Jonathan’s action was symbolic of a transfer of royal power from Saul’s family to David. With David’s acceptance of the sword, he became who Jonathan was, the heir apparent to the throne of Israel. By his actions, Jonathan acknowledged God’s decision that David should rule, and he stepped aside.
Jonathan sought God’s kingdom first, even when that meant giving up his claim to be king. And as time went on, he proved faithful to his promised loyalty to David as God’s choice. He was faithful to his word no matter what!
I doubt that Jonathan knew how much pressure he would get to renege on his word to David. Maybe he believed that his father would trust and obey God and yield to his will, but it didn’t happen. Jonathan had to be faithful to his word in defiance of and in opposition to his own father.
Look at 1 Sam. 20. Here David had told Jonathan that Saul was trying to kill him, but Jonathan had a difficult time believing it. Look vv. 8-9. David said to him—
You must be loyal to your servant, for you have made a covenant with your servant in the Lord’s name. If I am guilty, you yourself kill me! Why bother taking me to your father?”
Jonathan said, “Far be it from you to suggest this! If I were at all aware that my father had decided to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?”
Jonathan promised loyalty to David against all foes, even protecting David against his own father because of their covenant. That’s tough! Put yourself in his place. But Jonathan was faithful to his word despite the cost.
In order to fulfill his covenant to David, he not only had to oppose his own father, but he also had to act against his own self-interest.
Look at 1 Sam. 20:30-34:
Saul became angry with Jonathan and said to him, “You stupid traitor! Don’t I realize that to your own disgrace and to the disgrace of your mother’s nakedness you have chosen this son of Jesse? For as long as this son of Jesse is alive on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established. Now, send some men and bring him to me. For he is as good as dead!”
Jonathan responded to his father Saul, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan in order to strike him down. So Jonathan was convinced that his father had decided to kill David. Jonathan got up from the table enraged. He did not eat any food on that second day of the new moon, for he was upset that his father had humiliated David.
Saul reminded Jonathan that his covenant to David meant that he had prioritized David over his father and over his own claims to the throne. Clearly, Saul knew what had happened with the transfer of the royal insignia from Jonathan to David and that David was God’s chosen king. Saul was fighting God’s will and God’s kingdom while Jonathan had embraced it over his father and his ability to be king himself.
The bottom line here is that Jonathan was faithful to his words despite the cost of alienation from his own father, because he trusted God with the outcome.
Turn to 1 Sam. 20:42:
Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn together in the name of the Lord saying, ‘The Lord will be between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’”
Jonathan knew that God, as the witness between the two of them when they made their covenantal promises, expected faithfulness Jonathan had to trust him with whatever happened.
Look ahead at 1 Sam. 23:16-18. At this point David was running for his life from Saul. Years had likely passed since David and Jonathan parted, but Jonathan still loved David and remained committed to his word.
Then Jonathan son of Saul left and went to David at Horesh. He encouraged him through God. He said to him, “Don’t be afraid! For the hand of my father Saul cannot find you. You will rule over Israel, and I will be your second in command. Even my father Saul realizes this.”
Why did Jonathan believe that Saul would fail to find David? Because he knew that God was faithful to his word and his promises to make David king. God was in control; therefore, Jonathan trusted him with the future.
Jonathan was a man who spoke his word and stuck by it. God calls us to do the same. When we face a situation where we might say, “This is not what I signed up for,” we must remain faithful to our commitments despite the cost.
Just as Jonathan’s word was based on God’s will and his kingdom purposes, so we should speak words that align with God’s kingdom. We remain faithful despite the cost because we seek God’s kingdom in all we say and do.
This point has two aspects. First, we shouldn’t agree to anything that doesn’t align itself with God’s will. We shouldn’t commit unless we are sure that God is leading in that direction. And second, we should fulfill what we commit to do because God calls us to do so; it is his will for us, even when we have spoken without consulting him. We seek his kingdom by faithfully standing by what we say and thereby giving forth glimpses of his faithfulness to the world.
In the Lord’s prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray “May your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:10).
It is easier to trust God when things go wrong when we have sought his kingdom and are following him. To do that we must be careful with what we say by avoiding rash words.
Proverbs is full of wisdom about our words, and avoiding rash words is a key theme in that book. I have picked out a couple of the verses to read.
Prov. 13:3 The one who guards his words guards his life,
but whoever is talkative will come to ruin.
Prov. 29:20: Do you see someone who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Look also at James 1:19:
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.
Good general principles in any situation.
There is a warning here to those of us who quickly agree to things as well as those of us who just talk too much. Don’t speak without thinking through what you should say. Don’t rush to comment to others. Consult God first.
I know a woman, not someone here at our church, who has backed out of commitments to ministry more than once. She told me that she just hadn’t really prayed about what she said she would do. And so that was her excuse to be unfaithful to her word. It wasn’t what she had signed up for! But God expects us to be faithful to our words, even when we don’t consult him. So be sure it’s what God would have you do for his kingdom before you commit. In our culture we can be so busy with really positive good things that we miss what God has called us to do for his kingdom. That must be our priority. Doing good things that are not in God’s will aren’t the best things for us to do.
Several weeks ago I put something on my calendar for last week that I believed God would have me do. However, as the event neared, other things began to press on my time. I realized that my week would be crazy and stressful. I wished that I didn’t have to do what I had said I would do. How I wanted to call someone and bail out! I didn’t sign up for such a busy week! But I knew I had to do it. First, because God wanted me to do it even if I didn’t want to do it (besides I was teaching this lesson this week); and second because I said I would! So I simply told God that he had to give me the energy and strength to do everything on my plate because it was about his kingdom and about showing his faithfulness. And as you can see, I lived to tell about it!
We are to seek God’s will above all else, even when it is costly. And for many believers that cost is far beyond having too many things to do in one week. Those who trust in Jesus join God’s army, and sometimes they pay with prison and martyrdom. Sometimes we pay by losing friends or jobs when we can’t go along with what they are asking us to do.
We may think that the army we signed up for was one where we walk with God through a life of bliss and joy where everything goes well. We may think that being in God’s army means our lives will always go well, he’ll answer our prayers as we want them answered, and we’ll never face real hardship. But the real army is not so easy! In this army it’s not okay if we don’t follow through with our commitments because it becomes hard. Seeking God’s kingdom means we are to be faithful to our words even when they hurt and require sacrifice. Sometimes it means that even when God clearly directs us in a particular way, we face difficulty and hardship. Loyalty often requires sacrifice. Faithfulness means that we have a loyalty and commitment that show forth glimpses of godliness.
When we are true to our marriage vows in the midst of unhappiness, when we are faithful to the promises we make to others; when we work to the best of our abilities because we committed to a job; when we faithfully pay off our homes even when it means we keep paying the bank after we have sold a house at a deficit; when we do all of these things, we show forth something of Jesus to the world, and we further his kingdom on earth as others see something unusual and different about us.
