Read an Excerpt
The God-First Life Study Guide
By Stovall Weems, Kevin Harney, Sherry Harney ZONDERVAN
Copyright © 2014 Stovall Weems
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-69799-2
CHAPTER 1
SESSION 1
YOUR LIFE, GOD'S WAY
An Invitation to Seek God's Kingdom First
Some passages in the Bible seem complex and deep the first time you read them. Other passages feel clear and transparent right away. Then, there are passages that seem to make sense, but with time, they drive you deeper and deeper into the heart and presence of God. One such passage comes from the lips of Jesus. If you read it, if you really get it, and if you let this passage get ahold of you, it could turn your whole life upside down! Here it is:
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever "Yelped" something?
If you have a smart phone, you might have an app called Yelp. If you do, you can be traveling almost anywhere and find a great restaurant quickly and easily. You just touch the icon for your Yelp app and type in the kind of food you want. For instance, type "Mexican food," press the search button, and in a matter of moments you will have a list of Mexican restaurants right there on your phone. You can arrange them by popularity, distance from your location, or price range; you can even pull up customer reviews and pictures of the food and restaurant. Amazing!
Have you ever read the Bible on your phone or a tablet? It is easy if you have the Bible Gateway app. This little tool supplies reading plans, allows you to listen to the Bible, provides a place for you to take and keep notes on what you are learning, and much more—all of this in the palm of your hand. Powerful!
There are apps that tell you the weather in any part of the world, others that help you lose weight as they monitor your eating and exercise. There are apps that entertain you with games, provide free music of any genre you like, allow you to follow your favorite sport or team, and the list goes on and on. More and more apps are marketed with each passing day and most of them are free or very inexpensive. They are also, for the most part, quite easy to use. A few touches of your finger, ask a question or two, and the world unfolds before you.
But apps are simple for us because under the surface of the recognizable icon on our phone and the user-friendly app is an incredibly complex serving system. Someone invented it, coded it, designed it, and maintains it. What seems intuitive and straightforward to us is actually quite sophisticated. If you could look behind the scenes, you would be amazed at all that is going on so that you can find your Mexican restaurant, check out the weather for next Wednesday in Sydney, Australia, or look up Matthew 6:33 on your phone.
Sometimes, when something appears to be simple and straightforward, it is actually deeper and more complex than we realize at first glance. Some Bible verses are like this. One of the greatest examples of this is a simple statement that comes directly from the mouth and heart of Jesus: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). Seems simple, doesn't it? The idea is actually very easy to understand. But living out this truth will take a lifetime!
TALK ABOUT IT
If you are familiar with apps, what is a favorite app you have on your phone or tablet and why is it helpful to you? How does this app take something complex and make it simple?
or
Tell about when you first began to experience a drawing toward God and a desire to understand that he has a plan for your life.
VIDEO TEACHING NOTES
As you watch the video teaching segment for session 1, featuring Stovall Weems, use the following outline to record anything that stands out to you.
One man's journey toward the God-first life
Matthew 6:33: Seek God first and everything you need will be added
The God-First app is Matthew 6:33
Blessings of a new family, new life, new freedom
The world's recipe for a happy life
The answer to the happy life is putting God first
When order is restored, blessing is released
Holiness leads to happiness
Video Discussion and Bible Study
1. Stovall tells about becoming a follower of Jesus as a college student, while working at a bar. When did you become a Christian (or maybe you are still investigating) and how has God changed your life since that time?
2. Even after we become Christians, we can still have questions about God, Jesus, the Bible, heaven, among other things. What was a question you grappled with after becoming a Christian that eventually made sense?
Why is it okay to love Jesus and follow him and still have questions?
3. Read: Matthew 6:33. How can seeking first God's kingdom, his will, and his righteousness help make sense of the questions we might struggle with?
4. In the times and seasons of life when we actually seek first God's kingdom and his will for our lives, things often seem to fall into place and make sense. Tell about a time or a season in your life when you really devoted your heart and life to seeking God's will. How did God come alive, show up, and work during this time?
5. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus teaches us that order is critical. Seek first his kingdom. What have you noticed happens in your life when you seek God's kingdom first?
What happens when you seek your will, your desires, and your ways first?
6. When you became a Christian, you were ushered into a new family. Tell how God impacted your life through your new brothers and sisters after you followed Jesus and became part of his church.
