God – Page 6 – Karen Gamble Writes

God’s Timing – Sunday School Outline

The first thing we need to understand is that God’s timing is different than ours.

In it God is explaining some of the things He has done for man.

He is encouraging man to turn from his evil ways and to seek after Him.

Look at verses 8 and 9. This is God speaking –

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (NIV)

God’s way of doing things is much different than our ways.

That includes His timing.

Consider 2 Peter 3:8-9 –
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (NIV)

As Creator of the Universe, God created time so He is not bound by it.

Instead He works on a higher level.

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Proverbs 20:22 – Sunday School Outline

Today’s lesson is on Proverbs 20:22:

Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong”, wait for the Lord, and He will deliver you. (NIV)

The KJV says, 22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.

Sometimes when people are mistreating us we might be tempted to deal with them, pop our mouth off at them, set them straight, or give them “a piece of our mind”, or maybe even think, “I’ll show them!”.

When we do any of these are trying to handle it.

But there is a verse we need to consider first.

19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (NIV)

This does not mean we sit back and grin at what God’s going to do to them because they were mean to us.

This comes from a bigger passage that says:

Romans 12:17-21 – 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (NIV)

So in other words, the way we respond to others being mean or evil toward us is with good.

That can be hard!

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Our Words – Sunday School Outline

Our words come from what’s in our hearts

We know this because according to Luke 6:45 –
45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (NIV)

So, whatever is in your heart is going to come out of your mouth.
You can tell a lot about yourself by listening to what you say.
-The great thing is, if you don’t like what you say, you can do some heart work and submit it to God for cleansing.

Ephesians 4:29 says,
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (NIV)

The King James says it like this:
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (NIV)

I looked up unwholesome/corrupt in the original Greek
It means rotten, putrid, unfit for use, poor quality

We are not supposed to let anything corrupt come out of our mouths.

Instead, we are to allow edifying things out

Edify – to instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary )

The words that come out of our mouth are supposed to help others, instructing them.
-This does not mean beat them over the head with it.

Instead:

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The Heart – Sunday School Outline

When we study our heart we also must consider our thoughts and our mouths.

All three of these are interconnected.

Here’s why:

Your thoughts affect what your heart believes.

Your heart affects what your head believes.

Your words are a reflection of what’s in your heart.

Turn to Matthew 15–
Some pharisees and teachers came to see Jesus.
     -they wanted to know why the disciples were breaking the rules.
     -remember by this time the pharisees had made up a bunch of rules, regulations, and traditions they said everyone had to follow to be properly following the law
     – they weren’t actually God’s laws, they were just man’s rules.
     -they said the disciples were eating without washing their hands
     -the Pharisees were pretty offended by this.

Verse 3 – Jesus answers their question with His…
3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a] and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b] 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” (NIV)

Jesus calls them out.
He points out where they are being sinful and manipulates the law.

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Thoughts -Sunday School Outline

Do you think about what you’re thinking about?

Or, do you just assume the thoughts in your head are true and right and go with them?

Part of being a Christian is knowing the truth – about God, others, situations, and ourselves.

Colossians 3:9-10 says:
“9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (NIV)

-In other words – now that we are Christians we are not supposed to lie.
-Lying was a part of our old selves, not our Christian selves.
-This includes lying to ourselves.

Now that we are Christians we are supposed to deal only in the truth.

Now look at Romans 12:1-3:
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)

How can we be transformed by the renewing of our mind?

How can that change us?

Why should we be transformed/changed?

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Sunday School Lessons

I recently started teaching a Women’s Sunday School class at my church.

From time to time I will be posting the outline of the previous day’s lesson here on the blog.

It is my hope these lessons will help you better understand God’s word.

You are free to use them to teach your own classes or to share with others. All I ask is that you let them know where you got the material.

If you have any comments or would like to discuss any of the lessons, please be sure to let me know. I would love an opportunity to speak with you!

A list of the available lessons can be found on my Lessons Outlines page.

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The Face of Humility

Today a lady came by my office seeking help.

She’d been sent by another church who knew we have a homeless ministry.

It seems she and her 37-year-old son had been evicted from their apartment following some sad events concerning a questionable landlord.

I apologized as I explained we had no funds available and would not be able to help.

In a trembling voice, she said it was ok; she understood.

Tears fell down her face when I offered to pray for her.

As I prayed I remembered we had a few gift cards to a local restaurant and offered them to her, asking if she was hungry.

Her humble reply, “Well, we haven’t eaten in about 3 days, but that’s okay.” Her humble and gentle demeanor made it clear she really was in need.

I gave her the cards and rounded up a few cans of soup from the storage area.

She was so thankful, repeatedly telling me she appreciated it and thanking me for my kindness.

Feeling bad that I couldn’t do more for her, I gave her the number to a local Christian homeless shelter and apologized again that we couldn’t help.

She looked me straight in the eye, smiled, and said,

“That’s okay. God gave me

what I deserved today and it’s plenty.

We’ll be just fine.”

She left my office smiling.

Plenty? A gift certificate and a few cans of soup and she thinks it’s plenty? She and her disabled son are homeless and she thinks that’s plenty? What a testament to her faith!

Later, I sat at my desk and thought about how kind, gentle, and sweet she was. I kept thinking about what a bad spot she was in through no fault of her own. How humbly she’d accepted my small offerings with great appreciation and gratitude.

It dawned on me – I’m the one who should be thanking her.

She reminded me of the importance of a humble attitude of gratitude.

I might be the one sitting in this office assigned with the task of showing God’s love, but this lady showed me what true humility and love for the Savior really looks like.

