TRAIL GUIDE: With All Your Soul
The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend. We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.
EXTREME MAKEOVER, Section 2, Lesson 1: With All Your Soul
When we talked about loving God with our heart, we referenced our personality and passions. That’s pretty deep. When we talk about loving God with our soul, that’s deeper still because our soul is the innermost part of who we are. It is used as a synonym for life, our life, our essence. It’s the part God created to last for eternity. Sadly, sin introduced death into the world, and that includes the human soul. We are eternally dissatisfied until our soul finds rest in Him. Why? Because before we accepted Christ, our soul was dead in its trespasses and sins. We were longing for Him, for a perfect leader in this quest called life. After we know Jesus, our souls can rest because we have “returned to the shepherd and guardian of our souls”. (I Peter 2:25)
King David was Israel’s Poet King. He often spoke about His soul, “my soul is greatly dismayed…I will lift up my soul…my soul may sing praise…my soul will rejoice…” King David knew there was more to him than his mind and body. My soul is my immaterial essence. It is the eternal part of me that worships God best and also the part that can be separated from Him if I choose to put myself on the throne of my own life. As a Christian, I desire a makeover that will reform my soul so that I can love and put God at the center of everything. God has promised this makeover in Romans 8:29. “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Everyday God is reshaping me to resemble Jesus – and that includes my soul.
“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation, He is my fortress – I will never be shaken.” -Psalm 62:1-2
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Psalm 63:1-5 |Matt 10:28 | Ecc.12:7 | Ezk.18:4 |Luke 16:19-31 |Mark 8:36 | Matt 16:26 | 3 John 1:2
TRAIL GUIDE: My Gift of Love
The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend. We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.
EXTREME MAKEOVER, Section 1, Lesson 3: My Gift of Love
“So what’s on your heart this week?” Hopefully you have taken some time during our study to reflect on how to use your interests and passions for God. But what about when you see things in yourself that fall short of God’s standard? Do we assume we’re a lost cause and of no use to God? We cannot hide our good qualities or our failures from Him. He “alone knows every human heart.” (1 Kings 8:39). But be of good cheer, the ungodly things I find in my heart bring me to Him in a special way, a humble way. I wish I could bring to Him a Great Commandment Christian, fully assembled and ready to serve. But I came broken, and though I’m not a slave to sin, my flesh still fights against my makeover. When I recognize this and grieve my sin, then I am in a position for God to transform my heart. Yes, it’s uncomfortable, but the Lord promises that He is near to the brokenhearted.
In Psalm 147 we are reminded that it is fitting to praise God. The best way to praise God is to think about His actions and his attributes. The Psalm tells us:
God heals the brokenhearted. He names the stars.
He sends rain to the earth.
He delights in those who fear him.
He has unfailing love.
He sends us his protection.
He shares his commands with us.
He controls all nature.
He communicates his word to Israel and eventually to us!
Praise the Lord.
Loving God has many facets, praising Him for all He has done is one of them. Aligning our lifestyles with His word is another. What kind of heart does God want me to have? A pure heart, a clean heart, a kind heart and of course a heart that loves Him above all else. The kind of heart that Jesus displayed for us.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for
everything you do flows from it.” -Proverbs 4:23MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
1 Kings 8:61 | Joshua 22:5
Psalm 37:4 | Psalm 57:7!
Luke 6:45 | Psalm 51:10
TRAIL GUIDE: God’s Gift of Wisdom
The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend. We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.
EXTREME MAKEOVER, Section 1, Lesson 2: God’s Gift of Wisdom
About two years ago, I started using a Mac laptop instead of my old PC. One thing that prompted that switch was the problems I was having with viruses on my PC. As it turns out, the Mac operating system is much less prone to virus problems. It does a better job on its own, without the expense of extra virus protection services, of keeping out unwanted and damaging material that could slow down or freeze up my machine.
Last week we talked about the good passions and desires that God has put in our hearts – let’s call them the pre-loaded software. We also talked about guarding our hearts from storing up ungodly things – let’s call them malware or viruses. The human heart was made for loving and glorifying God. Sin has corrupted that heart, but by faith in Jesus we can have our hard-drive (heart) wiped clean of sin and reinstalled with God’s programs, so that it is free to function as it was intended. The problem is that we still live in a sinful world where there are new viruses around every corner. That’s where God’s heart operating system comes into play: WISDOM. Wisdom comes from God and is the atmosphere in which all of your pre-loaded heart software works best. It is also highly resistant to viruses and will prevent unwanted items from piling up in your heart and slowing down or freezing up your system. If our kids want to love God with ALL their heart, then they need the right operating system… wisdom. “Whatever else you get, get wisdom.” (Prov. 4:7)
“Above all else, guard your heart, for
everything you do flows from it.” -Proverbs 4:23MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Prov 2:1-11 | Jer 33:3!
