January- Week 3
Published by Durand on Monday, January 15, 2007 at 12:12 AM.
Pursuing God for Dummies (or how to pursue God in 8 not so easy steps)
(part 1 of 2)
2 Peter 1:2-5
1) "May God bless you with his special favor and wonderful peace as you come to know Jesus, our God and Lord, better and better." (2 Peter 1:2, NLT)
There's good news and bad news (at least for some of us) about pursuing God.
Bad news first... It's a life-long pursuit, so for ADD (attention deficit disorder) folks like me, that's a challenge. I don't even do New Years resolutions anymore because my ability to keep them is always disappointing.
But the good news is that God promises special favor we don't deserve and wonderful peace in the process of drawing closer to him.
Question: Name an accomplishment have you achieved in your life that took time and discipline to accomplish? (Could be a childhood memory or something more recent.) How did the value of the accomplishment to you personally contribute to achieving it?
2) And the good news gets even better. "And as we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life." (2 Peter 1:3a, NLT)
Question: how could knowing Jesus better actually provide everything we need for living a godly life? What do you think Peter meant by this statement?
3) " He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!" (2 Peter 1:3b, NLT) We drawn to knowing Jesus because of his glory and goodness. His character give us assurance about his promises. And his promises provide us the means to even dream of becoming like him.
Question: Are there particular promises God has made that you count on daily for encouragement or comfort? Describe the promise and what it means to you personally. How does knowing God's glory and goodness confirm the certainty of that promise in your life?
4) "So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life." (2 Peter 1:5a, NLT)
Some of us shuttered a bit when Peter used the "effort" word. There's work ahead. There's no drive-thru window that hands out pre-cooked, ready to eat maturity. But there's help next week as we look at the rest of this passage, because Peter breaks it down for us into logical steps that take us closer to Him.
Start by trying to tell him all you know about his glory and goodness. (This might take a while.) Allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the powerful person that he is. And then ask God about all he wants for you. Ask him for specifics. Now ask him to make a resolution to help you pursue him. (Hint: it's been on his list for many a new year anyway). Don't make it your own resolution, because frankly you don't have what it takes. He does. End with a time of thanks.
(part 1 of 2)
2 Peter 1:2-5
1) "May God bless you with his special favor and wonderful peace as you come to know Jesus, our God and Lord, better and better." (2 Peter 1:2, NLT)
There's good news and bad news (at least for some of us) about pursuing God.
Bad news first... It's a life-long pursuit, so for ADD (attention deficit disorder) folks like me, that's a challenge. I don't even do New Years resolutions anymore because my ability to keep them is always disappointing.
But the good news is that God promises special favor we don't deserve and wonderful peace in the process of drawing closer to him.
Question: Name an accomplishment have you achieved in your life that took time and discipline to accomplish? (Could be a childhood memory or something more recent.) How did the value of the accomplishment to you personally contribute to achieving it?
2) And the good news gets even better. "And as we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life." (2 Peter 1:3a, NLT)
Question: how could knowing Jesus better actually provide everything we need for living a godly life? What do you think Peter meant by this statement?
3) " He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!" (2 Peter 1:3b, NLT) We drawn to knowing Jesus because of his glory and goodness. His character give us assurance about his promises. And his promises provide us the means to even dream of becoming like him.
Question: Are there particular promises God has made that you count on daily for encouragement or comfort? Describe the promise and what it means to you personally. How does knowing God's glory and goodness confirm the certainty of that promise in your life?
4) "So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life." (2 Peter 1:5a, NLT)
Some of us shuttered a bit when Peter used the "effort" word. There's work ahead. There's no drive-thru window that hands out pre-cooked, ready to eat maturity. But there's help next week as we look at the rest of this passage, because Peter breaks it down for us into logical steps that take us closer to Him.
Start by trying to tell him all you know about his glory and goodness. (This might take a while.) Allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the powerful person that he is. And then ask God about all he wants for you. Ask him for specifics. Now ask him to make a resolution to help you pursue him. (Hint: it's been on his list for many a new year anyway). Don't make it your own resolution, because frankly you don't have what it takes. He does. End with a time of thanks.
