Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes (12 page)
Read Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes Online
Authors: June Hunt
There is no safer place than that.
Day 1:
I A
M
A
DOPTED BY
G
OD
• Regardless of your family ties, you can draw comfort from knowing you have been adopted into God’s family. What are some of the similarities and differences between the legal adoption of a child into a family and the spiritual adoption of a person into God’s family?
• Read Galatians 4:5-7 out loud. What benefits and blessings do believers receive when adopted into God’s family?
Day 2:
I A
M A
C
HILD OF
G
OD
• Every person has an inward “longing to belong.” God Himself put this feeling into our hearts. Why do you think God put this longing in us? How does this longing reveal itself in your life?
• According to John 1:12, how does a person become a true child of God?
Day 3:
I A
M
P
RECIOUS TO
G
OD
• When we face difficulties in life, we might be tempted to doubt that we are truly precious to God. Read Isaiah 43:4 out loud. What three words does the prophet use to describe God’s feelings toward His people?
• Most of us find it hard to reconcile these two truths: 1) I am precious to God, yet 2) He allows hardship and pain. In such times, you can cling to the words of Isaiah: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (43:2). What is your “personalized version” of this verse (see page 32 in this book)?
Day 4:
I A
M
A
CCEPTED BY
G
OD
• While many of us have experienced rejection and some of us have been scorned by someone who should have loved us, the Word of God says we are totally and completely accepted by our heavenly Father (Ephesians 1:3-10). What does Psalm 27:10 teach us about this kind of acceptance? What does Jeremiah 31:3 say to you personally?
• Are there times you struggle with feeling accepted by God? What causes those doubts? What can you do to be assured of His acceptance?
Day 5:
I A
M
C
ALLED BY
N
AME BY
G
OD
• Read the following quote by Charles Haddon Spurgeon: “He who counts the stars, and calls them by their names, is in no danger of forgetting His own children. He knows you as thoroughly as if you were the only creature He ever made, or the only saint He ever loved.” How important is it to know a person by name? How do you feel when you think about God knowing you by name?
• Psalm 139:13-16 makes it clear we are intimately known by God. What truths are expressed in these verses?
Day 6:
I A
M
B
APTIZED WITH
C
HRIST
• The apostle Paul said that Christians have been “baptized into Christ” (Romans 6:3). What does this phrase mean to you? (Note: The word
baptize
means to immerse. Hence the symbolism of total immersion in water baptism. The spiritual “baptism” that takes place at the moment of salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit placing you “in Christ.” You are totally and permanently identified with Him—immersed in Him. Being lowered or baptized into physical water is a symbol of being identified with the death and burial of Jesus. Being raised up out of the water is a symbol of being identified with the new resurrection life of Jesus.)
• Read aloud one of the personalized verses related to baptism in Christ (see page 42 of the book).
Day 7:
I A
M
H
IDDEN WITH
C
HRIST
• In this day’s reading, we learn about Corrie ten Boom’s family providing a hiding place for the Jews who were being persecuted and put to death. Similarly, God has promised His children a “hiding place” (Psalm 32:7). What does this phrase mean to you?
• The idea of God providing a hiding place for His children is more than just poetic language. What are some practical ways to find safety and shelter in the Lord?
“‘Come now, let us reason together,’says the L
ORD
. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’”
(I
SAIAH
1:18).
I
n Luke 15:11-31, Jesus told the story of a rebellious son who demanded his inheritance before his father’s death. He was tired of living under his father’s roof, restricted by his rules. “Give me the share of property that is coming to me,” he said.
The father did as his son asked. Soon the boy took all he had and left for a distant country. Naturally, that is not what the father wanted for his son. He understood the dangers and hardships awaiting him. As he watched the boy walk away, it would be reasonable to say the father’s own “plan” for his son’s life had not worked out too well.
Sure enough, the son quickly squandered everything he had on reckless living. Then the new country in which he lived experienced a terrible famine. The only work the boy could find was feeding livestock. He was so destitute and so wretched he just wished to be fed along with the pigs he was feeding (to Jews, pigs were unclean animals, so this would have been a detestable act). He could sink no lower. The bright future his father no doubt planned for him was completely ruined.
One day the rebel son came to his senses and realized his mistakes. He made up his mind to return home and ask for forgiveness…even if it meant living as a servant in a place where he had once enjoyed the full privileges of a son.
The end of the story is well-known. When the father saw his son coming over the horizon, he was filled with joy and literally ran to meet him in the fields. Not only did the father place a fine robe on his son’s shoulders and a ring on his finger, he also ordered a huge feast in celebration. And he proudly proclaimed, “For this son of mine was…lost and is found” (Luke 15:24).
