The following blog post contains notes and application questions from our May 27, 2018 message, Evaluating Your Relationship With God.
Summary
Have you ever had to take your car to the shop because it was broken down? Just like when a mechanic diagnosis a car in need of repair, Jermaine Harrison teaches us five questions we can ask ourselves to diagnose and evaluate our relationship with God when it feels broken down.
Key Takeaways
1. Am I seeking to know God or seeking to seem like I know Him?
- Matthew 7:21-23
- Action: Cultivate a relationship with Him.
2. Am I humbly trusting in God or proudly trusting in myself?
- 1 Peter 5:5-7
- Pride: shifting your ultimate confidence from God to yourself
- Action: Pray. Cast your anxieties on Him.
3. Am I choosing to be thankful, or is complaining winning the day?
- Ephesians 5:20
- One of the most common exhortations in the Bible is to be thankful.
- Complaining and being ungrateful is easy. Being thankful takes discipline. Being thankful is a great indicator of a relationship with God that is running well.
- Action: Practice being thankful.
4. Am I self-righteous?
- Titus 3:3-5
- The feeling of moral superiority
- Action: Reflect. What actions attitudes, or addictions would I quickly run to if not for Christ?
5. Am I being selfish?
- Mark 16:1-8
- The thing you can be most selfish with is the gospel...don’t be! Share it and pass it on with others.
- Action: Pass it on.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
- Which of the five questions to evaluate your relationship with God did you resonate with the most? What’s one way you can live out the action item associated with that question this next week?
- Instead of playing the “movie star game” (pick an actor, take turns naming movies he is in, once someone can’t name one they are out, keep going until one person is left), play the “thankful” game and see how long you can make the game last.
- What’s one way you can use your most valuable resource—your time—as a way to serve someone and not be selfish?
Mentioned or Recommended Resources
- Scripture study: Matthew 7:21-23, 1 Peter 5:5-7, Ephesians 5:20, Titus 3:3-5, Mark 16:1-8
- Ministry: re:generation
- Ministry: Equipped Disciple
- Message: Parable of the Sower: What is the Soil of Your Heart?