Week Five, Day One

Worship

Worship is “giving God His worth by responding appropriately to Him.” Worship is so much more than singing songs on Sunday or Wednesday. This spiritual discipline is more than a habit: it is a way of life. It is the moment-by-moment opportunity to please and honor God that begins with your obedience to Him, and it can happen when you are alone or when you are with a group of people. Because God is not limited by time, place, or circumstance, our worship of Him in not limited by time, place or circumstance.

Study Romans 12:1-2.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Tell God who He is to you. Thank Him for being a God worthy of your worship.
• Ask God to broaden your view of worship and increase your desire to worship Him.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Study Psalm 100-101:3.

 

Week Five, Day Two

Right Attitude in Worship

Study Mark 12:30-31 and John 4:24.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Consider each area of worship mentioned in Mark 12:30-31. Ask God to show you any area of your life that you do not live in worship to Him. Give it to Him.
• Ask God to show you how to worship without worrying about what other people think of you.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Study Luke 7:36-50.

 

Week Five, Day Three

Moral Character

A person’s moral character is “the sum total of all the choices an individual makes” and is an outward expression of inner faith. You live what you believe. If Jesus is truly your Lord, your life shows it. You are a walking illustration of God’s ability to change the human heart, a poster child for the salvation and the exciting life available to everyone willing to let Jesus take control of their life.

Study 2 Corinthians 5:17 and John 10:10.

On the other hand, if you are one of those “believers” who tell people that Jesus is your Lord and then continue to live in a way that is not like Jesus’ plan for you, then you are a walking contradiction. Not only are you interfering with God’s plan to rescue the lost, but you are missing out on a very satisfying adventure of following Jesus and you are probably making decisions along the way that you regret.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Tell God how much you want to please Him.
• Ask Him to give you the desire to live like a new creation so that others will want to know Him like you do.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Study Galatians 2:20.

 

Week Five, Day Three

The Different Life

As you learned yesterday, accepting Jesus as your Savior is the beginning of a brand new life for you. What does that new life look like? How is your life different from the life that you lived before or would be living if you had not accepted Christ as your Savior? Let’s find out.

Study Galatians 5:19-26. Which kind of life sounds more stressful? More enjoyable?

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Ask God to give you a clear picture of what your new life in Christ should look like.
• Ask God to give you the desire and strength to get rid of the habits in your life that don’t please Him.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Study Ephesians 4:31-5:2.

 

Week Five, Day Four

Different? Yes. Weird? No.

God requires His children to live a life of obedience to Him. That obedience causes us to stand out from the crowd. It makes us different, but it doesn’t make us weird. God intends for us to lead people to Christ, not alienate them.

So, if you live a consistent life of obedience to God, depending on the Holy Spirit for strength and direction, people will be drawn to Christ in us. At least those seeking truth and life will be. That’s not weird, it’s awesome!

Too many believers think that they have to work at “taking a stand” for Jesus. Their devotion to God causes them to strike out on a misguided mission to be “odd for God,” something God never intended. All God requires is obedience. He will do the rest. In fact, going above or beyond what God has asked of you can actually interfere with His activity in the lives of others. Listening for the direction of God and being obedient to God’s direction is the best option.

Study 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 and 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12.

Do these passages support the idea that you have to be weird to be a follower of Christ? Do you have to work at standing out?

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Thank God for the chance to lead others to Jesus through your obedience.
• Thank Him for making you “one of a kind” and allowing you to be yourself while living for Him.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Study 1 Peter 2:9-12.

 

Week Five, Day Five

Friendship with Christ

The different life that we lead as followers of Christ gives us the chance to be friends, real friends, with Jesus.

Study John 15:14-15.

How can you recognize a real friend of Jesus? How will he/she stand out? Let’s look and see.

Study John 15:12, 17 and John 13:35.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Ask Jesus to pull you into deeper friendship with Him.
• Ask Jesus to teach you how to love Him by loving others.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Study John 15:13.

 

The Weekend

Suggested Reading: Genesis 37.

This is just the beginning of the story of Joseph. As you study this passage, consider how it relates to what you learned this week about worship, attitude, moral character, and living a life that stands out. Was Joseph a good role model in these areas in his younger years? What did God allow to happen in order to shape this young man for leadership? What can you learn from his mistakes?

Make sure that you know Psalm 119:11 by heart. We will learn a new verse next week!