November 16, 2014

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for November 16th: Judges 4: 1-7; Psalm 123; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30; Theme: Jesus depends on us ; Song: Jesus Keep me Near the Cross UMH 301 1 Thessalonians : This lesson is a precursor to advent and the season of preparing for the second coming. It is Paul’s demand that we listen and to prepare ourselves for that day. Paul warns us that there should be a huge difference between Christians and others. People should be able to spot us a mile away, simply based in who we are and how we handle every day life. Paul is telling us that we don’t know when Jesus is coming back, but the second coming should always be in the back of our mind. Preparation is not just for a season, it is for a lifetime. It is our lifestyle that will qualify us to go with Christ, when he returns for us. We will receive a reward for being faithful. We have been practicing our faith for thousands of years, Christ is aware of our faithfulness, our we aware of his to us? Matthew: This is another good message for advent. This is a message to get our lives in order. Each of us have spiritual gifts, and they were given to us in order to be used. God is watching how we use them. They are not to be used for ourselves, but to benefit others. We are reminded that the time is now for us to use our gifts, we are not to wait until later. We don’t know when our day will come. Jesus is giving us a call to action. So we all need to give some serious thought to our plan. But when we have a plan, know that God is with you and will give you the strength to fulfill what he has planted inside of you. If you have only one precious gift in the world, who would you give it to? How would you use it? Go ahead, the time is now to use your gift, tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us. Questions: What do you think about the second coming? Are you really prepared for Christ to return? What do you still need to do? What is your talent? How do you need to give it away? What would you do if you lost your talent? What are you prepared to do if God gives you a new talent?