Small Asks

Small Asks

READ: PSALM 55:17; PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7; COLOSSIANS 4:2 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%2055%3A17%3B%20PHILIPPIANS%204%3A6-7%3B%20COLOSSIANS%204%3A2&version=NIV] Have you ever chosen not to pray about something because it felt too small, too unimportant to talk to the God of the universe about? You’re not alone. We all have. Yet, the Bible tells us to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). What does that look like? Well, think about it this way. If I spend a day with my kids, I guarantee they will ask me for things continually. “Can you add this to the grocery list?” “Do you know where my phone is?” “Can you help with my homework?” Likewise, I will ask them for things too. “Can you pick that up for me?” “Would you let the dog out?” “Can you turn that video down?” And in a perfect world, neither of us is going to be annoyed by these requests. It’s simply the rhythm of doing life together. Plus, if we’re together constantly, we won’t only be asking for things. We’ll be filling in the gaps with conversation—sharing details of our lives, laughing, thanking each other, or talking through hard situations. In a similar way, we can spend our days in constant communication with God because, once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that He is with us all the time. So we can ask Him for help—when we can’t find our keys, when we’re trying to remember what we studied, or when we’re having trouble falling asleep. We can also practice listening for the things He will ask of us—to help someone, to give, to pray, or to turn down the volume on opinions and entertainment that aren’t healthy for us. The more we practice these “small asks,” the easier it will become to talk to God about anything and everything else. It will open the door for us to discover His sense of humor, to thank Him for all the small blessings He pours out on us, and to simply unburden our hearts to Him when life is heavy. As we do, we find that He is always there for us, always ready to show us His incredible love, mercy, and kindness. • Abigail Aswegen • What kinds of things do you tend to talk to God about the most? • What kinds of things would you like to talk to God about more often? Consider taking a moment just to tell Him whatever is on your mind right now. Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)

Christians R Us

READ: ROMANS 10:1-4; EPHESIANS 2:8-10; PHILIPPIANS 3:8-9; HEBREWS 9:14-15 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ROMANS%2010%3A1-4%3B%20EPHESIANS%202%3A8-10%3B%20PHILIPPIANS%203%3A8-9%3B%20HEBREWS%209%3A14-15&version=NIV] Imagine you’re in a superstore full of what the Bible calls “good works”—all the things you’ve been told you need to be as a Christian. Kind…helpful…loving…always willing to bring potato salad to the church potluck. You’ve been hearing how you need to be these things all your life—from your parents, teachers, pastors—so you decide it’s time to get on it. You’ve got some shopping to do. First, the grocery section. The Christian life displays the fruit of the Spirit— patience, kindness, self-control, and all the rest. Easy peasy, they’re all right there—and since they’re always in season, they’re also on sale! You throw them in the cart. (Better toss some stuff to make potato salad in there too while you’re at it.) Next, home improvement. A welcoming attitude and encouraging words that build people up. A loving heart that’s not prone to anger but instead responds with a soft, gentle answer (even in conversations with that family member). Oh, and a cute wooden plaque with a verse on it to hang inside your front door. Score! Last stop—apparel. The Bible says to clothe ourselves with humility and compassion. And a pair of apostle-like strappy sandals adds a nice touch! Your cart is overflowing with goodness, so it’s time to hit the checkout lane. You scan your items, and the payment amount flashes across the screen. You swipe your card. Denied. You try your card again, but the payment won’t go through. You glance at the people in line behind you, then turn back to the screen. That’s when you see a sign in big red letters: Only payment cards registered to Jesus Christ accepted. You look down at your payment card, your face growing hot. It has your name on it. Not His. An attendant appears out of nowhere and whisks your items from their bags. You look longingly at all that goodness as it’s piled onto a restocking cart. Then you try to avoid the stares boring into you as you walk to the door empty-handed. • Courtney Lasater • Today’s story is an allegory. Can you think of a time you tried to be a “good Christian” all on your own? What kinds of things did you try to do? How long did that last? • In what situations do you tend to be more concerned about others seeing you as a Christian than about actually having a relationship with Jesus? We all fall into this trap from time to time, and Jesus knows it! Thankfully, He invites us to come to Him with all our messy sin and be reminded of His great love. It’s only because He died and rose again for us that we can be forgiven and brought near to God. Consider taking a moment to confess any sins that come to mind and rest in His grace. • We can try to do good in our own power, and sometimes we’ll succeed in looking good to ourselves and others. Yet the Bible tells us that even our best good works fall immeasurably short of His true goodness. In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” The truth is, what Jesus wants most is relationship with us. And He knows that when we experience His love for us, that love overflows from us to others, and this brings Him joy! In your own life, what might it look like to pursue relationship with Jesus first and foremost? Who are trusted Christians you can talk to about this, maybe even asking them how this looks in their lives? • If you want to dig deeper, read Isaiah 64:6; John 15:1-17; Romans 3:12, 23-24; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:16.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)