So, thank you, Ms. Kathy.

It was an honor and a privilege to meet you!

Your witness is truly an inspiration for us all!

(this post was originally published on my previous blog, the link to which is no longer available)

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How to Study Your Bible

Regular Bible Study is an important part of being a Christian. (read why here)

If it’s not something you are familiar with it can be a bit intimidating. The Bible is a big book and it may be confusing as to where to start.

(Tip: The Bible is divided into two parts: The Old Testament and the New Testament.

Each of these is a collection of books combined together. When I say book in this post I am talking about one of these books, not the entire Bible.)

When it comes to reading it, don’t be afraid.

Just jump in there and try, even if you are uncomfortable or nervous.

Once you get started you might see it’s not as hard as you thought it would be!

Here are some steps to follow to help get you started reading:

Give yourself grace.

You cannot sit and read all of it at once.

You typically can’t even read a whole book, unless it’s one of the really short ones like Jude or 3rd John.

That’s okay, it’s not a race.

It’s an investment in your life, your faith walk, and God’s kingdom.

So take a deep breath and relax.

It’s not a race!

Start by finding a quiet spot and uninterrupted few minutes.

This might mean you have to get up a few minutes early. You could also use your lunch break at work, or time alone in the evening when the day has calmed down.

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Conviction vs. Condemnation

There are two very similar things we experience concerning mistakes we make and sins we commit.

One is conviction, the other is condemnation.

I’m not talking about the condemnation we are under if we are not Christians. (You can read more about that condemnation here.)

I’m talking about what we feel concerning our sins and our regrets towards those sins.

Condemnation and conviction both speak to us about our sins but they come from two very different places.

Condemnation says what we did is bad, we’re no good, God might not even love us anymore.

Condemnation brings up past mistakes and sins as a way of trying to falsely prove we are of low worth.

It is demoralizing, discouraging, and deters us from trying.

It encourages us to give up.

These thoughts and ideas are from the enemy and/or our lack of understanding of who we are in Christ.

Conviction, on the other hand, says what we did was wrong and we need to apologize to God. We need to make things right.

It is correcting, revealing the truth of our errors and ways. It seeks to reconcile us to God.

Conviction is from God by way of the Holy Spirit speaking to us and pointing out our sins so we can repent and restore our relationship with God to its proper place.

A wise friend once told me,

“Condemnation makes you want to run FROM God, while conviction makes you want to run TO God.”

Wise words, indeed.

The whole point of condemnation is to get our eyes off Christ and what He did for us and on to our own insufficiency.

Don’t fall for this trick of the enemy.

Instead, when condemnation comes, remember, as a Christian we are no longer condemned.

Yes, we made a bad choice. Yes, we sinned.

But – it’s not the end of the world. We haven’t lost our chances with God. He hasn’t, and won’t, turn His back on us.

Instead of giving in to the condemnation and the tailspin of chaos it creates, we can go straight to God in prayer.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

We can tell Him what we are feeling. Ask Him to help us navigate it.

We can repent of our sin.

(Repent – to agree with God that He is right, that what we did was wrong, apologize, and commit to not doing it again.)

After repenting, it’s important to let go of it and refuse to go back to it. Once it’s dealt with, it’s dealt with. There’s no reason to revisit it.

Once we have repented, we are restored in our relationship with God. We can move on, being careful not to repeat the same sin.

Condemnation may want to take us back to the scene of the crime. We can’t let it. There’s no value in it.

Instead, rest in the knowledge that God’s grace is sufficient, walking in the assurance that now that the sin has been dealt with we can confidently move forward in our relationship with God.

Is there something you are feeling condemnation or conviction over? Will you take it to God in prayer?

For further reading

Romans 8:1 –There is now no condemnation...

Philippians 3:13-14 Forgetting what is behind and pressing on...

My post on being Condemned.

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Condemned

One of the things I often hear people say about why they have not or cannot become a Christian is that they think they have done things that are so bad that God would never accept them.

They think they are condemned by what they have done.

And they are partially correct.

We are condemned because of our many sins.

God is perfect and Holy. He cannot tolerate sin anywhere near Him.

Because of our sins we are separated from God and cannot reconcile ourselves to Him.

Understand, though, it’s not just those who have done terrible things.

All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ~Romans 3:23 (NIV)

All of us.

This does not mean there is no hope for us or that we are no longer eligible to have a relationship with God.

Jesus came to earth, died on the cross, was buried in a tomb, raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven.

He did this to pay for our sins and reconcile us to God!

This payment makes atonement and releases us from condemnation.

It redeems and rescues us.

In order to receive this reconciliation and rescue we must do something in return.

We must accept this free gift as something done personally for us.

Scripture tells us how we must do it:

⁹If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ~Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

The truth is there is nothing you have done that is too big to be forgiven. NO MATTER WHAT IT IS!

Jesus is a really big Savior and He can redeem us from absolutely anything.

When He died on the cross to pay our sin debt He did not put a limit on the size, number, or sort of sins He would cover. He covered them all. He did it completely and willingly.

So, no matter what it is you have done it is not too big nor too bad for God to forgive through the blood of Christ that was shed on that cross at Calvary.

Once you have trusted Christ to be your Savior, you are completely redeemed and completely free from the guilt of your past sins.

No questions asked.

No exceptions.

You are redeemed, rescued, reconciled.

You are free!

So, whatever it is you are feeling condemned for, why don’t you trust Christ to take away all your sins and reconcile you to God so you can start life anew without the burden of old sins hanging over you?

For further reading

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, (Jesus) that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”(NIV)

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”(NIV)

My post on Conviction vs. Condemnation

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