Often the truth makes us uncomfortable. Our human emotion prefers lies and illusions to make us feel more secure. It is much better to face reality and be uncomfortable than to live a lie. Don’t settle for something that makes you feel comfortable but is not true. 


Questions for further thought:
1. What lie are you living that is securing your comfort? 

2. What is the truth that will make you uncomfortable? 


Challenge: Ask God for courage and wisdom to live out truth. 

The natural tendency of being human is to think my way away from God – rendering me hopeless and confused. This is exactly where Satan wants me to be – in a state of sinful confusion. The Good News must seem foolish to those who forsake faith and rely on their own understanding. When ignorance is bliss and sinning is fun, it’s easier to follow my own path. Following God’s way isn’t easy by any means. However, I’ve heard about Jesus and know the truth that comes from Him. I must throw off my old sinful nature and former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.


Questions for further thought:
1. What sin is controlling you and keeping you from following God? 

2. How much prayer time are you investing in your life? Is it an appropriate amount? 


Challenge: Read your Bible. Pray about a sin that has you in chains.  

God’s light provides the right path to follow and provides clear vision to follow it. Following your heart (emotions) will almost always steer you in the wrong direction. Humans cannot trust their emotions alone. There must be truth and wisdom. 


Questions for further thought:
1. What are some reasons that your human emotions cannot be trusted? 

2. Why is truth and wisdom needed in decision making? 


Challenge: When you feel surrounded by darkness and uncertainty, follow God’s light and truth instead of your emotion. 
 

It’s the breath of the Almighty within a person that makes them intelligent. It isn’t enough to recognize a great truth; it must be lived out each day. Becoming wise is an ongoing lifelong pursuit. Don’t be content just to know about wisdom; make it part of your life. 


Questions for further thought:
1. What do decisions made by emotions look like? 

2. What do decisions made by truth and wisdom look like? 


Challenge: Make a tough decision in truth and wisdom even under persecution. 
 

Imagine standing before a crowd and loudly voicing an unpopular opinion! Caleb was willing to take the unpopular stand to do as God had commanded. To be effective when you go against the crowd, you must have the facts, have the right attitude, and state clearly what you believe.


Questions for further thought:
1. Are you standing up for truth or going with the crowd? 

2. How can you stand up for truth in a loving way? 


Challenge: 
Pray about speaking truth in grace and love. 

In our culture today, people often mistakenly label ‘love’ as only an emotion. We also throw the word around flippantly to describe how much we like something. (i.e., I love pizza!) Jesus showed us that real love is the act of sacrificing oneself for others. It’s this kind of love that we are to display to our fellow believers! John also says this real love proves that we are real Christians.


Questions for further thought:
1. Did you realize that hating someone is like murdering them in your heart? (verse 15)

2. Do you know of a believer in need? What can you do to meet that need?  


Challenge: Ask God to show you where He wants you to love sacrificially. Take extra time to listen during your prayers and really pay attention to His invitations to love others throughout the next few weeks. When a need that you can meet comes up, put your love into action! Most likely the blessing you experience will be greater than the sacrifice you make.

Maturity sounds very boring like paying your bills on time or doing chores instead of goofing around. But, when we’re talking about spiritual maturity, it’s more like knowing the difference between truth and lies so you don’t get scammed by Satan. We must immerse ourselves in God’s Word and biblical teaching that we trust. Then it is much easier to recognize any deviation from the truth. The goal is to be so much like Christ – loving others and helping others grow – that we become like the parts of a healthy body, everyone in sync and able to achieve amazing feats through God’s power.


Questions for further thought:
1. What new ideas are being taught by the world that don’t align with the truth in scripture?

2. How can you “speak the truth in love” so that you don’t alienate people, yet aren’t advocating lies?  


Challenge: Make spiritual maturity a priority in your life. Set aside time to study the bible and discuss what you learn with other believers.

When Jesus returned to his place at the Father’s right hand, he did not leave the church helpless. Of course, we have the Holy Spirit (wow!), but Christ also provided gifts for each of God’s children: abilities that are to be used to build each other up. Those in leadership (prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, etc.) have a special responsibility to equip the church to do God’s work. We should view these people as a great blessing in our lives.


Questions for further thought:
1. What gifts do you have that can be used to build up others within the church?

2. When tempted to criticize others within the Body, especially leaders, what can you do to pursue unity instead?  


Challenge: This week, thank someone for using their gifts to serve God and build up the church. Also praise God for providing that gift!
 

Pretty much all of the best relationship advice is summed up in this short passage of scripture. Super important points such as kindness, patience, and forgiveness are included, but I especially like the metaphor of harmony. Think about beautiful music. Often there are many different parts that blend together to produce a sound much richer than one would alone. People are similar. One person’s “melody” is special, but when joined with others in true harmony, the Church becomes a magnificent symphony which blesses the members, “audience,” and the Conductor. 


Questions for further thought:
1. Which point(s) in this passage do you struggle with following?

2. Which do you do well with or come easily to you?  


Challenge: As verse 17 says, we are to always live as representatives of our Lord Jesus. Often, we think of representing Him to the world/unbelievers, but today make a special point of being Christlike with other members of the one Body.

Paul is very clear in this passage that, as Christians, we are to be united together. Why? Because there is one body (the Church), one Spirit, one hope, one Lord (Jesus), one faith, one baptism, and one God (the Father). There is no room for division among us when we are to be fighting alongside each other for the Good News. How? We must always be humble, gentle, and patient, overlooking each other’s faults and living as true citizens of heaven.


Questions for further thought:
1. Has your conduct been worthy of the Good News lately?

2. With whom do you struggle to be united? How can you bridge that gap?  


Challenge: Identify one change you can make in your life that will cause you to be more united with the Church. Take steps toward this goal this week!