The God Who Cries

READ: JOHN 11:1-45 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOHN%2011%3A1-45&version=NIV] John 11:35 is famous for being the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.” We can so easily overlook just how powerful those two words are! Throughout our lives, we all face times when we don’t understand. Times when sorrow crushes us, and injustice seems to reign. Times when we ask, “Why, God?” and maybe wonder if He’s even there. Mary and Martha were asking those same questions as they mourned the death of their brother Lazarus. They wept and wailed, and both sisters recognized that if Jesus had only been there, He could have saved their brother. But He hadn’t been there. Jesus knew the reason. He knew the end of the story too—He knew that Lazarus wouldn’t stay in that grave. In verse 11, as Jesus and His disciples set out for Bethany, He foretold that Lazarus would come back to life. And He knew that Lazarus’s resurrection was a foreshadowing of His own death and resurrection— and the resurrection of all His people when He returns. But still, even seeing the big picture, He felt Mary and Martha’s grief—and His own. He wept. We have a God who loves us. He is all-knowing and all-powerful, and even as He sees the good purposes He has for the pain in our lives, He has empathy for us. Even though Jesus knows that He will return to right every wrong and put an end to death, His heart breaks with our hearts. He works all things for our good, but He doesn’t merely look on as we mourn. Jesus didn’t chuckle to Himself knowing their grief was in vain. He came alongside them and wept. What a gift to know that our God feels our pain with us while offering hope and light in the darkness! • Hannah Ruth Johnson • Why do you think Jesus wept, even though He knew Lazarus would come back to life? • Can you think of a time you felt God’s presence and comfort in the midst of grief? What was that like? Consider taking a moment to bring Him any grief you’re feeling today, and imagine Jesus sitting next to you, weeping. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

Everything Points to Jesus

READ: MATTHEW 5:17-19; LUKE 24:27, 44-45; JOHN 3:16-17; 5:39-47; 20:31 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MATTHEW%205%3A17-19%3B%20LUKE%2024%3A27%2C%2044-45%3B%20JOHN%203%3A16-17%3B%205%3A39-47%3B%2020%3A31&version=NLT] Have you ever heard that “everything in the Bible points to Jesus”? That seems kind of weird, doesn’t it? How can it be all about someone who isn’t even named until the last quarter of the book? True, the Old Testament is sprinkled with prophecies about the Messiah: it’s easy enough to link those to Jesus Christ. But there’s still a lot that seems irrelevant. Chapters and chapters are filled with the story of the nation of Israel. What does that have to do with Jesus? When we start into the New Testament, Matthew summarizes Jesus’s ancestry. Right off, we see several of the “big names” from the Old Testament—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ruth, Jesse, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, etc. And that’s our first link! But then, after the Christmas story recounts the events of Jesus’s birth, we get into the life of Christ, with His escape to Egypt, return to Israel, baptism, and temptation in the desert. It looks like we’ve left the Old Testament far behind. But wait! Where have we seen Egypt before? Way back in Genesis, the Israelites escaped to Egypt when there was a famine. Later, in Exodus, God led them out of Egypt through Moses. And then what? They spent forty years in the desert as their children grew up. But even as God sustained His people, they gave in to temptation, rejecting Him and worshiping other gods. And Jesus? After escaping to Egypt from the murderous King Herod, He returns, grows up, and spends forty days in the desert. Coincidence? Maybe not. When the devil tempts Him, every answer Jesus gives comes straight from the book of Deuteronomy. These two Egypt stories link with an Old Testament prophet’s words: “I called my son out of Egypt” (Hosea 11:1). Israel was chosen by God to be His representative on Earth, to bless all the people of the world (Genesis 12:1-3). Though Israel fell far short, God didn’t give up. At just the right time, Jesus came. Fully God and fully human, He is the only one who could be God’s flawless representative. Jesus succeeded where Israel had failed, and He gave up His own life so that all who trust in Him could be forgiven and become part of God’s eternal family. It’s one story, culminating in Christ’s resurrection, of God revealing His love to all the world! • Christiana Albrecht • The Bible was written by lots of different people, in lots of different times and places. How does looking through the lens of the gospel—the good news about Jesus—help us see how it all fits together? Can you think of any other times Jesus mirrored or fulfilled the Old Testament? [Jesus said,] “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” John 5:39 (NLT)

Know Your History

READ: JOB 8:8-10; ROMANS 3:21-26; 15:4; 1 CORINTHIANS 10:6-12 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOB%208%3A8-10%3B%20ROMANS%203%3A21-26%3B%2015%3A4%3B%201%20CORINTHIANS%2010%3A6-12&version=CSB] When I visited Gettysburg for the first time, my imagination whirred to life. I wanted to know the people who fought there. I wanted to hear their stories, to comprehend their politics, to peek in at their way of life. Because the events that happened on that field directly impact the world I live in now. By understanding the past, I can better understand today. The same can be said of the many events recorded in the Bible. God’s Word isn’t a collection of disjointed stories. It’s composed around a framework of history. So, by looking at biblical chronology (what happened when in the Bible), we are able to place those stories in context, gain a logical understanding of sequence, and better see the full scope of God’s loving plan. Here are some broad historical markers and dates to help you begin lashing individual stories into a sequential history. Not just the narratives, but also the prophets, books of poetry, books of law, and epistles all hang within this outline: • Creation, the Flood, and earliest history: Genesis • Patriarchs of the Israelite people (2000–1550 BC): Genesis • Formation of the Israelite nation (1550–1380 BC): Exodus–Joshua • Leaders of Israel up to the Exile (1380–539 BC): Judges–2 Chronicles • Return from the Exile (539–474 BC): Ezra–Esther • 400 years of silence • Birth of Christ and the early church (AD 5–90): New Testament When we use this framework as a general guide, we’ll notice right away that the Israelite people figure prominently within the story He tells. That’s because He used that particular family line to reach the climax of the Bible (and of history)—the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Through Jesus, people from every tribe and language and nation can know God (Revelation 7:9)! The next time you read from a particular book of the Bible, consider finding out who wrote it and when. Then fit it into this rough history. You’ll soon find random stories fitting together in a comprehensive whole—one redemption story centered on Jesus, the one who came to save us from sin and death and who promises to make all things new. • Michelle Isenhoff • Why can we view Jesus as the focal point of history? (Find out more on our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page.) “All the prophets testify about him [Jesus] that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:43 (CSB)