We are also faithful to what we say because we recognize God is the witness to our words, just as he was to Jonathan’s promises.
God hears what we say and expects us to follow through. Look at Mt. 12:36-37:
“I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
God takes our words seriously and will someday bring them to light. Of course, that includes more than promises we make, but not less than promises we make. The day will come when he will ask us why we didn’t keep our promises. I don’t want to disappoint him in that day.
Finally, we remain faithful despite the cost because we are able to trust God with the future.
Look at Rom. 8:28-29:
And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
We trust that God is at work for his kingdom through our faithfulness.
I have some friends who have a youth pastor in their family. He and his wife have been faithfully trying to serve and follow what God has shown them to do. When he left his last church, they lost thousands of dollars on their home. Two weeks ago, he was laid off because his new church faces financial challenges in our present economy. Within days his wife was laid off from her job as well. They are in a mess. They own a home and have no savings with the first loss. We may think that somewhere along the way they failed to hear what God was telling them about their home purchases, but we don’t know that. I do know that they are struggling; and he is considering leaving ministry. They are disheartened with what has happened, and I totally understand why. But perhaps their feelings have been made worse because they don’t think this is what they signed up for. They may think that there was some unspoken promise that all would go well because they were serving God; they expected the house to sell quickly; they expected not to lose jobs; they expected God to protect them from these kinds of real life problems.
If God has truly called them into ministry and they have heard and responded to that call, all they can do is move forward and find another place to serve. In the end they have to trust God with the future. They have to trust that he loves them, that he is a good God, and that his kingdom purposes are greater than a job or a mortgage or a recession. This could be the experience that catapults them into a deeper and greater ministry because they will have learned to follow and trust God even when what they face is not what they signed up for.
God blesses obedience, but blessing doesn’t mean all goes well. Jonathan lost his life fighting with his father Saul. Both were killed in their final battle, and Jonathan was never able to be David’s second in command as he expected. But I know that he was blessed by God. He was blessed by knowing that he had sought God’s kingdom above all else, that he had been loyal to help his friend as God desired. And I am sure that he was blessed with rich reward when he entered heaven because he sought God’s kingdom by faithfully standing by his promises.
Will you be faithful to what you have said to God and to others even when the cost is more than you signed up for? Will you be faithful to your husband who turned out to be someone you didn’t bargain for? Will you be faithful to the ministry God has given you? Will you be a faithful employee even when the demands of the job are more than you are paid to do? Will you be faithful to whatever words you rashly spoke even if it costs you? I pray that we become women of our words so that we give forth glimpses of godliness that are so unusual people take notice.
And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
1 Peter 5:5b (NET)
When I think about pride, the opposite of humility, it reminds me of an overly -inflated balloon. A mere touch can cause it to burst! When we are proud, we are very close to bursting and don’t even realize it. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction; and a haughty spirit before a fall.” To eliminate the risk of a fall, test your humility. Otherwise, God may use a fall to humble you.
What is humility? It is a correct estimation of who you are in light of who God is; it means being without pretension. One dictionary says this about humility:
It by no means implies slavishness or servility; nor is it inconsistent with a right estimate of oneself, one's gifts and calling of God, or with proper self-assertion when called for. But the habitual frame of mind of a child of God is that of one who feels not only that he owes all his natural gifts, etc., to God, but that he has been the object of undeserved redeeming love, and who regards himself as being not his own, but God's in Christ. He cannot exalt himself, for he knows that he has nothing of himself. The humble mind is thus at the root of all other graces and virtues.5
Faith is the foundation of obedience, courage, purity, faithfulness, and humility; then, humility becomes the foundation of our godly interaction with others. Thus, we study it before we look at other godly qualities that affect our relationships.
As a man Jesus was the supreme example of humility.
Read Philippians 2:5-8.
1. What do you learn about the attitude of humility from Jesus’ example?
2. Sharing question: Consider what Jesus gave up by humbling himself to bring eternal life to us. What thought from the Philippians passage is most precious to you? Why?
3. Sharing question: Have you ever humbled yourself by giving up something that you deserved for the benefit of others? If so, share the story.
4. Read Mt. 11:28-30 where Jesus describes himself as humble. What kind of person would you be if you were as Jesus describes himself here?
Diamonds in the Word: Look up humility in Greek study tools that you own or those available online. Note any thoughts you have that add to your understanding of this quality.
5. Responding to God: Write a prayer or poem extolling Jesus’ willingness to humble himself.
This week’s character is Paul, a man who had to be humbled to see the truth about God.
Begin Paul’s story by reading Acts 7:54-8:3.
6. Describe Paul at this point in his life.
Now read what God did to humble him in Acts 9:1-19.
7. Tell the account as if you were a reporter for the Damascus News who heard the story and investigated. Write a headline for your report if you like☺
Diamonds in the Word: Read Paul’s personal account of what happened to him in Acts 22:1-21 and Acts 26:2-18. Write down any additional details or thoughts that you may have.
8. Why would this have been humbling for Paul?
9. Sharing question: Have you ever been proven wrong about something? What was it? How did you react and how did you feel?
10. Responding to God: Ask God to begin to show you how you are puffed up in any area of your life right now. Pray for humility. Write your prayer below.
Read Gal. 1:11-2:2, where Paul looks back at his past.
11. Carefully look at this passage and write down anything that suggests Paul’s former pride, the opposite of humility (Gal. 1:13-14).
12. What in this passage reveals Paul’s humility (Gal. 1:15-2:2)?
Read Gal. 2:11-14.
13. Describe Paul’s encounter with Peter. Was he humble or not in this situation? Go back to the introduction to this lesson and reread the definition of humility from the ISBE to help you decide. Take Mt. 7:3-5 into account as you answer.
Diamonds in the Word: Use any resources that you can find to look up this passage. What do others have to say about what Paul did?
14. Read 1 Cor. 10:12. What is a danger when we see someone else’s sin? How does this relate to humility and pride?
15. Sharing question: Have you ever pointed out the sin of a friend? Did you act in humility or pride? How did he/she react?
16. Responding to God: Draw a picture of Mt. 7:3-5—even you who hate to do this:) Ask God to show you the log in your own eye and so label it in your picture. Expect him to show you something if you are truly humble!
Ministry can often be accompanied by pride, just as is true of every other area of success. Today we will reflect on Paul’s attitude toward ministry, considering the need to look humbly at our successes.
17. Read these passages and comment on Paul’s attitude toward his success:
a. 2 Cor. 2:14-17
b. 1 Cor. 2:1-5
18. Read 2 Cor. 12:1-10. What was one way that God used to keep Paul humble despite his great success as an apostle? How did Paul respond to God’s work in his life?