Despite all that had happened, the father’s ultimate “plan” for his son—to love him unconditionally and forgive him freely when he returned—never wavered for an instant.
God also has an unshakable plan for each of us: to lead us to repentance, redeem us from sin, reconcile us to Himself, and make us full-fledged sons and daughters in His house forever. When we rebel, His plan is the same. When we wander, His plan is the same. His heart rejoices when we approach Him. In our darkest hour, God’s perfect plan points the way home.
Day 8:
I A
M
C
HOSEN BY
G
OD
• When people become Christians, they sometimes say, “I accepted Christ” or “I asked Jesus to come into my heart.” However, Scripture teaches that long before you made an initial decision to follow Jesus, God chose
you
(read John 15:16 and Ephesians 1:4). He chose you not because of your good qualities or strengths, but simply because He loved you. He wanted you. Think about this truth for a moment. How does it make you feel? How could this truth impact your daily life?
• Have you had the experience of being chosen for something important (a job, a sport, a play, or to be a speaker or a soloist)? If so, it probably felt wonderful. Now consider being chosen by the God of the universe to be His child. What thoughts and feelings come to mind? How does being chosen by God influence the way you think about yourself?
Day 9:
I A
M
B
ORN
A
GAIN BY
G
OD
• When God created Adam and Eve, they were made in his own image (Genesis 1:27), and they enjoyed oneness of mind and heart. When Adam and Eve sinned, how did it affect them spiritually? What consequences did it have on all who were born after them? (Note: Their sin was the seeking after self-sufficiency: They ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil so they wouldn’t have to depend on God for that knowledge. God allowed them to pursue self-sufficiency, but in so doing, they lost their intimacy with Him. Since that time, all of us have struggled with the desire to be in control of our own lives. It is only when we come to the point of understanding the futility of living a self-sufficient lifestyle that we seek after God.)
• The term
born again
has been distorted by the media and others who want it to be associated with “religious nuts” or “narrow-minded zealots.” But what is the true, biblical meaning of the term
born again?
Explain what being born again means as it applies to you.
Day 10:
I A
M
S
AVED BY
G
OD
• Not only are we
chosen
by God and
born again
into the family of God, but we are also
saved.
What does the word
saved
mean? What are we “saved” from? (Describe what is included in the scope of our salvation—past, present, and future implications.)
• What does Hebrews 7:25 teach us about salvation?
Day 11:
I A
M
J
USTIFIED BY
G
OD
• Ask a group member to explain what is meant by
justification.
What is the difference between being pardoned and being justified? (Note: To be pardoned means the penalty for our sins has already been paid. That was the purpose of the shedding of Jesus’ blood. However, pardon still recognizes our guilt. Justification declares we are innocent. By the blood of Jesus, not only are our sins
forgiven,
but we are also
cleansed
from all unrighteousness.)
• Read Romans 5:1-2. What are some of the results of being justified?
Day 12:
I A
M
R
EDEEMED BY
G
OD
• What does the word
redeemed
mean? How does this definition apply to your spiritual life?
• Read one of the personalized passages about redemption (on page 63 in the book).
Day 13:
I A
M
F
ORGIVEN BY
G
OD
• Read 1 John 1:9. What does this verse teach about God’s love and grace?
• Why do so many Christians struggle with guilt feelings even though God promises complete forgiveness? What are some practical ways to receive and experience the Lord’s grace?
Day 14:
I A
M
W
ASHED BY
G
OD
• In everyday language, what does it mean to be “washed by God”?
• Ask: In what ways does God’s grace and power provide us with a fresh, new start? How does the cleansing by God’s Spirit enable us to move forward with confidence and conviction? In what ways do you need a fresh start?
Day 15:
I A
M
R
ECONCILED BY
G
OD
• Whenever we experience a broken relationship (especially involving a close friend or family member), our hearts long for
reconciliation.
The original New Testament Greek word for
reconciled
means “to change thoroughly, to exchange from one condition to another.” According to Romans 5:10, why do we need to be reconciled to God? How does this process of reconciliation happen in your spiritual life? (Note: The condition of the unbeliever is that of being an enemy to God. The sin of seeking self-sufficiency means we are rebels against God and therefore enemies of His will for us. For us to be reconciled to Him, this condition has to be radically altered. This supernatural change was accomplished by the death of Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins—a sacrifice we were incapable of making ourselves.)