The church of Christ on McDermott Road

It’s so easy to sit and think about what we wish others would do for us. We wish people would be more complementary, less critical, more helpful, or more understanding. But maybe it’s time we spent less time thinking about how we are treated and more time thinking about how we can proactively do those sorts of things for others. (Scripture: Matthew 7:12-14)

When we evaluate the current state of affairs in our world and we contemplate how things can be made better, we might think the next step is telling others where they’re going wrong.  However, Jesus says the next step is probably taking the log out of our own eye. Let’s spend some time thinking about what “logs” may be in our own eyes, obscuring our vision; and how we might remove those logs. (Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5)

Jesus encourages his disciples to “look” at the birds of the air and “consider” the lilies of the field. Meditating on the way God cares for his creation will give us insight into God’s care for the pinnacle of his creation, human beings. Meditating on God’s nature, God’s promises, and God’s kingdom will help ease our anxieties about life. In this lesson we will explore the importance of meditating not on our inner self, but on our heavenly Father who loves us and cares for us.

There is certainly a wrong way and a wrong motivation for fasting, but there is also an expectation that God’s people will spend time fasting. After all, Jesus doesn’t say, “If you fast,”but rather, “When you fast.” In this lesson we will explore why fasting is important and how fasting might help take your relationship with the Father to a new level.

How do we practice the discipline of prayer? Are our prayer times primarily within the context of group prayers with family and the church? Or do we cherish personal, alone time with God? How often do we practice Jesus’ words, “Go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret”? In this lesson we will explore the discipline and benefit of solitude and prayer.