James 1:5 | Psalm 19:7
Prov 10:8 | Prov 16:23
Prov 2:10
TRAIL GUIDE: Start With Your Heart
The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend. We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.
EXTREME MAKEOVER, Section 1, Lesson 1: Start With Your Heart
When Jesus gave the greatest commandment, He was responding to a scribe who was asking the most important question for someone who believes in the all-powerful God of the Bible. “What does God want from me?” Jesus was glad to answer. He quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5. The answer was simple but profound… if you want to know what God really wants from you, the answer is love – practical, everything-I-have-and-am love. And it starts with your heart.
God has created each of our hearts differently, with different passions, different likes and dislikes. He intended each of these to be used in love for serving Him and others. But our hearts are not a closed-loop system. Things come in and out of our heart. Jesus teaches us in Luke 6:45 that, “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” The abundance of the heart includes both the good things that God has placed there as well as the things, either good or evil, that we have “stored up” there. This is why it is so important to both know what is in our hearts already (Psalm 139:23), so we can ask God to remove anything that doesn’t glorify Him and store up good things there instead, but also to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23) from letting in those things we don’t want to store up.
In order to keep our hearts in tune for loving God, we should do this check-up regularly in prayer and in the Word. How is your heart this week? Let’s do a self-check first and then we can help the children to do the same. David was man after God’s own heart. This doesn’t mean he was sinless, but that he had a heart fully devoted to God. Let’s ask with him this week, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” (Psalm 51:10)
“Above all else, guard your heart, for
everything you do flows from it.” -Proverbs 4:23MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
1 Kings 8:61 | Joshua 22:5 !
Psalm 37:4 | Psalm 57:7!
Luke 6:45 | Psalm 51:10
TRAIL GUIDE: A Really Big Idea
The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend. We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.
EXTREME MAKEOVER, Introduction: The Great Commandment
Thanks for joining us in this quest to educate and challenge the children of our church. We want to give you a preview for the upcoming lesson. Any hiker worth his Gatorade looks over the map before he heads out. Our ‘Trail Guide Devotional’ gives you an opportunity during the week to think about the Big Idea and to look for ways that God is using these lessons in your own life.
What would you say is the most important thing in life? Jesus was asked that very question. He answered that it was to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind and strength. Now that’s a big idea! His answer is now known as the Great Commandment, and we would like to be known as Great Commandment Christians.
By the end of this unit, we want our students to know what it’s like to live as a ‘Great Commandment Kid.’ Here is the good news – children all over Reston Bible Church will be hearing about becoming a Great Commandment Kid. The bad news, however, is that none of us can do it on our own. How can we love God with our heart, soul, mind and strength when we spend most of our time loving ourselves? We need a makeover.
Over the next several months, the kids will learn how to use all the faculties, resources, and power that God has given us to live the Christian life. No one does a makeover on anything that is fine the way it is. Makeovers are caused by a need, a deficiency or some kind of flaw that needs to be remedied. Let’s show our students that they can go to God and get cleansing for their hearts, growth for their souls, truth for their minds and purpose for their strength. We don’t need a little sprucing up – we need an extreme makeover!
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new
creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” -2 Corinthians 5:15MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Rom 8:28 | Eph 4:23-24
Col 3:9-10 | Rev 21:5
Phil 1:6 | Rom 12:2
Eze 36:26 | Matt 7:24-26
Gospel Service & Raking Leaves
Since several of you made requests for it, here is the article I referenced in last Sunday’s sermon, Do Something, Part 1. It was originally published in November 2010 on my friend Matthew Wireman’s blog. Raking leaves with my kids seems, on one hand, like such a simple example. Yet I remember it being a moment of profound & helpful clarity in my walk as I considered the topic of laboring with a God who is not served by human hands, as though He needed anything (Acts 17:25). Yet serving matters, not because God needs us to do it, but the God who came to serve (Matthew 20:25-28) is pleased to include us in what He is already doing.
– – –
My church just finished a week-long missions conference. As one might expect from such a conference, there was a repeated appeal for the serious consideration of Jesus’ command regarding sending laborers out into the field (Matthew 9).
With this in mind, on Sunday afternoon I sent my two kids out into the field the yard to labor for their father – and by “labor” I mean “rake leaves.” I was struck by several similarities to missions & service throughout the process. It was like watching a living parable of Gospel-centric labor unfolding before my eyes. Clearly, the analogy is limited, but here are some quick reflections from raking leaves with a 3- and 5-year old.