Diamonds in the Word: Read in your commentaries or other online resources about 2 Cor. 12:1-10.
Read Ephesians 3:7-12.
19. How does Paul show humility in this passage? Would you say that he sounds like he is boasting? Explain your reasoning.
20. Consider Rom. 12:3-8. How does God want us to view ourselves in light of the gifts that he has given us and expects us to use (Rom. 12:3)?
21. Sharing question: Sometimes it is difficult to say that we are good at something and volunteer, especially in the church, because we don’t want to sound prideful; however, in light of Rom. 12, we need to recognize these as gifts from God and not of ourselves. Share with your group one gift that God has given you. Share how God is using you in your local church, the body where God has put you to serve!
22. Responding to God: Ask God if there is anything going on in your life that he has designed to humble you. There are many reasons for illness, grief, and trials so we can’t know the reason unless God shows us. Whatever it is that he shows you, ask for the grace to live with it, as Paul did. Pray 2 Cor. 12:9-10 for yourself, asking him to change your attitude to be like Paul’s. Write your prayer below.
Today we reflect on the impact that humility has on our relationships with others.
Read Phil. 3:2-14.
23. How does Paul express humility here? How would his attitude affect his relationships with others?
Read Phil. 2:3-5.
24. Consider what you have read about Paul this week. How did he embody these instructions in Philippians?
25. Read 1 Peter 5:5-6 (your memory verse). How does this add to what you saw in Phil. 2?
Diamonds in the Word: Read the entire passage 1 Pet. 5:5-11. What insights do you gain concerning humility and how it relates to the other subjects that Peter mentions here?
26. If we obey Phil. 2:3-5, how would it affect the instructions in the following verses?
a. Eph. 4:1-3
b. Col. 3:12-14
c. Jam. 4:1-3
d. 1 Pet. 3:8
27. Sharing question: Of the verses you have read today, which one stands out to you? What does God seem to be saying to you about your own humility and its effect on others? Realize that every woman in your group is proud in one way or the other. There is no room for judging others in this area—or any other!
28. Responding to God: Write a prayer or poem about your own pride, which we all have, and about the humbling experiences that God has given you.
God is faithful to work in our lives to make us more like Jesus, even when it requires humbling us! Ruth shares her story of how God humbled her.
Humility is a learning experience. Often the road to getting there is painful because of pride that has prevented you from being humble. I remember a work situation that God used to humble me many years ago. It was a job I did not want but had to take. I knew after the first week that I was not well liked but didn’t know until years later that the reason was not of my making, but because the department had been forced to hire me by their supervisors. They resented not having a say in the matter and took it out on me. They made my life miserable and I cried for six months into the position.
Amazingly I stayed there several years, was promoted on two occasions and ended up being well respected. I learned so much there that has been used in my present position but the journey was very humbling and painful. God worked His purpose in a difficult situation to teach me that there were areas in my life that had to be identified and dealt with in order to be effective in ministry. I realized that when I went into the new position I expected strangers to like and respect me the way people who had known me for years did. But respect is something that must be earned through an attitude of humility and there is simply no room for pride in the equation.
Humility is a way of yielding to the mighty hand of God. We are to be clothed in it – to put it on as a garment; not as a sign of weakness, but as a sign of strength in resisting personal pride. As we do, we have a promise from God that He will give us grace and exalt us in due time. (I Peter 5:5-6) I know this to be true from experience. In my moments of humility in a difficult situation, God truly gave grace and strength from His mighty hand. I praise Him for it.
If anyone had a right to be proud, it was Paul. He lays out his resume in Philippians 3:5-6 where he states that he was “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.” And yet, as a believer and follower of Christ, he saw that these things paled in comparison to knowing Jesus Christ as Lord.
Our culture does not value humility. In fact, humility is often seen as a weakness. To get ahead in business or in life, people are encouraged to promote themselves and perhaps even pretend they are something they are not. The view from Scripture is in opposition to the world’s view. Pride and humility and the consequences of each are a recurring theme in the book of Proverbs as well as in the rest of the Bible. Pride is associated with arrogance, pretension, destruction, and humiliation while humility is associated with wisdom, honor, and rewards. When we have pride because of our accomplishments or our jobs or our wealth, we have forgotten that it is the Lord who gives us our ability, our opportunities, and our health. Without Him, nothing would be possible. Pride causes us to take credit that belongs to God.
If pride is to be avoided, how can we as moms encourage our children without being proud or encouraging pride in them? I think we can rejoice with our children in their accomplishments and in the significant events in their lives while acknowledging that God is the one who has gifted them and allowed them to do well. We are their cheerleaders. We are on the sidelines of the triumphs and failures of their lives, always believing in them and never giving up. We are praying for them, asking God to use them, and thanking Him for being involved in their lives.
Proverbs 27:1-2
Do not boast about tomorrow;
for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
someone else, and not your own lips.
Action Step: Show your children their sonograms and talk about God’s design and His plan for them (Ps 139). Explain to them that success is fulfilling God’s plan and purpose. Teach them to give God credit for the things they accomplish.
5 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (IISB), “humility” at http://net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Humility
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another . . .”
Colossians 3:12-13a (NET)
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another . . .”
Colossians 3:12-13a (NET)
My sister and I used to get in fights as children. We hit one another often! There was no turning the other cheek involved. If I got angry, I hit her; if she hit me, I hit her back! We had no clue what it meant to forbear with one another, but even if we had, I doubt that we would have done it in the heat of battle.
Forbearing with others grows out of the humility that we discussed last week. If we don’t recognize our own sins and failures before God, we feel the need to take our own revenge, make sure that others get what they deserve, or retaliate in kind. Forbear means “1) to hold up; 2) to hold one's self erect and firm; 3) to sustain, to bear, to endure.”6 It suggests sustaining whatever comes at you and holding self back from reacting to it.
In light of the above definition, read 1 Pet. 2:20-25.
Diamonds in the Word: Look up the Greek word for forbearance in a Greek tool or a commentary. Write down any additional insights that you receive.
1. The word in these verses is endure, not forbear; however, the entire passage suggests forbearance. How would you describe Jesus’ forbearance from these verses?
2. Explain what Peter is teaching us through Jesus’ model of forbearance. In other words, what does it look like for us as believers to forbear?
3. Read Lk. 23:33-34. How would you explain the relationship between forgiveness and forbearance?
4. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus paints a picture of Christianity as very counter-cultural. What would it look like to forbear according to Mt. 5:38-42, even though that term is not used here?
5. Sharing question: What makes forbearance so difficult from your own experience? In what situation or with which person is it hardest for you personally to forbear?
6. Responding to God: Talk to God about the need to forbear with others. Confess any lack of forbearance on your part, particularly with that person or in that situation you mentioned in the previous question.
