When you have a long day, what is the 1st thing you look forward to doing when you get home?
Read Mark 1:16-20
1. What did Jesus mean when he told them that He would help them become fishers of men?
2. What was the response of Simon, Andrew, James and John?
Read Mark 1:21-34
3. What was the difference between the way Jesus taught and the teachers of law taught?
4. How did the people respond to Jesus’ healings?
Mark 1:35-39
5. According to these verses, why did Jesus come to earth?
6. Why did Jesus get up early in the morning to pray?
Application
In these sections, Jesus called fishermen to become fishers of men, he healed the demon-possessed, the sick, gave an amazing teaching about God and spent time with God early in the morning.
After such long and challenging days, the last thing you would expect a person to do would be to wake up early in the morning, before sunrise, pray and spend time with God. However that is exactly what Jesus did. He knew that if he was going to have many more days like these, which he would, he would have to get charged back up and reenergized by God.
Days like those are draining and if you have enough of them, you may want to just quit what you are doing and retreat. Christ modeled to us that we need to go to God for our strength. We need to turn to him always and all the more when we encounter days like that.
How often do you spend time with God? When you do, is it meaningful and purposeful, or is it just a thing that you check off for the day and said that you did it?
Let’s spend some meaningful time with God this summer. Wake up a few minutes early in the morning to pray, listen and spend time reading the Bible and see where God takes you. If Christ, the savior of the world needed to, I think we do too.
Pray
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Friday, June 08, 2007
Having a Bad Day?
1. Have you ever had one of those weeks were everything seems to go wrong? – you bomb a few tests, you get into a fight with your best friend, you lose in a competition and your best friend’s dog dies – all happens on the same day or week.
2. How do you respond when you face tough times or trials?
Read Genesis 37:2-8; 18-28
3. What happened here?
4. Why did his brothers hate him?
5. What did they do to Joseph?
Read Genesis 39:6-18
6. He was a handsome man, doing great at his job and what happens?
7. However, he denies her. Why did he deny her?
8. What happens because of this?
Application:
So, what do these stories illustrate? These stories show that time and time again, Joseph was falling on hard times. His brothers hated him…hated him enough to sell him into slavery. His master’s wife hit on him and when he refused accused him of trying to sleep with her…that lead him to jail.
Then, after all this, he got a chance to get out of jail by interpreting a dream for the King – thinking that it was a way out of jail. However, as his luck would have it, even when he did something else good and his interpretation was right, he was forgotten in jail for many more years. He had definitely hit some hard times.
However, despite all the bad things that happened to him, 2 things were constant:
1. God was still with him
• Read Genesis 39:2-4
• Read Genesis 39:21-23
Isn’t it interesting to see how in everything that happened to him, God was there walking with him.
God was helping him, guiding him all throughout. God led him to Potiphar’s house where he thrived and succeeded. Then, in jail, God was with him and helped him succeed there, too. So, God was there with him throughout.
Life may not have been treating him well, but God was there beside him and helping him through it. And Joseph thrived because of God’s help.
2. Joseph still remained faithful to God and trusted Him.
He could have pouted and claimed that he was the victim and whined the rest of his life, but he didn’t. He could have went his own way and said to God, "You know God, this just isn’t working. I’m going to try my own plan now.” He didn’t – he continued to trust God’s plan and remained faithful.
Genesis 39:8-9;11-12 - He said, how could he sin against God? So, he fled naked.
He knew that no matter how tough life would get, he wasn’t going to change his mind. He wasn’t going to waver or lose faith in God and God’s plan for his life. Why? Because, he trusted God.
And where did God’s plan and Joseph’s faithfulness to God get him? 2nd in command of all Egypt! Listen, I haven’t even finished the story of Joseph! So many other things happened to Joseph…so many great things! I would encourage you to read the rest of the book of Genesis because there are so many great stories, just like this in it.
Stay committed to God and his plan. Joseph did and we can too. God is always there desiring to lead you through the toughest of tough times.
PRAY
2. How do you respond when you face tough times or trials?
Read Genesis 37:2-8; 18-28
3. What happened here?
4. Why did his brothers hate him?
5. What did they do to Joseph?
Read Genesis 39:6-18
6. He was a handsome man, doing great at his job and what happens?
7. However, he denies her. Why did he deny her?
8. What happens because of this?
Application:
So, what do these stories illustrate? These stories show that time and time again, Joseph was falling on hard times. His brothers hated him…hated him enough to sell him into slavery. His master’s wife hit on him and when he refused accused him of trying to sleep with her…that lead him to jail.
Then, after all this, he got a chance to get out of jail by interpreting a dream for the King – thinking that it was a way out of jail. However, as his luck would have it, even when he did something else good and his interpretation was right, he was forgotten in jail for many more years. He had definitely hit some hard times.
However, despite all the bad things that happened to him, 2 things were constant:
1. God was still with him
• Read Genesis 39:2-4
• Read Genesis 39:21-23
Isn’t it interesting to see how in everything that happened to him, God was there walking with him.
God was helping him, guiding him all throughout. God led him to Potiphar’s house where he thrived and succeeded. Then, in jail, God was with him and helped him succeed there, too. So, God was there with him throughout.
Life may not have been treating him well, but God was there beside him and helping him through it. And Joseph thrived because of God’s help.
2. Joseph still remained faithful to God and trusted Him.
He could have pouted and claimed that he was the victim and whined the rest of his life, but he didn’t. He could have went his own way and said to God, "You know God, this just isn’t working. I’m going to try my own plan now.” He didn’t – he continued to trust God’s plan and remained faithful.
Genesis 39:8-9;11-12 - He said, how could he sin against God? So, he fled naked.
He knew that no matter how tough life would get, he wasn’t going to change his mind. He wasn’t going to waver or lose faith in God and God’s plan for his life. Why? Because, he trusted God.
And where did God’s plan and Joseph’s faithfulness to God get him? 2nd in command of all Egypt! Listen, I haven’t even finished the story of Joseph! So many other things happened to Joseph…so many great things! I would encourage you to read the rest of the book of Genesis because there are so many great stories, just like this in it.
Stay committed to God and his plan. Joseph did and we can too. God is always there desiring to lead you through the toughest of tough times.
PRAY
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