7. Read: Proverbs 3:5 – 6. How do these wise words of Proverbs echo the heartbeat of Matthew 6:33?
How does trusting the Lord with all our heart help us seek him first?
8. Stovall makes this provocative statement: "When order is restored, blessing is released!" Respond to this. Do you agree? If so, why? Do you disagree? If so, why?
9. Read: 1 Peter 1:13 – 16. How can walking and living in holiness increase our happiness?
How can turning from God's ways and living with self-centered desires (rather than a God-first life orientation) rob us of joy and happiness?
10. How have you experienced the blessing and happiness of God as a direct result of setting God-honoring priorities and seeking him first in your life?
What is one new priority you might begin today, and how can your group members pray as you take this next step into the God-first life?
Closing Prayer
Take time as a group to pray in any of the following directions:
• Thank God for people that he placed in your life who prayed for you, reached out to you, and showed you what a God-first life could look like.
• Thank God for drawing you to himself and for showing you his love and grace.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see when you are being drawn toward living in a way that puts yourself or other people first, rather than God.
• Pray for God to help you find happiness in seeking him first.
• Thank Jesus for showing you what a God-first life looks like and pray that you will be more like him.
BETWEEN SESSIONS
PERSONAL REFLECTION
Take time in personal ref lection to think about the following questions. If you would like, use the journaling space at the end of this session to record your thoughts.
• What are some of the questions you still have about faith and the Bible? How can you seek God first even as you grapple with these questions?
• In what areas of your life do you tend to put yourself or your will first? How can you be proactive and decide in advance how you want to respond in a God-first way the next time you face this temptation?
• Who can you pray for and encourage to live a God-first life? How might God use you to bless them like he used other people to direct you toward a life that seeks him first?
PERSONAL ACTIONS
GET IT IN YOUR HEART AND MIND
Take time this week to commit Matthew 6:33 to memory. Then begin each day repeating the verse a few times, reflecting deeply on its simple invitation and asking God to help you to live in its truth throughout your day. Again, at the end of the day, when you lie down for the night, repeat the verse a few more times. Ask God to help you see where you can seek him first tomorrow.
LOOKING BACK AND REMEMBERING
Reflect back on times in your journey of faith when you really sought God first and pursued his will with passion and consistency. Make a God-first living is the only way to receive the blessing we instinctively seek. list of five good things that happened in your life during this season of seeking God first:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
In moments when you are tempted to seek your own will or lean on your own understanding rather than trust in God, look at this list and reflect on the happiness and blessing that comes when you are living a God-first life.
LOOKING FORWARD AND PREPARING TO LIVE A GOD-FIRST LIFE
Consider three areas of your life where you can be tempted to make decisions or take actions that are not putting God first. These could be areas you have put yourself first in the past or tended to lean on your own understanding.
Area #1: Area of life I can be tempted to put myself first and seek my own wisdom rather than putting God first:
List some of the consequences and costs you have faced by not living a God-first life in this specific area of your life:
•
•
•
•
Write down what a God-first response would look like the next time you face this area of potential temptation.
Pray for strength and wisdom to respond in a way that clearly puts God first the next time you are in this situation.
Area #2: Area of life I can be tempted to put myself first and seek my own wisdom rather than putting God first:
List some of the consequences and costs you have faced by not living a God-first life in this specific area of your life:
•
•
•
•
Write down what a God-first response would look like the next time you face this area of potential temptation.
Pray for strength and wisdom to respond in a way that clearly puts God first the next time you are in this situation.
Area #3: Area of life I can be tempted to put myself first and seek my own wisdom rather than putting God first:
List some of the consequences and costs you have faced by not living a God-first life in this specific area of your life:
•
•
•
•
Write down what a God-first response would look like the next time you face this area of potential temptation.
Pray for strength and wisdom to respond in a way that clearly puts God first the next time you are in this situation.
RECOMMENDED READING
As you reflect on what God is teaching you through this session, read chapters 1 – 2 of The God-First Life by Stovall Weems. In preparation for the next session, read chapter 3.
JOURNAL, REFLECTIONS, AND NOTES
________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The God-First Life Study Guide by Stovall Weems, Kevin Harney, Sherry Harney. Copyright © 2014 Stovall Weems. Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