This week’s character is Abigail, one of my favorite women of the Bible! Read 1 Sam. 25:2-3, as your introduction to her.
7. How does God describe Abigail and her husband?
The NET Bible says this about Nabal: “The name נָבָל (Nabal) means “foolish” or “senseless” in Hebrew, and as an adjective the word is used especially of persons who have no perception of ethical or religious claims. It is an apt name for this character, who certainly typifies such behavior.”7
Before we get further into Abigail’s story, I want us to look at what is often called “the Proverbs 31 woman” because we can see Abigail in some of the descriptions. As you read, keep in mind that this “perfect” woman lived in a culture very different from our own so don’t get overwhelmed with the specifics of what she did! These are truly glimpses of godliness in a woman so we are considering her character qualities. Although our focus is on forbearance, we still want to give some thought to Abigail’s other great traits.
Read Pr. 31:10-31.
8. Describe the qualities of this ideal woman. Try not to focus on the specifics of what she did, but think about what those activities reveal about her character.
Diamonds in the Word: Read in your resources about the woman of Pr. 31.
9. Sharing question: What one characteristic of the Pr. 31 woman most stands out to you as you read this passage? Why?
10. Sharing question: What one area that you listed in #8 is your greatest weakness? What one thing can you do this week to do a better job in that area? (Although we are focusing on character and not specific actions, remember that the actions do reflect what is in the inner heart.)
11. Responding to God: Draw a picture of yourself as a Proverbs 31 woman. (I realize this may take creativity, and if you are like me, you have very little; however, please try:) Perhaps, you can incorporate that possible action that you mentioned in the previous question. Envision what God wants you to be, and believe that he can make those changes as you yield to him:) Talk to God about your picture!
I would say that Abigail epitomizes Pr. 31:30-31. As you read her story over the next few days, keep these verses in mind and see what you think!
Abigail’s story occurred in David’s life when he ran from Saul, who was trying to kill him, as we saw in Week Five lesson on Jonathan. Keep that in mind as we continue her story.
Read 1 Sam.25:4-13
12. What did David request from Nabal? How had he and his men treated Nabal? What was the tone of his message? (vv.4-8)
This commentary note may help you better understand David’s message:
Nabal lived in a wilderness area and owned thousands of sheep and goats, and so was a prime target for thieves. David and his men had generously protected Nabal’s flocks and possessions (vv. 15, 16, 21).Since it was the time of sheepshearing, Nabal would have had plenty of cash from the sale of the wool to reward David and his men for their services.8
In addition, a feast day was a time of generosity and hospitality so it was fitting and appropriate for Nabal to fulfill David’s request.
Diamonds in the Word: Do additional research on David’s request and the holiday Nabal was celebrating in 1 Sam. 25:4-8.
13. Compare Nabal’s response and its tone (vv.10-11) to the description of him in 1 Sam. 25:3. What are your insights?
14. How did David react to Nabal’s rude treatment and harsh words (vv. 13-14)? What did he plan to do and to whom?
15. Imagine Abigail’s life married to a man like Nabal. What kind of situations might that create for her? (As you consider this, remember that in the culture of that day women were not well-respected or honored, and they had no recourse because of the low status given to women in general, even among God’s people.)
16. Responding to God: Is there anyone in your life to whom you are ungrateful? Is there a person to whom you should show gratitude today because of their help to you? Perhaps it’s someone who works unnoticed at the grocery store or a favorite restaurant; it may be a co-worker who helps you in various ways. Ask God to help you see those who are behind the scenes serving and to give you ways to thank them.
Review 1 Sam. 25:3-13 and read vv. 14-17.
17. Abigail received a report of what happened from a servant. How did the servant assess the situation? How did he feel about David and his men, and how did he see Nabal’s refusal of hospitality?
Diamonds in the Word: Read what others say about Abigail’s choice not to tell Nabal what she was doing, which was clearly against his wishes.
Read 1 Sam. 25:18-31 for Abigail’s response.
18. Summarize what Abigail did after hearing the story.
19. How would you describe Abigail’s tone toward David? What specifically did she say that would lead you to express it in that way?
20. Abigail was forbearing toward Nabal, whom God described as harsh. Despite having to live with such a difficult man who was probably verbally abusive, she treated him with love and grace. She could have handled this situation in a way that would exact revenge or release her from her hard situation. What other options could she have chosen?
21. How do these verses describe Abigail?
a. Col. 3:12-13a (includes this week’s verse)
b. 1 Pet. 3:9
c. Eph. 4:30-32
22. Sharing question: What one person in your life is most difficult for you? Why? (If it is your husband, you may share that with the group but without berating him to them.) Instead of focusing on the other person’s problem as you share, request prayer that God will give you the grace to be forbearing and kind, not returning evil for evil. Write this as your prayer request without specifying the person, in case these are emailed out.
23. Responding to God: Talk to God about growing in godliness by becoming a forbearing person like Jesus. Write down your prayer or poem below.
Review 1 Sam. 25:18-31, and read 1 Sam. 25:32-35.
24. What did David learn from Abigail? How does it relate to forbearance?
Read 1 Sam. 25:36-42.
25. Summarize the rest of the story.
Diamonds in the Word: Read more about 1 Sam. 25:36-38 in any resources available to you.
26. Sharing question: How can the truths of Rom. 8:28-29 help you persevere and forbear when faced with a difficult person?
27. In what ways do you see God’s work in and through Abigail?
28. Responding to God: Ask God for grace to grow in all the areas of godliness so that your life can witness to others about what God is like and how he would have us live.
The difficulties and injustices done to the family in today’s story are all too common in the church; however, Abbie’s response is very rare, unfortunately.
Not too long ago, my husband was an elder at our local church. He was serving amongst a group of men who together were learning what it meant to be elders, for we had recently planted this fast-growing church. None of them had served as an elder for very long before, and each took their new responsibility very seriously.
As the year progressed, an unfortunate turn of events happened in our life. The elders came to a disagreement about how to handle a particular church issue. Disagreements among elder boards are common, and we were not alarmed knowing this was the case. We spent many long hours praying as a couple that the Lord would lead the board, and that He would give them wisdom as they wrestle with these tough issues. What we didn’t know at the time was that the lead elder allowed bitterness in his heart to grow towards my husband. When the elders could not come to a consensus on how to handle the issue, it was decided in secret meetings without my husband that he should be asked off the board. Not only that, but that he and our family should leave the church, immediately! My husband had not committed any sexual or moral sin, nor did he disagree with the doctrine of the church. He became a pawn in a game of control and influence, and we and our children paid the price deeply.
