Key Passage: Hebrews 11:6
There are four perspectives necessary in order to begin experiencing God as our shepherd.
REVIEW: We must begin with God.
- READ: 1 John 1:5-7 “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
- DISCUSS: What were the top few things that claimed most of your thought and focus in 2022? What can you do this year to make Jesus a more central part of your life?
REVIEW: We must believe that God desires to bless us.
- READ: Psalm 1:1-3 “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit in each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
- DISCUSS: Do you usually expect God to be good toward you, or do you feel like his blessing has to be earned? How has that changed, if any, as you’ve walked with God?
REVIEW: We must seek him more than what he can do for us.
- READ: Psalm 27:4 “The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his temple.”
- DISCUSS: What activities or environments help you connect with and enjoy God the most?
REVIEW: We must seek him earnestly, diligently and consistently.
- READ: Colossians 2:6 “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.”
- DISCUSS: What does your daily connection with God look like? Is there any part of that pursuit that you would like to change this year?
ASK:
What else did you get out of the sermon this week? What actions or next steps can you do to start applying it to your life?
PRAY:
Pray for a clearer and more truthful revelation of who God is, and a greater desire to seek and please Jesus.