Influence Those Closest to You
On The Way to Influence Those Further Away.
Don’t Forget Your Nearest Neighbors. (Matthew 22:37-39)
Please memorize this verse:
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8
Q1: What is the darkest and/or scariest place you’ve ever been? What was it like, and how did you overcome the fear or darkness?
A buddy of mine had extremely bad eye sight most of his life, but in his 50’s (as I recall) a “new” procedure was developed allowing the surgeon to replace the lens in both eyes with corrective lens. He felt like a new man or a bird out of a cage. For the first time in decades, he could see normally without much help from corrective lens. He was thrilled. And in recent years that same surgery allowed me to have cloudy lens replaced with corrective lens giving me back 20/20 vision that I actually never had.
Being able to come out of the blindness or the darkness of poor vision is a blessing indeed.
Q2: In what areas have you been blind to truth about God or yourself or others but now have been given eyes to see the truth? How have your views about God changed over time? Did you ever see Him as a hateful, vengeful, judge? Do you see Him as the merciful, patient, and caring God whose true nature was / is revealed by Jesus Christ His Son?
For too long I saw God as a coach expecting perfect play from a perfect player – me. The frustration came as you can imagine – I am not a perfect player who plays the game of life perfectly.
Thank God, He showed me that Jesus – and Jesus alone – is the perfect one. My faith is in the perfect Savior who perfectly kept the law of God then extended mercy to me. I accept His gift of forgiveness and believe God raised Jesus from the dead. He gave me right standing with God. I could never earn it.
Q3: How do most people view God? What kind of God do others think He is? What are the indicators of their true view of God regardless of what they say they believe about Him? Why do you think too many people have an inaccurate, faulty view of God’s character and heart?
After coming to faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, not just our example, God continues to work in us by Holy Spirit to conform/change us into Christ’s likeness in our thoughts, feelings, decisions, and behavior so that His light shines in the dark places to reveal the Way out for those trapped in darkness caused by the Devil and the sin of life. The dark world needs for us to shine.
Q4: Based on our study of the last few weeks, have you dealt successfully with unresolved pain, unconfessed guilt, struggles with shame or self-condemnation, the blindness caused by anger or bitterness?
Ridding our own heart of the poisons of unresolved hurt and guilt, of shame and self-condemnation, anger and bitterness open our hearts to be more under the control of God’s Spirit and less controlled by the dictates of this fallen world in which we live.
Our study has attempted to walk us through being a godly influence to those closest to us in our family, work-world, and among friends. How are you doing with the process? Do you see the need more clearly? Do you know what to do to be “salt and light” as Jesus said we are to be?
Q5: Where in your world could people use some authentic light from God through your life? Who in your world needs to know the love of God more clearly and personally? Why is being a light so important to your family and friends? Which is more important – being a light of Christ to your family or to those outside the faith?
Isn’t this fall season beautiful? We have had the privilege of seeing fall foliage in the southeast, as well as, the northeast. Both have been so beautiful. Seeing the beauty of creation is awesome, and seeing the beauty of God’s work in our lives and in the lives of others is more awesome! Let your light keep shining into the dark places of this world that they may see your loving life and give worship and glory to God.