We still live in the small town where these events occurred, and we run into people often from the church. The congregation at large does not know the details of these events. Most think we left the church by choice. Herein lies our test. Do we try and vindicate and defend ourselves, or do we carefully entrust ourselves to the one who sees all things and judges justly? The answer seems clear and obvious, but once I am in a conversation and I am being asked direct questions, the temptation to gossip and vindicate is very strong. It is such a difficult thing to resist, especially when our hurting children want to know why they can’t go back to the church they loved.
Yet the Lord has shown us in His word how to forebear and trust Him. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph tells his brothers that what they meant for evil, God meant for good. God is sovereign, and no man can thwart His plans for our lives. Also, He reminded us of the following verses: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak (Matthew 12:36)”; and “Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops (Luke 12:3).” God wants us to be careful of how we speak of people who have hurt us. If we believe that He is sovereign, then we must believe He is in control of our pain. He has called us to live as children of the light, who do not hide nor conceal anything that we would be ashamed of should it be “proclaimed on the housetops.”
My husband and I are still waiting for God to make right the wrong that was done to us. Because of His counsel through His Word, we are motivated to keep our mouths quiet and trust that He will do it in His timing and in His perfect way (Psalm 18:30).
This week we looked at Abigail and her forbearance with her foolish husband Nabal. Abigail not only endured in her relationship with Nabal, but she also seemed to be doing well in spite of her circumstances.
Do you have a difficult person in your life? If the person who is difficult to be around is someone at a gas station or at the grocery store, you can change where you shop. But what if the person is someone in your family? The story of Abigail reminds us that God has neither forgotten us nor the circumstances we are facing even when things look bleak. God is still working and He wants to use us even when we are forced to deal with a person who is harsh and evil.
Our being able to forbear in difficult situations will be a model for our children. Our children will have teachers at school that are unfair at times. Our children may have personality conflicts with someone in authority over them. As a mom, I always want to fix everything. Sometimes I cannot “fix” a situation for my child, but God is working in the midst of that situation to bring about His will.
Abigail exhibited patient endurance in her marriage, but this did not prevent her from taking action. When David threatened to kill every male in her household, she took immediate steps to resolve the crisis. Her forbearance with the situation did not paralyze her! I think this has application for us as moms. We may patiently endure when we cannot change a person or a circumstance. We pray and ask God to change a heart or a situation. When we have the opportunity to appeal, we may do that.
One of the things I did not anticipate when I became a mother was that I would need to be able both to forbear in difficult situations and to learn to make an appeal. If we really believe that God is sovereign, we can pray, make an appeal, and leave the result to Him. Sometimes the Lord has answered by changing the situation and sometimes He has changed me or my attitude toward the situation. Sometimes things have not changed much and I am still working to adjust my attitude.
Proverbs 25:15
Through forbearance a ruler can be persuaded,
And a soft tongue can break a bone.
Action Step: Is there a situation in your life or in the life of one of your children that requires forbearance? Teach your children the 50:20 principle found in Genesis 50:20a. “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” Write out a prayer asking God to give both you and your children patient endurance. Tell Him that even though others may have meant the situation for evil, you know that He will use it for good.
6 Strong’s #430
7 Note on 1 Sam. 25:3 in The NET Bible.
8 Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary, ed. Earl Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House (Nashville; Thomas Nelson Publishers), 377.
Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God.
1 Peter 4:10 (NET)
This summer my husband and I were able to take a great vacation to the beach, where we stayed at an all-inclusive resort. The service there was unbelievable, the best we had ever experienced! All of those who assisted us, from shuttle drivers to waiters to those who cleaned our rooms, were friendly and helpful; their great attitudes were evident as they interacted with us. They were what we believers should all be if we are to provide the world with glimpses of godliness involved in servanthood.
The Greek word “serve” means to wait upon someone, to attend to someone. It is akin to the word for slave or servant. It has sometimes been translated “minister to”.9
Read Mark 10:35-45.
1. How did Jesus explain his mission in v. 45, and what was he trying to teach his disciples?
Read Phil. 2:5-8. We read this passage several weeks ago but want to look at it again in the context of servanthood.
2. What attitude are we to have toward serving others? How did Jesus model it?
3. How do you feel as you think about what Jesus did to serve you?
Read John 13:1-17.
4. What lesson was Jesus modeling through his actions?
Diamonds in the Word: Read what commentaries say about this passage.
5. Sharing question: Who is most difficult for you to serve? Perhaps, you struggle with serving those who don’t deserve it, or those who have ignored you, or those who are ungrateful and selfish. Maybe someone has hurt you and so you don’t want to serve that person. In this John passage Jesus served the very man whom he knew would betray him within hours. What does that say to you personally about serving that person in your life?
6. Responding to God: Ask God to show you one way to serve another person this week, particularly someone who is hard to love. Write down what he shows you and what you do about it.
This week we will look at more than one Bible character who model serving. Although today’s character is only mentioned briefly, she gives us a great glimpse of what it means to serve.
Read Lk. 2:36-38, and note the context of this story.
7. Why do you think I chose Anna as an example of serving?
8. Sharing question: Put yourself in Anna’s place. What about her service would have been most difficult for you? Why?
9. Read these verses and write down how they encourage you to serve others in prayer:
a. Gal. 6:2
b. Eph. 6:18-20
c. Col. 4:2-4
d. Jam. 5:16-18
10. Sharing question: Look back at the verses in the previous question. What one is most encouraging to you as you think about serving through prayer? Why?
11. Sharing question: Have you considered your prayers as a way to serve others? Or is prayer more of an obligation? Perhaps it is mainly about yourself. If you begin to think of prayer as an opportunity of service, what do you need to change about your prayer life?
Diamonds in the Word: Go to a topical Bible and look up prayer or to a concordance using the words pray or prayer. Look up some of the other New Testament references.
12. Responding to God: Pray for a specific person using the pattern or theme of one of the verses in #9. You may want to pray for a specific missionary, friend, or family member. Write down your prayer and share it with the person for whom you prayed.
Our final Bible character is Priscilla. Like Anna, she isn’t given a lot of space and there is not a nice long story about her. But as a woman, she is a great model of service! I wanted us to finish our study with some women, particularly as we think about how we can serve as women.
Read Acts 18:1-3.
13. What do you learn about Priscilla’s background and career?
14. How did Priscilla serve in the early days of her acquaintance with Paul (v.3)?
15. What else do you learn about Priscilla’s service from Rom. 16:3-5? How did she fulfill the commands to serve in Heb. 13:2 and 1 Peter 4:9?
Diamonds in the Word: What other Bible characters can you remember who served this way? Look her/him up in your concordance and read the story.
16. Sharing question: Since hospitality is a necessity rather than an option based on Heb. 13:2 and 1 Pet. 4:9, what do you need to do specifically to obey God’s word? What is one way you can show hospitality to God’s people?
