Jesus Calling Book Club Discussion Guide for Seniors

by Sarah Young

Overview

Experience peace in the presence of the Savior who is closer than you can imagine with the Jesus Calling® Discussion Guide for Seniors

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780718086299
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	04/12/2016
Series:	Jesus Calling®
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	58
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Sarah Young, author of the bestselling 365-day devotionals Jesus Calling® and Jesus Listens, was committed to helping people connect with Jesus and the Bible. Her books have sold more than 46 million copies worldwide. Jesus Calling® has appeared on all major bestseller lists. Sarah’s writings include Jesus Calling®, Jesus Listens®, Jesus Always, Jesus Today®, Jesus Lives™, Dear Jesus, Jesus Calling® for Little Ones, Jesus Calling® Bible Storybook, Jesus Calling®: 365 Devotions for Kids, and more, each encouraging readers in their journeys toward intimacy with Christ. Sarah believed praying for her readers was a privilege and God-given responsibility and did so daily even amidst her own health challenges.

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Read an Excerpt

Jesus Calling

A 52-Week Discussion Guide for Seniors

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By Sarah Young

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2016 Sarah Young
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7180-8629-9

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CHAPTER 1

The Jesus Calling® Discussion Guide for Seniors

The following discussion guide questions are based on entries from the devotional Jesus Calling and are designed for seniors in a study or small-group setting. The selections are identified by date; however, the discussion sessions do not have to be done on a specific date — the references are simply used to help you locate the passages. Questions can be used for group discussion or personal reflection any time of the year.

Discussion #1: All in Gods Timing

Please read the devotion (or listen if you have the Jesus Calling audiobook) and related Scripture passages from Jesus Calling dated January 9, and then answer/discuss these questions:

1. What are some examples of plans you have made for your life, and what are the main action steps you have taken or need to take to achieve these plans?

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2. Today's reading tells us that one of the ways God shows His sovereignty is in the timing of events. Think about various key landmarks that have come about in your life so far. Did they come to fruition how you had planned and with the timing you were expecting?

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3. "Never Give Up" is a great motto to live by, and Romans 8:31 tells us, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Sometimes it can be tempting to give up on something when it doesn't come easy or in the time frame you want. Will you endeavor to keep persevering and let God, in His infinite wisdom, take you where you need be instead of trying to get there by yourself?

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Discussion #2: Enjoy Your Life

Please read the devotion (or listen if you have the Jesus Calling audiobook) and related Scripture passages from Jesus Calling dated August 13, and then answer/discuss these questions:

1. Where are you on the spectrum of enjoying life? Are you similar to those people, as today's reading points out, who "wear sour faces and walk through their lives with resigned rigidity"? Or do you "walk through a day with childlike delight, savoring every blessing"? What is the reason for your current state?

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2. When we focus on seeking God's presence, we can more fully enjoy life. When we focus on living a life that is defined by gratefulness, we project that same spirit to the world. What are some things you can be thankful for today? How might proclaiming your gratefulness be a good influence on those around you?

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3. One of today's scriptures says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). How has the thief of bitterness robbed you of an abundant life? Instead of focusing on where life is lacking, start focusing on what God has done for you today.

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Discussion #3: Drawing on the Strength of God

Please read the devotion (or listen if you have the Jesus Calling audiobook) and related Scripture passages from Jesus Calling dated February 4, and then answer/discuss these questions:

1. Some days we feel stronger than others. As we measure our "strong days" or "weak days," what are the defining moments of each of these times? Do you find when you are weaker, you draw closer to God, which might lead to times of strength?

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2. In today's reading you are admonished to "bring [God] your weakness, and receive [His] peace." Instead of berating yourself when you don't have much strength, look at your weakness as an opportunity to let God work in you. How might this change your attitude toward being weak?

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3. Once again, the Bible reveals God's promise to us in these matters in Psalm 29:11: "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace." When you have felt weak, how has God will infused you with His strength?

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Discussion #4: Thankful in All Circumstances

Please read the devotion (or listen if you have the Jesus Calling audiobook) and related Scripture passages from Jesus Calling dated May 13, and then answer/discuss these questions:

1. How is it possible to thank God in all things? When the car breaks down? When someone you love is hurting? When you are feeling low?

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2. Today's reading tells us that despite negative circumstances, we can remember that God is still watching over us: "Look for areas where you need to let go, leaving your cares in My able hands." Think of a problem where you previously weren't able to see God's work at hand. What opportunities for growth in Him have you found because of that problem?

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3. What areas of your life are you trying to control according to your own will? How can you give control to God and follow His leading instead?

