1 Tim 6:6-10

1.  What do you do to seek comfort (i.e. comfort food, comfort zone)?

2.  Comfort-seeking, while widely sought after, is not very biblical.  Read 1 Corinthians 1:3-4.  What does this verse says about comfort?  According to 1 Timothy 6:6-10 and Lamentations3:19-27, where are we to seek comfort from?

3.  Studies and stats also show us that seeking comfort actually doesn’t make us any more comfortable than if we hadn’t sought it.  They also say that the human brain, through the inactivity that comfort-seeking produces, is not designed for prolonged sessions of comfort-seeking - it stalls the brain and interrupts growth.  What is the difference between resting (sabbath-seeking) and comfort-seeking?  When were times that confront-seeking got in the way of your growth or delayed your getting through a painful time?

4. 1 Timothy 6:6 says that God-seeking combined with contentment is a really good thing.  How would you rate yourself on these two areas of life?

5.  How do you practice contentment?  How hard or easy is this for you?

"God won't give you more than you can handle." #ThingsJesusNeverSaid

1 Corinthians 10:13  

1. Have you ever been handed more than you could handle? If you’re reading this, then apparently you handled it. How did you come through it?

2. What does this verse actually say? (hint; "no temptation", not "no situation"). Is there a difference between being overcome by temptation and being overcome by situations?

3. Even though being overcome by temptation or being overcome by situation may be different, the solution from verse 13 can be the same. What is the solution? From the opening title above, replace the second “you” with God. How does this change it? How has this changed your overwhelming circumstances? What is a real story from your life?

4. What is the final result from the end of the verse? Is endurance the same as resolution? When have you had to rely on endurance in a difficult time, rather than resolution?

"Everything happens for a reason." #ThingsJesusNeverSaid

1. When you have challenges, misfortunes, or are simply a victim of mean things, how hard is it for you to see it as a teaching opportunity? Read this: Cultivate a life-posture of learning and trusting God by deciding whom or what you will learn from or are taught by. So is everything that happens a potential life-lesson?

2. What have been some of the best and deepest lessons you have learned from adversity? From blessing? Which has been the best teacher?

3. Things happen for three reasons: God did it, you did it, or other people did it. Which is the easiest for you to trust? What has been something that happened when your first response was to blame God, or at least get mad at him, until you realized it really was the work of someone else?

4. Verse 3 of John 9 says that God is up to work (toil/effort). This is more than a magic wand - it is strategy and logistics. From what you know of strategy and logistics in a plan, how long do some plans take? Can this help in trusting what God may be up to with the events of your life?

5. Verse 3 also says that God’s work can be “displayed” This means "to be seen in a new way"? Is there something going on in your life right now that you can try to see with fresh eyes that trust God a little more and wait a little longer for His work to be revealed in your life?

"Do what makes you happy."
#ThingsJesusNever Said

1.  In today’s society, how much of a priority is happiness?  How much of a priority is it for you?  What are the things that make you happy?

2.  What do you do when the things that make you happy conflict with things that make other people happy?  Is there a common standard of happiness that applies to all humans and across all cultures?

3.  The Bible actually doesn’t reference happiness.  But it does talk about joyfulness.  What is the difference between the two?  Do you have more influence over happiness or joyfulness?

4.  Read John 16:24.  What does Jesus say about happiness/joy?  What is it that ushers joyfulness into our lives?  How do we actually do that?

5.  What are things in your life that you thought would bring you happiness, but aren’t really doing that?  Are there things you can do now that could bring happiness to your life in the future?

"If you follow me, you won't have bad days."
#ThingsJesusNeverSaid

"Who are you to judge?"

Matthew 7:1-5

1.  When was the last time you felt judged?  Was it warranted - even a little?  When was the last time you felt like you were judging?  Was it warranted?

2. Making a judgment (making a decision based on your history, knowledge and feelings) and being judgmental (casting some sort of sentence) are different things.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?

3.  Sometimes we cast judgement with an attitude, by placing people in a category, or dismissing/ignoring them.  When have you done one of these recently?  

4.  We arrive at our own judgement filters based on what we have learned from our own stories.  What judgements have changed as you became more informed or after you had some life experiences?

5.  When have you been hesitant or scared to share your story because you feared being judged?  As we learn more about people’s stories, we may end up being a part of helping them change their story for the positive.  When has this happened for you - when did someone listen to your story enough to encourage you or help you move forward differently?

"We say 'if only I had more of this' or 'if only I had more of that,' but living in the land of 'if only' will only lead you to another excuse."

Judges 11:1-8 & Judges 11:29

1.  What was your favorite toy growing up?  Why that one? 

2.  When have you felt inadequate?  Was it more of a feeling or a fact?  What was the source of this inadequacy:  lack of skill/knowledge, self-perception, opinions of others, being overwhelmed, or something else?  How do you reset from feeling inadequate?

3. Think about people who have wronged you, sold you out, or believed you to be less than you knew you really were (like what happened to Jephthah).  When they change their mind and realize they want you (or need you), are you graceful or vindictive?

4. Do you surround yourself with people who tell you the truth - even if it is hard to hear?  How is this different from people who don’t believe in you and tell you negative truths about you?  Read Proverbs 18:21 & 24.  Are you this kind of friend to anyone?

5.  Even more than your friends, God knows you and tells you the truth about yourself?  How do you distinguish God’s voice from yours or other’s?  What happens when we hear and respond to God’s voice (what happened for Jephthah in verse 29?)

"A journey of a thousand light-years begins with a single step."

James 4:13-17

1.  In the movie, the two main characters have a different approach to planning.  Agent M was very focused on joining MIB since she was a child.  Everything she did was an effort to get into that obscure agency.  Agent H had been very successful but mostly fell into his success from his charisma.  If this were a scale (agent M a 10 and Agent H a 1) where do you fall when it comes to making plans.  Where do you fall when it comes to following through with plans?

2.  The passage in James talks about planning.  What does it say?  What does it warn against?  How good are you at submitting your plans to God’s will?

3.  Agent H's and Agent M’s plans were both greatly inspired by their past.  For Agent H, it was because a significant memory was erased.  For Agent M, it was was the opposite - a memory took over her goals.  How much of your past influences your plans?  How is this influence a good thing - how is it a bad thing?

4.  What things in your life are helping you reach your goals?  What things are hindering you? If something is hindering your goals, do you discard it, or do you keep it because you can’t or won’t get rid of it?

5. What is the one goal you are really focused on right now?

Galatians 5:17

1.  Have you ever been surprised by someone’s shadowy side - a side of them that does something dark that surprises you?  How dark is your shadowy side?

2.  What does Galatians 5:17 say about our shadowy side?  Can you relate to this struggle?  When does this conflict rise up in you?  How do you counter it?

3.  According to Genesis 3:6, Matthew 4:1-11, and 1 John 2 15-17, our shadowy side gets empowered by a struggle for: 1) identify - I want to prove that I exist; 2)significance - I want to prove that I matter; and 3)pleasure - I want my feelings to matter.  Can you think of a time when you shadowy side gained power and influence because of one of these struggles?

4.  A great remedy to counter your shadowy side is to stop thinking of yourself (your identity, your significance, or your feelings) and remind others of who they are, how they matter, or that their feelings are important too.  How easy will it be for you to do this when your feel your shadowy side fighting for control over a moment of temptation, frustration, entitlement, etc?