17. Responding to God: If you aren’t inviting others to your home, what is keeping you from fulfilling the mandate to show hospitality? Is it fear of what others will think about your home or your housekeeping or cooking? What did you learn about fear and faith in the lessons on obedience and courage that apply to this situation? Talk to God about your failure to trust him in this area of obedience. If you are inviting others to your home, ask God to show you a specific person, couple, or family who needs your hospitality. Write down your prayer below.
We complete our study of Priscilla today. I hope you enjoy getting to know a bit about her.
Read Acts 18:24-26.
Diamonds in the Word: Look up these verses in any resources available to you for more information about Apollos and the error of his teaching.
18. How did Priscilla serve in this situation?
Scholars have been intrigued with the fact that Priscilla’s name is mentioned first before Aquila’s in this context and most of the references to them. In that day the more prominent person was mentioned first. Some would say that she was the primary teacher in the situation because of this priority given her in this specific passage. Either way, we see a woman using her spiritual giftedness to serve the body of Christ.
19. Look up these verses and write down your insights about using your spiritual gift(s):
a. 1 Cor. 12:4-7
b. Rom. 12:4-6a
c. Eph. 4:11-13
d. 1 Pet. 4:9-11 (includes our memory verse)
20. Sharing question: Share one story of how you have served others through your spiritual gift. (There are talents that are not spiritual gifts, such as musical or artistic abilities. We are looking for a gift used for God’s glory given at the time of your salvation. There are lists of such gifts in the contexts of the verses in the previous question: 1 Cor. 12:8-11, 28-30, Rom. 12:6-8, Eph. 4:11-12. Although these may not be comprehensive lists, consider these as the ones to use in answering this question.)
21. Responding to God: Ask God to show you how you are to use your spiritual gift in your local church so that the body there is not missing a limb or a hand! If you are already serving, thank God for already putting you in that place where you fit exactly. Write down your thoughts.
Because we will take time to review tomorrow, let’s go ahead and read our story and application for moms before we forget that we are studying serving! I appreciate Kay S’s willingness to be so transparent with us about the difficulties of service. We can all relate whether we serve with children, on a mission trip, or in our homes in prayer. True service always involves sacrifice of some kind, and our flesh revolts against it!
Serving others comes very naturally for some people. God has given many of His children the spiritual gifts of helps and mercy. For such people serving others can be an almost automatic response. I do not have either the gift of helps or mercy. Serving others is not an automatic response for me, yet the Lord has chosen to put me into life situations where He can teach me what it means to serve.
Twice in my life God has called my husband, Terry, and me to serve in an overseas ministry. We lived in Moscow, Russia from 1991-1995 and currently we are living in New Delhi, India. India is a colorful, diverse, interesting, crowded, dirty and noisy country. The people can be gracious and brutish at the same time. Daily life here is much more labor intensive than in the States and is FULL of what Americans would see as inconveniences. We have gone for hours without electricity, been caught in the torrential downpours of what is called “monsoon” and had no water in our flat. We have had to sit patiently in our taxi waiting for cattle to cross the busy highway on which we are traveling or zigzag to make sure we don’t hit the occasional donkey wandering down the middle of the road. I buy our fresh produce at a market that swarms with flies and have to double check it for worms and insects once I get it home. When we lived in Moscow, we went as a family of four. Now, our children, now grown, are living in Texas. I miss them terribly. I miss our dog. I miss the independence of getting in my car and going where I want to go. I miss being able to open my mouth and knowing that what I say will be understood when I speak. There have been days when I have shamefully looked up at heaven and said to the Lord,” I can’t handle this. Let these people die without Christ. I don’t owe them the price I’m paying to live here.” It is at those times that the Lord has firmly reminded me what serving others is truly about. It is purely and simply serving Jesus Christ. Serving the people of India will never be enough motivation for me to stay in Delhi. Serving my gracious, loving, merciful and powerful Savior is.
Ultimately, the focus of our service is Christ and the strength to serve is from His Spirit. “…if anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11 NIV).
We looked this week at women who served – especially in the areas of prayer, hospitality, and spiritual gifts. Anna, a widow for many years, served at the temple day and night with her prayers and fasting. Priscilla and her husband Aquila served by being hospitable and allowing Paul to stay with them. Priscilla also served with Aquila as they took Apollos aside to explain the way of God to him more accurately. These women point the way for us as moms to serve the Lord both in ways that we consider, such as prayer, teaching, and using our spiritual gifts and in other ways such as opening up our home and being hospitable.
This is good news for us as moms. I used to hear sermons or testimonies that encouraged people to witness for Christ outside of the home. Most witnessing training with which I have been involved used workbooks or pamphlets and a program to share Christ in the marketplace rather than in the home. As a mom at home with young children, I could not identify with these testimonies and programs very well. I like being reminded that Priscilla used her home and her hospitality in order to support Paul’s ministry, to teach and encourage Apollos, and to host a house church.
On a mission trip to Ukraine and Russia, I experienced hospitality and saw the changed lives which resulted from one woman’s using her home and her gift of hospitality to win people to Christ. She invited widows, orphans, and others to come to her home, sit at her dining room table, and feel loved by someone who knows Christ. She invited so many to her home that others in her building tried to limit access to the building! The widows she reached are following her example and are bringing others to Christ. When I taught at the church in Kiev, I learned that a woman in my group had been brought by a widow who found her sitting on a park bench crying because she had lost her husband. The widow who knew Christ invited her to experience the fellowship of believers.
Someone I know well was drawn to the Lord after being invited to meals and special occasions in the home of a Christian family. Now she is using that same model to reach out to those in her family who do not know Christ. Her family is being drawn to Christ by experiencing the fellowship and love of those who already know Him.
I am convicted as I look at this lesson and as I write this. I want my home to look like Southern Living before I have people over. I want the meal to be perfect before I can be hospitable. I have a long list of excuses for why I cannot do things that are difficult for me. What about you? Are you using hospitality to draw others to Christ? Do you have a list like mine that you need to tear up so that you can be more hospitable?
Proverbs 31:20, 27
She extends her hand to the poor,
And reaches out her hand to the needy.
She watches over the ways of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Action Step: Involve your children in a service project. Participate in one through your church or start your own family service project. Make this a “hands on” learning experience and pray that as you reach out to others your children will experience the joy of serving. Jot down your ideas here.
Today is your last day of study. I hope you can rejoice at what God has done in your life and the lives of your small group. We will review what he has done today!
22. Sharing question: Go back to the Table of Contents and review the list of godly qualities. Which lesson has been most meaningful in your life this semester? Why?
23. Sharing question: Review the characters that exemplified each of those qualities. If you can’t remember some of them, turn to the lessons to jog your memory. Which is your favorite character? Why?
215. Sharing question: Review your memory verses. You may now know them all; you may have learned some of them; or you may have skipped that part of your weekly assignment. Which verse is most meaningful to you? Why? If you haven’t learned it, memorize this one verse.
