November 2021 Week 3

Time For A Self-Assessment

Lesson Objective:  To understand the need for continual self-assessment to determine where we are in our spiritual walk.

Scripture: Psalms 119: 59  I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes

Wise people will consistently do self-assessments so that they can measure their personal progress.  This can be done formally or informally. This can be done following disagreements and after major accomplishments or disappointments. – A writer suggests the following timetable for self-evaluation:

  1. Daily— 15 minutes
  2. Weekly- 30 minutes
  • Monthly – 1 Hour
  1. Quarterly- 2 hours
  2. Yearly- 1 day

 

Thought for the day:  To stop looking at others and look at ourselves

Thursday

Why and How Do You Work

Lesson Objective: To discuss labor and how it relates to our Christian walk.

Scriptures: Colossians 3: 23-24; Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the LORD, not for human masters, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the LORD as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

One of the definitions of work in the dictionary is to exert oneself physically or mentally especially in sustained effort for a purpose or under compulsion or necessity. I personally do not like the last portion of that definition (compulsion or necessity). I truly believe this idiom “ Find something that you love and you will never work a day in your life”.  Maybe the answer is in the first part of the definition “ sustained effort for a purpose”.  The verse suggests that no matter the job, we must work as we are working to please God. This can be challenging as many people really do not like their job and are usually only working for the paycheck. No matter the job we must have the right attitude as we work. Having the right attitude changes the job from drudgery to pleasure. It makes me remember the song: “Whistle while you work”.

 

Thought for the day: Learn to love what you will do today.

Love or Forgiveness   Chicken or the Egg?  Which  Comes First

Lesson Objective: To understand that love and forgiveness are so connected that you really cannot tell where one ends and the other begins

Scripture: John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Love is easily defined but while we find it very easy to say I love you, do we really mean it? There are several words in the Greek language that mean love but only one that means true love. Love can be romantic- a) Man-Woman b) Love can be family and friends but c) Ultimate love is the Love that God has for us John 13: 34-35. This love is unconditional. It is the love that we should strive for every day. Forgiveness is quite similar. It can be easy to say that I forgive but do I actually forgive. Because we have not learned to truly love ( It is not possible to forgive without love). Love overlooks transgressions Proverbs 17:9 Proverbs 10: 12; 1 Corinthians 13:5

Thought for the day: You cannot have an egg without a Chicken and you cannot have forgiveness without Love

 

What Have You Learned?

Lesson Objective:  To learn the importance of being able to look back and learn from our past

Scripture: Ephesians 1: 3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Often times we are advised to not spend time looking  back but to look forward. This can be good advice depending on why one is looking back. The Israelites were often looking back for the wrong reason. In Exodus they complained and even wanted to go back into slavery because they were facing the unknown for them. They wanted to go back because although it may have been bad, it was a known experience. We find people that do that now. While that is not a good reason to look back, there can be a good reason to look back. We can look back and learn from the lessons but more importantly, we can see how God had protected us even when we have made bad decisions. He has bought us through.

Thought for the day: Look where God has brought us from and know that the future holds many more blessings if we just hold on to God’s unchanging hand

Monday

Are You Afraid To Fail

Lesson objective is to compare Joshua and Caleb to the other 10 spies to determine how we can exemplify Joshua and Caleb

Scripture:  Numbers 13: 33  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

I find this verse very interesting because it does not say that the enemy were giants but that they look like giants and that the spies looked like grasshoppers and certainly they were not as small as grasshoppers. We often times are what we think we are. If we feel defeated then certainly we will not win the battle. Too often we face challenges and see the challenges as mountains rather than mole hills.  We must see with our spiritual eyes and not see mountains that we can not climb but opportunities for God to continue to show his power so that we can testify that God is all powerful and witness to his name.

Thought for the day: Give it up to God and know all will be well