Christmas Conspiracy - Turkey, Ham, or Jesus

Are you generally stressed out by the time Christmas arrives each year? If so, what could you change to make the season more enjoyable and less stressful? Are you willing to make that change? 

Does your family have a Christmas meal that is a tradition in your house, or does it change each year? Is the fixing of the meal a joy or a burden? If it is a joy, you should celebrate that. If it is a burden, what could you do to make it less burdensome? What needs to change to make it a joy? 

Is Jesus at the center of Christmas for you? Are you focused more on him, or on the list of things you need to accomplish? What changes could you make in order for Jesus to be the center of attention? Are you will to make those changes? What will it take?

Is Jesus at the center of Christmas in your home? Can you imagine how things around your house would be different if he were? What would it take for that to happen? Are you willing to personally do all that you can to make this happen? 

What can you do outside of your home to put Jesus more at the center of things? In your neighborhood, at your workplace, at places where you do things with other people? Without getting fired, or being looked at like you’re a religious freak or something, how can you help those around you be more aware of the Christ in Christmas? Give this some thought and prayer. We’re sure God will give you some good direction here.

Revolutionary Love - Always Perseveres

Love perseveres. What does that mean to you? Has it been true in your life? When? When did love NOT persevere in your life?

Love perseveres. What makes it difficult for you to live this out? Could this change with God’s help? Have you asked for it? Could you do that now?

The Greeks recognized several types of love: agape (unconditional love), philos (brotherly/sisterly love), and eros (romantic love)

Which of these three do you think would be most likely to persevere? Why? Which would be least likely to persevere? Why? 

Do you love Jesus? Are you willing to feed his sheep? What does that look like? What does that have to do with love perseveres?

Here’s what all of I Corinthians 13:7 (NIV) says: [Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Take a few minutes and think about this entire verse. What would your life look like if you took this verse seriously? Would you need to make some changes? What would they be? Are you willing to do that? With God’s help? Why not ask for it? 

Revolutionary Love - Rejoices In Truth

Do you find it difficult to love someone unconditionally? Why?

Do find it difficult to accept unconditional love from another? Why?

What prayer help with both of these situations? Are you willing to pray that prayer? What is keeping you from praying it today (maybe even right now) and then again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that…..?

What are some of the iniquities you find in YOUR world? Which of those when you really think about them really grab you, enough that if you kept thinking about them you’d have to do something about them? Is that why you don’t think about them more, because then you’d have to do something? What’s it going to take for you to latch onto one of those iniquities until you do something that makes a difference? 

Are there any global social injustices that have really caught your attention? What are you going to do about it (or them)? Sometimes we think there’s nothing we can do, since we are just one person. This is not true. Most really big initiatives, really big movements have started with individuals. Keep in mind also, you don’t always have to start something new. It is possible to join something that is already rolling. So what is God calling you to start or to be a part of? 

Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Sometimes the iniquities are not global, or national, or even regional. Sometimes they are right there in our houses, our neighborhoods, our work places. Sometimes rejoicing in iniquities is simply listening when someone else tears someone down, finding pleasure when you hear the “dirt” on someone else. If this happens to you, even on occasion, what can you do to change it? 

Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Is truth a relative thing, or is it absolute? Where do you look for truth? The best place to look for truth is Scripture, the Bible. And here you will find that truth is not dependent on a particular situation, relative, but rather on God, absolute. Are you reading your Bible regularly? If so, GREAT!!! If not, what’s it going to take?

Revolutionary Love - No Record of Wrongs

Do you keep a record of wrongs? Who has the most entries? Is that person aware of the record that you keep? What is your purpose for keeping a record of wrongs? Do you refer to it often? Is this record a comfort to you or more of a curse? If it is a curse, then why do you keep it? If you have had trouble getting rid of it, have you asked for God’s help? If not, are you willing to ask for God’s help now?

Are you on someone else’s record of wrongs? How often do they remind you of your past mistakes? What do you think it would take for your name to be taken from the list? Have you ever talked to the person about removing your name? What would it take for you to have that conversation? Remember, with God, all things are possible.

Have you ever said the Lord’s Prayer? Remember the part where you say: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us?” Think about it. Do you really want God to forgive you as you forgive others? Would this be a good or bad thing for you? What would have to change in your life so that saying this line would NOT make you uncomfortable? How does not keeping a record of wrongs tie into this? 

As we said, our friend Randy says that forgiveness means Never Bringing it Up Again. Is there anything in your life that it would be impossible for you to never bring up again? What is it? Why is it so important for you to cling to it? What will you lose if you never bring it up again? What will you gain? Does the gain outweigh the loss? Seek God’s help if you’d really like to let it go.

I Corinthians 5 (NIV) tells us this: “It [love] is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” Is there any kind of a thread running through this verse, running through the four components of this verse. If so, how are they tied together? How does each part affect each of the other parts. What do you need to do in relation to this entire verse to show revolutionary love to those around you?

Revolutionary Love - Kindness

Who is the kindest person you’ve ever known? Are they still a part of your life?

How was their kindness expressed to you? Did you feel the love of that person through their expression(s) of kindness toward you?

What is the kindest thing you’ve ever done for someone else? What motivated your action? Do you generally consider yourself a kind person? What are some ways that you could be kinder to both people you know, and to people you don’t know?  What would it take to make this happen? 

Look through the Gospel of Mark. Find five examples of where Jesus was kind to people. As a follower of Jesus, are you able to use these examples as models of kindness that you might follow? Why/why not? 

1^st Corinthians 13:4 tells us love is kind, but it also tells us that love is patient, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Is there a connection between these various descriptions of love? Think about, talk about what this connection might be. 

Steve Sjogren says that “Small Things Done with Great Love Can Change the World.” Go to his website, www.servantevangelism.com, and spend some time checking out what is available. Click on some of the articles and take the time to read them. Visiting this website occasionally in the future might be valuable to help keep you tuned into this whole idea of “kindness.”