24. Sharing question: If someone were to ask you what God has been teaching you as you have done this study, what would your answer be?
25. Responding to God: Take time to thank God for what he has been doing in your life these past few weeks. Talk to him about the courage to share that with the large group during our final meeting.
I pray that you have been blessed and that you have grown as a woman who reveals glimpses of godliness in your life. May we all show forth what God is like to the world around us.
9 Strong’s #1247.
I’m not a very good servant. I don’t like picking up, cleaning up, or serving up for people in general. Do any of you identify? But it’s different when I care about the people I am serving. I have never minded serving my kids. Right now I am in the midst of last minute preparations for my daughter’s wedding, which comes up in another week. Helping her has been a joy! That’s what serving God should be.
That reminded me of one of my all-time favorite fun movies. Let’s watch a short clip from it.
I’m not a very good servant. I don’t like picking up, cleaning up, or serving up for people in general. Do any of you identify? But it’s different when I care about the people I am serving. I have never minded serving my kids. Right now I am in the midst of last minute preparations for my daughter’s wedding, which comes up in another week. Helping her has been a joy! That’s what serving God should be.
That reminded me of one of my all-time favorite fun movies. Let’s watch a short clip from it.
Princess Bride clip
How many of you are Princess Bride fans? My family can quote many of the lines because we have seen it so many times! I’m not very good at remembering lines from movies, but this one of Wesley’s is an exception. Each time he served Buttercup his words were, “As you wish!” As women we are drawn to that kind of sacrificial service because it says, “I love you!”
That is also what brings joy to Jesus—when we serve him because we love him and desire to do anything he needs. Saying “as you wish” to Jesus is a response to serve inspired by love for him.
Jesus taught this principle to Peter. Look at Jn. 21:15-17:
Then when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these do?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.” Jesus said a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd my sheep.” Jesus said a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” and said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep.”
Jesus called Peter and us, by extension, to love him and then serve others out of that love. Because we love him, we say, “As you wish, Lord!”
I have someone in my extended family who has truly been a servant, always doing for others. Only the family, however, realizes that this person does it to get attention and praise, not because of love. There is a big difference.
The Bible says that our service amounts to nothing without love. Look at 1 Cor. 13:1-3. In chapters 12-14 Paul talks about the importance of serving others in the church with our spiritual gifts. Here in the midst of that passage he says this:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.
All our service is useless if we do it for any reason other than love. We may have great gifts but without love, they count for nothing.
Jesus loved us unselfishly, sacrificially, and unconditionally. As we serve others, we are to do the same. We are to serve people who don’t deserve it, people who don’t appreciate it, and people who require us to sacrifice time and energy for them. This is God’s calling for every believer—to say “as you wish” even when those we serve treat us as Buttercup did Wesley. Saying as you wish is a response to serve sacrificially.
We have been talking about showing glimpses of godliness and increasingly look more like Jesus as we walk with him through life. As I mentioned in the introductory lesson, one way we do that is to die more and more to self. It is about what is best for others rather than what is easy for me.
But sacrifice is a joy when we remember that we serve Jesus. He is the one we love. It is for him that we serve others. We say, “As you wish” to Jesus.
This week we looked at two women who model sacrificial service. Let’s look at the Bible’s introduction to Priscilla in Acts 18:1-3. Turn to this passage because we’ll read more in this chapter than any other place.
After this Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to depart from Rome. Paul approached them, and because he worked at the same trade, he stayed with them and worked with them (for they were tentmakers by trade).
We learn here that Priscilla and her husband were tentmakers, like Paul. They had a family business, as most businesses were in those days. Women either farmed with their husbands or worked alongside them in a business. Aquila and Priscilla were new in Corinth, just as Paul was, because Aquila had been forced out of Italy when Emperor Claudius expelled all the Jews about 49 or 50 A.D. This couple was making their way in a new land, forced from their old home and business to begin anew.
Look at vv. 18-19 in the same chapter:
Paul, after staying many more days in Corinth, said farewell to the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because he had made a vow. When they reached Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila behind there, but he himself went into the synagogue and addressed the Jews.
After some time Paul decided that God was leading him to leave Corinth, and he took Aquila and Priscilla with him. Apparently, they went to serve and follow God, starting over once again. But then he left them behind in Ephesus. That is sacrifice. They were willing to go with Paul and then willing to stay behind, starting over once again.
I am not very good at starting over. I like the comfort of what I know. I told you some weeks back that coming here on staff was a leap of faith because I was comfortable where I was. But as you wish means that we follow God’s call to serve even when we must sacrifice comfort or long-term relationships.
I think of the sacrifices missionaries make. They don’t just change churches, like I did, but they live like Priscilla, seeing home as the place where God leads.
We read another description of Priscilla in Rom. 16:3-4:
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
Prisca is a shortened form of the name Priscilla, or basically a nickname. At this point in their lives she and her husband were living in Rome. They had moved once again. But what I want you to notice here is that Paul praises them for risking their own necks to save his life. They were willing to die so that Paul could continue serving God. That is sacrifice!
Priscilla and her husband served sacrificially, just as Jesus did for us. We are inspired by love to serve as they did, and we are also motivated by knowing we are essential to the kingdom work of the church.
In his letter to the believers in Corinth, Paul used the analogy of a physical body for people in the church. Each person who trusts Jesus becomes a part of that body, placed strategically by God to serve his kingdom. Look 1 Cor. 12:14-21:
For in fact the body is not a single member, but many. If the foot says, “Since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. And if the ear says, “Since I am not an eye, I am not part of the body,” it does not lose its membership in the body because of that. If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing? If the whole were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell? But as a matter of fact, God has placed each of the members in the body just as he decided. If they were all the same member, where would the body be? So now there are many members, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor in turn can the head say to the foot, “I do not need you.”
So often, people suggest that they aren’t important to the church because they aren’t gifted as others are. I hear women say, “I don’t have anything to give.” Paul showed how ridiculous that attitude is! How can a foot suggest that it’s not really a part of the body because it’s not a hand, or for the ear to say it’s not a part because it’s not an eye? Then, Paul pictured a body as all one big eye. One big eye! This is humorous, ladies! That body would be unable to hear or speak. What about a body of all one big ear? It would not be able to smell a thing!
God’s kingdom work depends on every part of the body functioning according to its design. We are each essential for God’s kingdom to be built and so we willingly serve sacrificially. But we also serve knowing we are privileged to be God’s stewards.
We don’t use the word steward very often; we might use the word manager. My husband and I have a manager for our retirement funds, or the part we have left! That is what a steward is—someone who manages what belongs to someone else. A steward is entrusted by the owner to care for his money and possessions. It is a privilege to be so trusted!
God calls us stewards of our gifts in 1 Peter 4:10:
“Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God.”
