Concordia Adult Bible Class

As Christians, we know we are called to be forgiving people. Yet, when someone wounds us deeply, we often struggle with wanting to get revenge. In Psalm 137, the Israelites have been carried off into exile by the Babylonians. They too struggle with revenge as they gleefully envision Babylon’s destruction. How can our feelings of revenge be turned into God’s purpose of redemption?

Psalm 23 is perhaps the most famous passage in all of Scripture. In it, people have found deep comfort, usually in midst of some sort of grief. This Psalm teaches us about faith and reminds us that faith is found in someone with whom we are very comfortable, even if what that person leads us through is not comfortable at all.

Even if we don’t like it, most of us have had to endure the feeling of guilt over something we know we did wrong. The cure for guilt is not self-pity, self-debasement, or self-loathing; it is repentance. Psalm 51 invites us to get honest about our sin, but it also invites us to trust in our Savior.

It is not difficult to be thankful when we have a lot to be thankful for! But what if we are in trouble? What if disaster has struck? In Psalm 34, the Psalmist invites us to take a long view of thankfulness, understanding that even if we experience momentary troubles, finally, the LORD will deliver us by faith. For that, we can be thankful!

A glance at a beautiful sunrise or a gaze at a lofty mountain can inspire a sense of awe. In Psalm 19, while a sense of awe is declared at God’s creation, the Psalmist reminds us that our ultimate awe should be in how God has chosen to reveal Himself to us in His Word.

Leadership courses will often teach people that before they lead anyone else, they need to be able to lead themselves. This is the heart of self-control. Jesus, even when His desires may have tempted Him toward sin, controlled Himself and won a decisive victory. Is there a battle to sin that you consistently lose? The answer to the loss is Christ’s forgiveness. The call of Christ going forward is to self-control.

In a world that is often “hard-knocks,” gentleness can be an overlooked virtue. Yet, as the story of Rehoboam demonstrates, gentleness not only helps people, it endears them to you. To whom do you need to demonstrate gentleness so your relationship with them can be strengthened?

The old saying goes, “Behind every great man, there is an even greater woman.” The story of Esther reminds us, “Behind ever great woman, there is a faithful man.” Mordecai challenges Esther to do everything she can to defend her people, even though it might cost her her life. On Father’s Day, men need to consider: what are they doing to call their wives and families to faithfulness?

Most of us have traded true goodness for what we think is “good enough.” In Jesus’ encounter with a rich man, He challenges this man to see what and who is truly good and to consider that he, as a sinner, is lacking in true goodness.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is merely synonymous with what it means to be kind. But kindness not just lies in what the Samaritan does, but in who he does it for – for the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other. Are you kind only to those who are kind to you? Or does your kindness extend beyond the boundaries of your normal social circles?