They went out joyfully. All good laborers should. They were happy to work with their daddy. It is a joy to labor for our Heavenly Father and to be with Him. (Colossians 3:23-24, 1 Peter 1:8)
The work was messy. There were times when it seemed my little laborers were making more mess than was there to begin with. Neatly-raked piles of leaves often became “un-raked.” Arguments broke out from time to time about who was going to do what. Filling bags with leaves one handful at a time was, shall we say …inefficient. Progress was not always evident. Regress often was. (Ecclesiastes 1, Romans 8:28)
They got tired. And distracted. And discouraged. And impatient. Even the best laborers will. For them, raking leaves was new and exciting …at first. About halfway through the process of cleaning up the lawn, those kiddos started to poop out, get whiny and wanted to go do something easier and more fun. But their father loved them still and encouraged them to keep at it. Likewise, our Heavenly Father lovingly encourages us toward perseverance while assuring us of His unfailing love. (Psalm 136, James 1:12, Romans 2:6, Philippians 1:6, Galatians 6:9)
The work was completed. Their partnership with me in raking the lawn was real and legitimate, but the completion of the task did not ultimately rest with them. Even if it was all up to them, they could not have finished. There was simply too much to do for a 3- and 5-year old, and they didn’t have the strength, patience or endurance to do it all. After a couple hours, all they managed to do was rake two piles of leaves and fill one bag about two-thirds of the way full. I do not say that to diminish the legitimacy of their work, but to put it in proper perspective. In the end, it was their father who made sure the job got done. Likewise, our Heavenly Father assures us that He will accomplish the work He has set out to do. (Matthew 16:18, 2 Timothy 1:9, Psalm 23:22-24, Ephesians 2:8-9)
Their father was pleased. As their daddy, it warmed my heart to see my two little ones out there raking their hearts out, even after they got crabby about it, argued, and wasted time, energy, and effort. Let me be honest – the quality of their work was not great. But the fact that they wanted to be out there with me more than made up for that. It was a relational labor where the value – at least, in my eyes as dad – was less in their performance, more in their posture. (Psalm 86:5, Zephaniah 3:17, James 4:8)
Their reward was great. Cheeseburgers and Slurpees. Well done, little laborers.
Do you labor for the joy of simply being near your Heavenly Father? Your reward, too, will be great. (Luke 6:23, 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, Hebrews 6:10-12, James 1:25)
– – –
Sunday Rewind | 5.18.2014
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
God Is Able/Christ Is Enough (Ephesians 3:20-21) – Forever Reign by Hillsong Chapel/Glorious Ruins by Hillsong
Lord I Need You (Hebrews 4:16) – All The People Said Amen by Matt Maher
Hosanna/Hallelujah (Our God Reigns) (Mark 11:9-10) – Savior King by Hillsong/Forever Reign by Hillsong Chapel
In Christ Alone (Galatians 2:20) – Let The Future Begin by Kristian Stanfill (Passion)
Always (Psalm 121:1-2) – Here For You by Kristian Stanfill (Passion)
TEACHING: Give Me Life According to Your Word
Psalm 119 admonishes us to read God’s word, delight in His word, and obey His word. Revelation from God in the Bible – when understood, delighted in and obeyed – puts us on the path that leads to genuine life.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing from this message that was particularly helpful or insightful? What was one thing that was difficult to understand or put into practice?
- Read and discuss Psalm 119:1-8, 33-40. What do you observe about the nature of God? What is implied in these verses about the nature of man? What do these verses tell us about God’s word?
- How would you respond to Pastor Ed’s three questions – Do you (currently) read God’s word daily? Do you (currently) delight in His word, the Scriptures? Do you (currently) obey God’s word?
- What does it mean to hide God’s word in your heart (Psalm 119:11)?
- Can you think of a time when the word of God gave you comfort or ministered to you specifically during a difficult season or situation?
- How does the word of God free us from guilt & shame and show us the path to life?
- In Psalm 119:33-37, what are the five requests the psalmist makes as he approaches God’s word? How can you incorporate these into how you approach the word?
- What does it mean to delight in God’s word? What should you do if you have no delight in it?
- How might your love for God’s word be kindled or re-kindled through Scripture memorization? Discuss as a small group if you would be willing to work together this summer to memorize the Scripture memorization packet provided with this teaching (these are available at the Welcome Desk if you did not get one on 5/18.)
TRAIL GUIDE: Knowing Intimately & Experientially
The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend. We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.
SOUL SHERPA, LESSON 4: The Holy Spirit is Our Guide
How many times have you heard something like this? “God first, others second, I’m third” or “God, country, family.” Maybe you’ve even said something similar or worn the t-shirt. I know I have. At first glance, it seems like a godly enough thing to say, and it sure feels good to think we have our priorities straight.