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Discussion #5: Safe and Secure

Please read the devotion (or listen if you have the Jesus Calling audiobook) and related Scripture passages from Jesus Calling dated January 31, and then answer/discuss these questions:

1. What issues in life worry you? What in this world makes you feel secure?

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2. How can you rely on God as your strength and shield, referred to in Psalm 28:7, when worries overtake you, you feel powerless, and the things you normally find security in fall away?

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3. Today's reading speaks to how God's presence watches over us continually. In what experiences are you thankful for God's watchful care in your life — events that can't be explained any other way except His hand protecting, helping, and guiding you?

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Discussion #6: Keep Climbing

Please read the devotion (or listen if you have the Jesus Calling audiobook) and related Scripture passages from Jesus Calling dated February 1, and then answer/discuss these questions:

1. Think about what you've achieved thus far in your life, in your community, or with your family. What experiences have enabled you to find strength to achieve these things?

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2. Have you been through or are you going through a time in your life when you felt like you had an issue or a problem that seemed insurmountable? How did you or will you overcome this obstacle?

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3. The Scripture passage for today talks about "[walking] by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV). Think about what "mountains" you are worried about today. Do you have faith that God will continue to lead you right where you need to be? Trust and thank Him for where He's brought you thus far.

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Discussion #7: The Mind and the Spirit

Please read the devotion (or listen if you have the Jesus Calling audiobook) and related Scripture passages from Jesus Calling dated September 19, and then answer/discuss these questions:

1. Think for a minute about how your day begins. What are some of the first things you see and hear? On TV? On billboards as you drive to work? On the radio? On the Internet? In the first hours of your day you are bombarded with ideas, images, and sounds that you may or may not choose on your own. What kind of effect do you think this has on your psyche?

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2. With all of this imagery and various forms of media swirling about us, it is easy to get distracted and difficult to keep our minds alert and clear. Today's reading reminds us, "As you concentrate on Me, My Spirit fills your mind with Life and Peace." How do you make time amidst the barrage of other stimuli in your life to fill up on these essentials from God?

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3. Romans 8:6 reiterates, "The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." In what ways can you allow the Spirit to rule your mind and win the battle that is being waged to distract and block you from true strength and peace in God's presence?

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Discussion #8: The Challenge of Change

Please read the devotion (or listen if you have the Jesus Calling audiobook) and related Scripture passages from Jesus Calling dated February 15, and then answer/discuss these questions:

1. The reading for today reminds us that we should come to God will all our weaknesses. Is there a physical, emotional, or spiritual weakness that you have not laid at the feet of God? How can acknowledging these weaknesses help you find comfort in Him?

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2. It's tough to have the confidence to abandon ourselves to God's will, especially if we find comfort in the sameness of things. Think of a time of great change in your life. Did you approach the change with dread and fear? Or did you welcome what it might bring? How did that approach affect the outcome of this change in your life?

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3. Ephesians 3:20–21 states, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Knowing that God can do so much more in your life than you can ever imagine, can you identify some ways God might be breaking you out of your routine and prompting you to experience something new with Him?

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Discussion #9: Strength and Neediness

Please read the devotion (or listen if you have the Jesus Calling audiobook) and related Scripture passage from Jesus Calling dated April 18, and then answer/discuss these questions:

1. When we develop a spirit of thankfulness, we are afforded the benefit of peace. How do you make the correlation of daily expressions of thankfulness to the blessing of peace in your life?

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2. Today's reading reminds us that God has designed us to "need [Him] moment by moment. As your awareness of your neediness increases, so does your realization of [His] abundant sufficiency." Many of us pride ourselves on our own self-sufficiency, but we are designed to need God moment by moment. What does this do to our carefully constructed views of ourselves as being independent and self-sustaining? By admitting this neediness, can we actually grow stronger and more peaceful?

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3. Strength and neediness may not seem like they would go hand in hand. But today's scripture speaks to how they do: "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). It takes a boldness to admit we need help. Think of the ways you've become arrogant about your own strength. How can you choose to depend on God and, thus, accept His strength and peace?

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Discussion #10: Steadfast Hearts

Please read the devotion (or listen if you have the Jesus Calling audiobook) and related Scripture passages from Jesus Calling dated April 17, and then answer/discuss these questions:

1. Our lives are ever fluctuating, filled alternately with moments of joy and pain. Even if we seemingly know what to expect, we can still be caught off guard when something comes our way that we didn't anticipate. In what ways do we respond to unexpected events?

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(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Copyright © 2016 Sarah Young. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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