September 24 – 30, 2017

LOVE(MATH): Trinity

By Joe Davis

As I listened to the service, I was struck by the statistic that 1 in 5 people suffer from persistent loneliness. Dan followed that with the question, “When have you experienced loneliness”? I immediately went to when my marriage was in the midst of crisis. It seemed like everything that happened in those moments pushed me into horrible loneliness, and depression. I absolutely hated that feeling and still get a little nervous when something around me causes those feelings to arise within me.  

Genesis 2:18 says that it was not good for man to be alone. We can look throughout the entire Bible and see that God never put anyone by themselves. He always partnered with them or gave them other people to help with what was going on at the time. 

My time in the military was never done alone. I worked and led a team of guys. I was never sent on any mission by myself to figure it out. We are designed to NOT be alone. We are so reliant on others, that most of the time we don’t even notice. The scriptures tell us that we were created in God’s likeness. So, if we are created in his likeness, then obviously we were designed for relationship. 

For me, this all points back to my relationship with God and how critically vital it is for me to be actively pursuing my relationship with him. When I am not actively in relationship with God, EVERYTHING around me suffers because I don’t have my thoughts centered on him. I almost lost my marriage because my relationship with God was so out of whack that it carried over into my other relationships.  

As I have worked to put Jesus in the center and have him restore my thoughts and habits, I can look back on the Bible and see how vital God actually thinks this active relationship should be. I mean, he started creation with this! How can it not be important if he started the whole thing with that?!  

There are always going to be unknowns in life, but as long as I’m seeking to view my life as God does daily and trusting that he’s "got it", then I don’t need to worry about the unknowns. God see’s the whole picture of how things are supposed to fit together. All I have to do is look at my life through his eyes.  

{sunday 9.24.17}

Read Genesis 2:18

Observe, Reflect, Apply: When have you felt lonely? How did you feel? What brought you out of this feeling? Do you feel lonely now? If you do feel lonely, who do you know that you can reach out to? If you don’t feel lonely, who do you know that might be feeling lonely that you should reach out to?

{personal reflection and bible reading plan}

As you read the verses each day, make notes of questions you have about what you’re reading as well as answering the reflection questions below. Grab a friend or two to discuss what you are learning and what God is doing in your lives.

CLICK HERE to catch Seth Davidson’s summary of Hebrews 4-7 in The Journey Continues.

{monday 9.25.17}

Read Hebrews 7:18-28

Observe, Reflect, Apply: Jesus is the guarantee of God’s covenant. When you think of something as guaranteed what comes to mind? Is it indestructible? Will it last forever? Can it fail? How is a guarantee from God different than a guarantee from people?

{tuesday 9.26.17}

Read Hebrews 8

Observe, Reflect, Apply: Jesus is a new covenant replacing the old. Why would God need to make a new covenant? Have you ever had to try more than once to solve a problem? Explain.

{wednesday 9.27.17}

Read Hebrews 9:1-10

Observe, Reflect, Apply: The author of Hebrews continues with drawing a direct line and comparison of Jesus to the practices the readers were accustomed to so they could understand Jesus and what he means. How would you share the importance of Jesus in our modern world?

{thursday 9.28.17}

Read Hebrews 9:11-22

Observe, Reflect, Apply: This scripture ends with “there’s no pardon without bloodshed!” That’s a pretty intense way to summarize what Jesus did. In our modern world this may come off as old world and harsh. However, we as people still like to see others pay a dear price for their mistakes. It’s all over our TV shows, movies and social media. In your own (nonchurch words) explain what Jesus did by dying for everyone.

{friday 9.29.17}

Read Hebrews 9:23-10:4

Observe, Reflect, Apply: Why do we continue to sin even after the sacrifice Jesus made for us and after we have accepted him as our salvation?

{saturday 9.30.17}

Read Hebrews 10:5-18

Observe, Reflect, Apply: Take 5 minutes and write whatever comes to mind about the word “sacrifice”. The only guidelines are…. 1) Do NOT stop writing for the entire 5 minutes. 2)  Do NOT self-edit as you write. Share what you wrote with someone else.

{group discussion ideas}

We weren’t meant to experience the life of Jesus alone, so we encourage you to rally a few others to discuss what you are hearing, reading, and reflecting on together. Whether you are meeting as an Heartland group, talking with a few friends throughout the week, or bringing up spiritual conversations around your table at home, feel free to use some of these questions as conversation starters for The Journey.

• Describe a time in your life where you EITHER felt most lonely or connected?
• How does our understanding of God as “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” impact your view of relationships?
• What’s one thing you’re going to take with you today?
  a. Something you must do?
  b. An encouragement?
  c. Something God has nudged you about?
  d. Something to think more about?
• Can you name an ‘takeaway’ or challenge from the Sunday message?
• How has that been relevant, challenging, or meaningful to your life this week?
• What have you observed about God, Jesus, yourself, others, or God’s plan for you from these readings?
• Where do you need a breakthrough from God this week?
• Who do you need to share what you’re learning about God with?

{extra journey resources}

CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.

The Bible App Get a free Bible for your phone, tablet, and computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.

Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.

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