Unfortunately it is not at all what God’s Word teaches us. God’s place isn’t first in a list of other lower priorities. He is the center and essence of every priority. We need to make sure that our children are not subjected to this wrong thinking. Whenever love for God is mentioned in scripture, it is with all-encompassing phrases like, “with all your heart, soul, mind and strength” or “in all your ways acknowledge Him,” or “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all,” or “all things have been created through Him and for Him.” There is no sacred and secular for the Christian.
“If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:11)
Now matter what we do, we are called to do it as a representation of Christ. What would Jesus be like as a schoolteacher, a lawyer, an IT professional, or a manager? What would Jesus be like as a parent, a son or daughter, a husband or wife, brother, or friend? In all our ways, in all our decisions, in all our activities, in all our roles and thoughts, acknowledge Him. This is not an acknowledging in the shallow English meaning either. The Hebrew word means to know intimately by experience. Search your heart this week. Are you knowing God intimately by experience in all your ways?
“So eat and drink and do everything else for the glory of God.” -1 Corinthians 10:31
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
1 Peter 4:11
Mark 12:30
Ephesians 4:5-6
Colossians 1:16, 3:17
Psalm 34:8
TRAIL GUIDE: Lean Not On Your Own Understanding
The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend. We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.
SOUL SHERPA, LESSON 2: The Holy Spirit is Our Guide
My mother is infamous for her sense of direction. Or should I say, lack thereof. She once followed a car for some distance out of her way because “they looked like they knew where they were going.” She has driven almost out of state before realizing she had taken a wrong turn. Mom was sure she was going in the right direction. She even thought she had recognized some landmarks. It took some time but Mom has learned to lean not on her own understanding when it comes to directions. Nowadays she makes sure she either rides with or follows someone who knows the right path.
How many times have you headed down a path that you were sure was right and wise only to find out that you were on a road to heartache? When we depend on our human discernment and worldly understanding they will fail us in the end. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
We can contrast two great men of scripture in this regard. Saul, the first anointed King over Israel, when pressed, did what he discerned to be the wise thing when Samuel was delayed and an attack seemed imminent. He took it upon himself to sacrifice to the Lord. It might seem to us, on the face of it, to be an intelligent move. Samuel hadn’t shown up on time, they were in great danger, and they needed God’s favor. But Saul had been told to wait. He did not inquire of the Lord and he did not trust the command he had been given by the man of God. He was leaning on his own understanding. By contrast his successor, King David, inquired of the Lord for almost every big decision he made, with the exception of a few that famously went badly for him. God has given us a trustworthy spiritual GPS system; his Word and his indwelling Holy Spirit, ever present to guide us. Inquire of the Lord and He will make your paths straight. He is our trustworthy teacher and guide. This is a promise of God.
Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? – 1 Corinthians 1:20
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” -Traditional Hymn
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 14:12
1 Corinthians 1:20
1 Samuel 13
1 Samuel 23:4
TRAIL GUIDE: Spiritual GPS
The “Trail Guide” devotional is used by our adult leaders of grade school groups in Quest as a way to prepare their hearts and minds for the topics we will be covering with the children on the weekend. We have made them available here to help our parents of grade-schoolers engage with their children around the topics we are discussing and also for anyone else that might be blessed by following along.
SOUL SHERPA, LESSON 1: The Holy Spirit is Our Guide
The work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest (make known, show) the active presence of God in the world and especially in the church.
Isn’t GPS a great thing? It amazes me that a satellite high above the earth can see me, and when combined with digital mapping software, can tell me how to get from point A to B in the quickest way possible. It amazes me even more to consider that this system can see if there is heavy traffic or an accident along my route and re-direct me around it. If I take a wrong turn it quickly notifies me. “Rerouting.” But as amazing as this system is, it is only as good as its underlying data. How many times have you followed your GPS directions only to find out that its map data is incorrect and you are at a dead end or the address data is incomplete and you end up in a business park when you wanted to be at a friend’s house? Even when the data is good, it isn’t foolproof. An overcast day or poor cell coverage can knock your GPS out completely.
But there is a guidance system that is 100% trustworthy, 100% of the time. Its data is perfectly reliable. It works no matter how dark it gets because to it, “darkness is as light.” It is an integrated system that lights your path, turns your darkness to light, guides you on the best path possible, reroutes you when you make a wrong turn, and even provides roadside assistance when you break down along the highways of life. That is our triune God. God’s living Word, breathed out by the Father through the Son is its database. It is empowered by his Holy Spirit whose job it is to make known the active presence of God in the world and especially in his children by guiding us into all truth. Our students need to learn early that they can depend, with ALL their hearts, on their fail-safe guidance system.
“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16)
“Guide me in Your truth and teach me…” -Psalm 25:5a
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Isaiah 42:16
John 8:12
Psalm 119:105
Psalm 23:1-3