October 24th-30th

Welcome to Confident in This!  Scroll to today's date for a daily worship song, guided study of God's Word, and prayer.  This week's topic is very important.  Please talk to your small group leader if you have questions.  We would all 4 be happy to have an open and honest conversation about this difficult topic!




Scripture:

2 Corinthians 4:6-10

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.  7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Philippians 2: 14-15

14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.

Matthew 5:14-16

14 You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Thursday, October 24

Worship-
Click here to listen to today's worship song. 

Study-

Read 2 Corinthians 4:6 above, stopping at the word “darkness.”  Let’s just hang out right there for today.  We’ve talked a lot the past couple week’s about what we do with God’s glory but have you really stopped to take a look at God’s glory?  Click here and watch this video. 

Think-

God created all that and infinitely more that we don’t even know about!  Period!  That’s all I want you to think about this morning!  Focus on his glory!  WOW!

Pray-

Praise God for who he is.  Thank him for your blessings.  Ask God to give you a fresh look at his creation today.   

Review- 
Look over your notes from FpStudents this week.

Friday, October 25

Worship-

Click here to listen to today's worship song.

Study-

Read verse 6 again, but all the way through this time.  All that glory that we saw in yesterday’s video…  God has put all of that is our hearts!  With all that inside, we should be walking around shining that stuff all over everybody.

Think-

I don’t know about you, but for some reason I don’t always feel like the glory of creation is shining out of me.  “Maybe ya’ll are just more spiritual than me.”-ZS :-)  But what holds us back from letting God’s glory shine out of us every minute of every day?  Really consider some possible answers to this question. 

Pray-

Praise God for who he is.  Thank him for your blessings.  Ask God to help you identify things that are holding you back from shining.

Review-

Look over your notes from FpStudents this week.


Saturday, October 26

Worship-

Click here to listen to today's worship song.

Study-

Yesterday, we left off wrestling with this question—What keeps us from letting God’s glory shine out of us every minute of every day?  Philippians 2: 14-15 offers some insight into the answer.  Read this scripture above.  This verse says there are essentially two things that hold us back.  #1- We grumble and argue too much.  God directs us in a way that will bring him glory but we say, “No, God.  I think I’ll do it my way.”  Like Jayson said a few weeks ago, if we want to see God’s glory, we have to get out of the way!  #2- We live in a “warped and crooked generation.”  God created us for perfect glory but we were born into a sinful world.  Therefore, we must constantly battle our own selfishness in order to shine God’s glory.

Think-

On a daily basis, what are the things that stop you from shining God’s glory?  How can you combat those things?

Pray-

Praise God for who he is.  Thank him for your blessings.  Ask the God for self-control when it comes to grumbling, selfishness, or other things that get it the way of shining.

Review-
Look over your notes from FpStudents this week.


Sunday, October 27

Worship-

Click here to listen to today's worship song.

Study-

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7.  A clay pot seems like a strange place to keep a priceless treasure, doesn’t it?   They could break so easily!  But we are those clay pots.  God chooses to keep his amazing treasure, his glory, inside of us!  It seems insane doesn’t it?  Like clay pots, we break easily.  We crack under pressure. 

Think-

According to this verse, why does God allow us to be the vessel for his glory?  What does that say about God?  What does that say about how God feels about us?

Pray-

Praise God for who he is.  Thank him for your blessings.  Ask God for humility to shine His glory, not your own.  

Review-

Look over your notes from FpStudents this week.


Monday, October 28

Worship-

Click here to listen to today's worship song.

Study-

Read 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.  Many times, people quote these verses in attempt to bring comfort in times of trouble.  Perhaps, at first glance, they almost seem out of place in the context of this passage.  But read them again, this time starting with verse 7.  Do you see it?  God stores all that breath-taking glory inside of us in order to show His glory.  We are as fragile as clay pots, but the maker of the universe takes care of us.  We can’t reach our “glory potential” on our own.  We would shatter.  In 2 Corinthians 12:9 God tells us, “My power is made perfect in our weakness.”

Think-

Do you tend to try to shine up your “clay pot” and show it off?  Or do you shine God’s glory from inside?  What is the result of each of these?

Pray-

Praise God for who he is.  Thank him for your blessings.  Ask God to reveal his glory through the thing you are struggling with most right now.

Review-

Look over your notes from FpStudents this week.


Tuesday, October 29

Worship-

Click here to listen to today's worship song.

Study-

Read 2 Corinthians 4:10.  Hmmm… Why would we carry death around inside of us?  That doesn’t seem like something that would attract people to Christ, does it?  Or does it?  At what point in all of history was God MOST glorified?  You got it… the moment when Jesus Christ died on the cross to fix the relationship between God and humanity broken by sin.  Because Christ died to glorify God, and we are Christ-followers, we are called to live our lives for His glory.

Think-

Do you ever have to sacrifice anything to glorify God?  If yes, what?  If no, do you think that’s okay?

Pray-

Praise God for who he is.  Thank him for your blessings.  Pray for the courage to make a sacrifice for God’s glory.

Review-

Look over your notes from FpStudents this week.

Wednesday, October 30

Worship-

Click here to listen to today's worship song.

Study-

Read Matthew 5:14-16.  You ARE the light of the world… NOT should be or could be.  The light is already inside of you.  God placed the light of his glory inside of you when you accepted Christ.

Think-

Do you let that light shine out?  In what ways does your light shine?  Does God get the glory for these things?

Pray-

Praise God for who he is.  Thank him for your blessings.  Ask God to help you use the gifts He gave you to glorify him.

Review-

Look over your notes from FpStudents this week.

This week’s adorable pumpkin pic was borrowed from cloud9design.wordpress.com.