Saturday, July 27, 2013

August 4, 2013

Breaking Open the Scriptures Scriptures for August 4th: Hosea 11:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9;43; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21; Theme: Be happy with what you have in Christ; Song: Great is Thy Faithfulness – UMH 140 Colossians: Paul wants us to remember that Christ is the center of our lives, and the center of our faith. Jesus intentionally made sure that we were able to escape our sinful life, and to live a life that is focused in the things of him. Last week we were told that baptism is the beginning of our new life. In baptism we die with Christ, but we also rise anew in Christ. But it is not enough to be given a new life, we have to be willing to live a new life. We have to strip ourselves of our old habits, and start all over again. It is like putting on new clothes, we put on a new Christ. In order to do that we have to take a good look at ourselves, and at our life. Are we really doing what Christ wants us to do? Luke: This story is a warning against material wealth. It does not help us when we are trying to get into heaven. In this story, a brother asked Jesus to correct his brother, who is not giving his fair share of the inheritance. Have you ever noticed that Jesus never gets in the middle of sibling disputes. He refuses to take sides. But he also reminds the person that the kingdom of heaven is not about how much we have physically. It is about where we are in the spiritual realm. And sometimes, the physical things that we are so concerned about can overshadow what God is trying to teach us. Jesus says that you cant get into heaven if you are storing up your treasure here on Earth. We in America, have more than we could ever hope for, we have so much more than the rest of the world. What is the message of riches and treasure for us today. Questions: What does it mean for you to clothes yourself in Christ? How are you different today than you were last year? Have you made an improvement for the sake of Christ? How to we make sure that Christ is the center of our lives? How is your spiritual relationship with God? What physical belongings are you attached to? How would getting rid of them help you have a better relationship with Christ? What does it mean to be rich in the things of God?

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