REALLIFE STUDY GROUP
“The Gift in
Me”
ICEBREAKER: Name one activity that makes you lose track
of time.
CONFESSION: This year....
May
the Christmas lights remind me that Jesus is the Light of the world
May
the Christmas meal remind me that Jesus is the Bread of Life
May
the tree remind me that Jesus hung on a tree for me
May
the Christmas snow remind me that Jesus’ blood makes my heart white as snow
May
the Christmas gifts remind me that Jesus was the first Christmas gift from the Father
May
the Christmas candy remind me that every day with Jesus gets sweeter and sweeter
May
the Christmas cookies remind me that Jesus has prepared blessings for me in
every shape and every size
May
the Christmas cards remind me that the Bible is God’s inspirational love letter
to me and the World
May
my Christmas giving remind me that it really is a wonderful life
May
the Christmas carols remind me that the first Noel, on a silent night, declared
joy to the world by angels we have heard on high with the invitation, “Oh come
let us adore him, Christ the Lord the new born king.”
May
my Christmas stockings remind me that Jesus beautifies the feet of them that
bring good news
May
the Christmas decorations remind me that Jesus is clothed and decorated in
splendor and majesty and is decorating me with honor and glory
May
the Christmas wreaths remind me that Jesus’ love, like the circle, has no
beginning or ending; it is an everlasting love
DEFINITION:
Troubled: Hard pressed on every side,
afflicted in every way
Distressed: Crushed, straightened
Perplexed: To not know what to do, to
be in straits, to be left wanting, to be embarrassed, to be in doubt, To not
know which way to turn
In Despair: To be without resources, to
be utterly at loss, to be utterly destitute of measures or resources, to
renounce all hope
Persecuted: To be hotly pursued in a
hostile manner
Abandoned: Deserted, forsaken,
orphaned
Struck Down: Cast down to the ground
Destroyed: To perish, to put out of
the way entirely, to abolish, to put to an end, to ruin, to render useless, to
kill, to be lost
OUTLINE:
The
Word of God unveils the gifts in me
The
Word of God identifies the gifts in me
The
Word of God activates the gifts in me
The
Word of God fertilizes the gifts in me
The
Word of God energizes the gifts in me
The
Word of God multiplies the gifts in me
The
Word of God protects the gifts in me
The
Word of God cultivates (shapes) the gifts in me
The
Word of God disciplines the gifts in me
The
Word of God optimizes the gifts in me
The
Word of God organizes (prioritizes) the gifts in me
TEXT: 2 Corinthians 4:6-9; 1
Peter 4:10; 2 Timothy 1:6
STUDY GROUP QUESTIONS:
1.
We
often value what a word from God creates or produces, while God values more the
word itself that will not return void and produces the thing of value. Besides people, describe one thing that
people value most.
2.
Describe
a time in your life when you have felt hard pressed, hemmed in, or between a
rock and a hard place and how that feels.
3.
The
enemy often tries to press us on every side to the point of crushing us. But like playdough, no matter how hard the
pressure is applied it doesn’t change our content or what we are made of. How do you keep the crushings
of life from crushing you? (Hint: Romans
8:35-39 – Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us
and Christ’s love for us? There is no
way! Not trouble, not hard times, not
hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing,
not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by
one. None of this fazes us because Jesus
loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that
nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high
or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and
God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.)
4.
What
negative in your life would you like for God to turn into a positive? (You may pick from the following list or you
may be more specific.)
a.
That
your FRUSTRATIONS would serve
only to reveal your greatest need for a resurrected Savior and king
b.
That
your ANGER would serve only
to fuel your fires of passion to be all you can be in Christ
c.
That
your SORROW would serve only
to remind you that our God sent his Son to be a man of like passion and like
sorrow to feel your deepest pain and He will one day make your joy complete
d.
That
your LONELINESS would serve
only to draw you close to the side of the one who knows you better than you
know yourself, the one who loves you more than life itself, and the one who
treats us all better than we treat ourselves
e.
That
your BURDENS would serve only
to encourage you to cast all your cares on the one who cares for you
f.
That
your LIGHT AFFLICTIONS would
serve only to strengthen your resolve to trust the King as you patiently wait
for the exceedingly great reward of glory that will soon be yours
g.
That
your STRESS would only serve
to inspire you to stretch beyond your comfort zone and reach for your dreams
h.
That
your QUESTIONS would only
serve to motivate you to pursue the one who has all the answers and who indeed
is, himself, the answer, and to trust him with questions that cannot be
answered yet
i.
That
your most TRAUMATIC MEMORIES
would only serve to remind you that our King is a redeemer of things that were
lost, a restorer of things that were discarded and a repairer of things that
were broken
j.
That
your STRUGGLES would only
serve to convince you that your goals, aspirations, and destiny are worth fighting
for and that those struggles simply prove how tenacious God has enabled you to
become
k.
That
your WOUNDS would only serve
to cause you to recall that Our King was wounded for our transgressions, He was
bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon His
shoulders, and by His stripes we were healed
5.
What
would it mean to you to not only give gifts this year but to become a gift?
6.
Giving
is about sacrificing, releasing or letting go.
Name one thing you must let go of and rely on God to accomplish through
you with His strength and ability right now.
PRAISE & PRAYER REQUESTS:
ACTION POINT: This year my Christmas will be different, or
even better, because __________. By reading
God’s Word this week I will activate the gift of __________ in me.