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MONDAY
October 19
Look
up and read
1 Samuel
18:1-4
*Think of the names of
each person in your small group throughout this week.
Do you remember what a covenant is? This past Sunday we defined a
covenant as a binding agreement between two parties or individuals to
promise to do something. Is there anyone you know well enough that you
would covenant with? As you get to know others and others get to know you
in your small group, I want to challenge you to covenant together to be
obedient to God’s Word and to be real in your group. Here in I Samuel 18
David and Jonathan take up covenant with one other to be honest and truthful
in love. Over time this happened because they had grown in their
relationship and built trust in one another by following through with what
they covenanted. Who will you build trust in? God desires that you trust
Him with your whole life. Spend some time in prayer today for your small
group and yourself, asking God to give you and everyone else the ability to
put ALL trust in Him and each other. Make a covenant before God and
your group to be honest and real as you share life together over this next
school year.
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TUESDAY
October 20
Look
up and read
Matthew 18:10, 14
*Think of the names of
each person in your small group throughout this week.
Have you ever been
separated from a group of people you were either hanging out with or
traveling with?It’s not a good feeling to be the one lost or to lose
someone. A beach is a rather large place to be lost or to lose someone. I
have a friend who was at the beach with his wife and 3 children and after a
short time of being there he noticed that one of his children was missing.
He didn’t panic at first but as time passed and still no sign of his
daughter he began to go into “panic overdrive”. He didn’t stop looking for
her, asking people along the beach if they’d seen a little girl in a pink
bathing suit with dark hair until…FINALLY he found her. She had wandered
about half a mile down the beach headed towards the boardwalk. He was
relieved that he had found his lost daughter. In so many ways we’re lost
too. God seeks after his “lost sheep” and will stop at nothing to go
after them until they are safe and sound! He doesn’t want us to be lost
anymore. As you spend more time in your small groups getting to know each
other hopefully you’ll “find” the awesome plan that God has for you
together. Pray today and ask God to help you “find” your way and
pray also for those in your small group that they too would be “found”. |
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WEDNESDAY
October 21
Look up and read
Luke
6:37-42
*Think of the names of
each person in your small group throughout this week.
How do you expect
others to treat you? How do you treat others? Sometimes we feel it’s
easier to point out the little pieces of trash and negative things in others
than deal with our own pile-O-junk. It would make no sense for me to
tell someone how to live their lives if I myself wasn’t living for Christ.
Have you ever closed your eyes and then led someone else around with their
eyes closed too? It makes no sense to lead someone if we can’t truly see
our way. God wants us to make sure we’re right with him and are seeking Him
before we go to our brother and sister to point out things in their lives
and try and lead them. Let’s take our pile-O-junk to God so that we will be
able to see more clearly the path He has for us and to have the opportunity
to lead and encourage others to do the same. Meditate over these verses and
ask God to remove the junk from your life to focus on Him more. Pray
also for others in your small group that they too would let God remove their
trash from their life. Seek to be accountable with one another in small
group.
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THURSDAY
October 22
Look up and read
Luke
10:29b-37
*Think of the names
of each person in your small group throughout this week.
Someone once observed
that if you look outside at the houses in your neighborhood you usually
don’t see anyone outside. Where are they? Why don’t people spend time with
their neighbors? Spending too much time on the internet, texting, and
gaming? Who is our neighbor? According to the verses in Luke 10 our
neighbor is someone in need. Do you have needs? Does anyone around
you have needs? So that pretty much sums up that anyone you come in contact
with is your neighbor. The people in your small group are your neighbors.
God wants us to let Him know our needs because he cares for us. He also
wants us to let others know of our needs because He uses people to provide
for our needs. Helping others and meeting their needs is one way to show
and express God’s love. Each week in your small group you have the
opportunity to help your neighbor. Spend time in prayer today and share
your needs with God and be willing to let your small group in on what
your needs are too. You’ll be surprised to see how God provides. |
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FRIDAY October 23
Look
up and read
John 4:4-10
*Think of the names of
each person in your small group throughout this week.
What school are you
rivals with? Why do we even have rivals? Are there people we just don’t
associate with for silly reasons? Most times rivalry happens between 2
schools in sports. There are few times when it’s good but 99.9999% of the
time rivalry only separates and causes bad feelings that shouldn’t exist.
We go about our lives and when we come across someone we’re rivals with we
don’t even make eye contact only mutter harsh words under our breath. Jesus
came in contact with a Samaritan woman that considered herself a “rival”
when she found out he was a Jew. But he didn’t see it that way. He only
saw her heart and that he needed to share God’s plan for her and befriend
her (get to know her). He spent time and asked many questions to learn more
about who she was and what her life was all about. He did this so he could
better relate to her as he shared. It’s time we looked past who we are
supposedly “rivals” with and took the time to get to know others. In
your small groups you can encourage each other to get past the “rival”
mentality and share Christ’s love. Pray today and ask God to help you
see people’s hearts and not the façade (made up things).
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SATURDAY
October 24
Look
up and read
Luke
19:5-10
*Think of the names of
each person in your small group throughout this week.
Have you ever met
someone who appears hopeless? Maybe they've struggled their entire life
with addiction or turned away from God and His Son Jesus? Have you ever met
someone who seems far beyond the reach of God's loving arms and the world
seems to have given up on them? I have a dear friend like this. He feels
like his life is hopeless...like he'll never "straighten out" or "make
anything of himself." Worse yet; many other people in his life also feel
that he's got no chance. There's another man we all know who also struggled
with this. His name was Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a man who most saw as a
cheat and a thief (not worthy). Yet Jesus didn’t see it that way. He saw
what encouraging a little hope could do in his life. After spending the day
with Jesus Zacchaeus gave over to God his life and his wealth and made
amends with people that he cheated and helped the poor. God always
holds out hope for his children. In my life, I pray that I will also be a
friend who will live in hope. Live in hope that I can be a better follower
of Christ each day and live in hope that those around me can also find God's
loving grace. There is no one who is beyond our Father's loving arms.
Who do you see that needs hope? It might be someone in your small
group. Meditate over these verses and ask God to give you the strength
and knowledge to share God’s hope with someone. Pray also for those in
your small group that they would be able to do the same.
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See you at Sunday
School, Worship and Youth Fellowship this Sunday!
Bible references provided by
www.biblegateway.com
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