Did you leave after hearing Sunday’s message and think, “Well, now what?” Each Sunday, we will provide a discussion guide for our church body designed to create a conversation about what we’re learning. We encourage you to prayerfully gather with your family, friends and community group and dive into how to apply Sunday’s teaching from God’s Word to your life.
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- There is a difference between committed and submitted people. Committed people tend to follow rules and act out of a motivation to perform and compete with others. Submitted people maintain a posture of humility and dependence on Jesus; they abide in him and walk in the Spirit. Which of these two best describes the posture of your heart and why?
| Committed People | Submitted People |
|---|---|
| Partner with God | God is Boss |
| God is their co-pilot | God is the pilot, they don’t want the stick anymore |
| The goal is the all-consuming end | Results are important, but equally so the process |
| God is there to help them succeed | Success is being on God’s agenda, not our own |
| Work before worship | Worship before and during work |
| Their identity is in what they do | Their identity is hidden with God in Christ |
| Bend circumstances for their objectives | Yield to circumstances for the Lord’s objectives |
| Desire (secretly) to share in the glory | Know God shares His glory with no one |
| Do good things & good works | Yields fruit that lasts into eternity |
| Laugh less as life goes on | Laugh more as life goes on |
| Tend towards judging (legalists w/rules) | By grace; grow in forgiving others, even enemies (lovers in relationship) |
| Time with God is another thing to do | Time with God is life itself |
| Are around God when need be | Abide! Abide! Abide! |
| Rarely, if ever, enter God’s rest | Lie down in green pastures with restored souls |
- Todd made the statement, “Your life is so loud I can’t hear what you say.” What are some ways your actions don’t match up with your words? What do your actions say about your motivations and priorities?
- James talks about two different kinds of wisdom, the wisdom that is “earthly,natural, demonic” that results in a heart full of envy and selfish ambition and the wisdom of God that has a heart of purity, mercy and sincerity. It is not enough simply to perform external acts of righteousness; we must act out of a heart that is being transformed through a relationship with God by the Spirit. In other words, it does not just matter what we do but why we do it. What type of “wisdom” motivates you to act? Which drives you to serve?
- James tells us that godly wisdom is marked by purity, peace loving,consideration, submission, mercy, good fruit, impartiality and sincerity. Is your life marked by this wisdom? Ask your community group to help you see specific ways your attitudes and actions do not reflect godliness.
- Compare James 3:17 with Galatians 5:22-23 and as a group, pray that the Spirit would continue to transform your hearts, then commit to holding one another accountable to the daily relational investments with God that produces godly wisdom.
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