We are privileged to be part of God’s kingdom work on earth. There is no greater purpose or work in life. As stewards, we are responsible to God to use our gifts and use them well. We can’t sit back and do nothing, hanging onto our gifts and saving them for some later time. The day will come when we stand before Jesus and give an account of how we have used what he has given us.
That brings us to our next point of sacrificial service. We must not only understand that we are essential to God’s kingdom work and that we are privileged as stewards, but we must also know that our lifelong purpose is to serve God. There is no retirement in God’s kingdom.
That brings us to the story of Anna. We know very little about her. There are only three verses in the book of Luke which describe her in the temple when Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus there. Jewish law required a mother to be purified after her child was 40 days old, and it necessitated that the father bring a sacrifice for his firstborn. Anna was there when they went to do one or both of those things.
Look at Lk. 2:36-38:
There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having been married to her husband for seven years until his death. She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years. She never left the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment, she came up to them and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
We see that Anna was a prophetess. As such God gave her insight into Jesus’ identity; she knew he was the promised Messiah. We also note that Anna was very old. Apparently the Greek here is not totally clear; it could mean that she was then 84 years old, as about half the translations I read suggest. You may have noticed that the translation I just read says that she was married seven years and a widow for 84 years. Several notes I read indicate that this is the more probable translation of the Greek. If that is correct, she would have been approximately 105 years old. And I would call that very old!
But she never quit serving God in all that time! Because of her life situation, she was able to give all of her time to God, which we may not be able to do. But we are to serve in some way for the rest of our lives as she did. We don’t reach 65 and say that it’s someone else’s turn to serve; we are here to serve a lifetime.
“As you wish” is our response inspired by love for God; it is a sacrificial response. It is also a response to the knowledge that all we have belongs to God.
We specifically saw this when we read that we are stewards of our gifts. We don’t own them; God does. So the question becomes what has he given me? What do I have that really belongs to God?
First, our time belongs to God.
Anna had a lot of time on her hands and she used it for God. Those of you who are at home rather in the workplace each day have to answer for how you spend that time. It is not yours to use as you please, but it belongs to God. However he shows you to spend it, your answer should be “as you wish.”
Of course, we are all called to minister to family, but we are also all called to serve sacrificially in God’s kingdom apart from family. Model for your family the truth that life is about kingdom business and not simply about them by serving others. Take your children with you to serve. Show them how to pray for others and be hospitable with the people in your church body.
But what about those of you who spend your week in the workplace? Your life is more like Priscilla’s who was busy with a family business. How would God have you use your time at work? Priscilla met Paul there and ministered to him. Are there people around you each day whom God would have you love and serve? You are there for a reason. But you are also to serve in your church so that the body is fully functioning. God isn’t asking you to do the things that women in other life situations do. You are called to use your gifts in the body at the same time you are called to give out glimpses of godliness in your workplace by seeing it as part of your ministry.
“As you wish” is a response to knowing that all we have belongs to God; that includes our time and our resources.
We already saw in Acts 18:1-3 that Paul stayed with Priscilla and her husband. They used their home for God’s kingdom by ministering to God’s apostle.
In Rom. 16:5, Paul said this about Priscilla and Aquila:
“Also greet the church in their house.”
In Rome they used their home as a house church. God had given it to them as a resource for others, and they were responsible to use it for the kingdom’s sake.
What resources do you have? What opportunities do you have? What stuff has God given you? What do you own that you could use for the kingdom?
Every year at this time we talk about our women’s Christmas Luncheon. It is a great opportunity to bring neighbors, friends, and co-workers who do not go to church. Here they will hear the good news about who Jesus really is, not simply a baby in a manger but Lord of the universe who wants to have a personal love relationship with them. We need women to step up and hostess tables just using the stuff God has already given them to decorate their own houses. This is a chance to use your treasures for God’s kingdom; this is an easy way to obey God’s command to show hospitality to strangers; this is a way of saying “as you wish” inspired by love for God. Please sign up outside tonight to serve this way.
The response “as you wish” understands that all we have belongs to God, not only our time and our resources, but also our gifts.
We see Priscilla use her gifts in Acts 18:24-26 after Paul left them in Ephesus.
Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker, well-versed in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm he spoke and taught accurately the facts about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak out fearlessly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately.
Apparently, Apollos was a very gifted speaker who came to Ephesus and taught about Jesus, but he only knew what John the Baptist had said about him. Perhaps Apollos had left Israel before Jesus’ death and resurrection and never learned what had happened. After all, this was before the days of Fox News! So when Priscilla and her husband heard Apollos speak, they took him aside and privately taught him the rest of the story, as we might call it.
The fact that Priscilla was the primary teacher rather than Aquila is clear from the Greek because she is mentioned first. She was gifted by God to teach, and she focused on doing so, just as Anna served in her giftedness as a prophetess by telling others in the temple that Jesus was the one promised to redeem Israel.
God expects each of us to see our gifts as his steward. In order to do that, you need to know what your gifts are.
The Bible gives us lists of gifts that you may want to study. Just be cautious about the spiritual gifts tests out there. They are not always accurate and should only be used as a pointer—to suggest areas to try, not to confirm that you have certain gifts. The only way to confirm your gifts is to minister in those areas, ask mature believers what gifts they see in you, and watch for fruit. If you are confused about your gifts, talk to me. I would love to help you because of my own experience.
As a young adult I was simply muddling through ways to serve. I didn’t know anything about my gifts. So, I took my turn in the nursery; I worked at VBS; and I did some nursing home visitation. Serving in those places was a nightmare for me and for them! With the kids I was stressed and bored; at the nursing home I simply sat there in silence wondering what to say. Once I realized that I am to use the gifts God gave me, not just serve anywhere, and once I figured out what those gifts were, service became fun! It became easy to say to God, “As you wish.”
Will you respond to serve out of love for God? Will you sacrificially serve for the sake of God’s kingdom? Will you use your home, your possessions, your job, your time, your talents, your training, and your giftedness? Will you recognize Jesus as Lord of all that you have and say “as you wish”? If so, you will give forth glimpses of godliness that draw others to Jesus.
Series resources | Download |
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Series Leader's Guide | ![]() |
Series Student Workbook | ![]() |
Personal Study | Audio | Handout | Lesson | Manuscript | Slides |
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Give Forth Glimpses of Godliness | ![]() |
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Believing (Lesson 1) | ![]() |
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Obedient (Lesson 2) | ![]() |
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Courageous (Lesson 3) | ![]() |
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Pure (Lesson 4) | ![]() |
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Faithful [Committed] (Lesson 5) | ![]() |
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Humble (Lesson 6) | ![]() |
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Forebearing (Lesson 7) | ![]() |
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Serving(Lesson 8) | ![]() |
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