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Group Leadership
August 13, 2020

Learning from Biblical Characters

By Deborah Spooner

We’re human. 

We make mistakes, experience pain, learn to love, and so much more. But, we are not humans who live in a vacuum. People lived before us, and we can learn a lot from their experiences. We find a legacy of believers in the Bible. Studying these characters can allow us to learn from their lessons and avoid their mistakes.

Whether seeking to increase your own personal learning or equip your group members to engage with deeper biblical study, try these four steps to learn from biblical characters.

Look around

Once you’ve selected a person in the Bible to study, first look around to see what you can learn about their world. This “looking around” is asking what they might have seen in their context. What was happening in the moment of history where they lived? Where were they living? What type of people might they have had contact with? Then, look around to where this character appears in the Bible. What comes in the chapters before and after? What is the bigger story being told throughout the entire book where they appear? 

Look to articles, commentaries, and other resources to aid your search.

  • Look in 

Next, look in to see what you can learn about the person. What type of character traits might be evident in what’s written about them? How are they shown interacting with people around them? What do their words say about them? Asking these questions can give us insight into characteristics and responses that we might want to emulate or show us warnings that we might want to avoid.

Many resources have biographical information about the characters that can lend assistance in this area. 

  • Look up

Then, look up and ask what we learn about God through the character’s story. Are they speaking directly about the truth and character of the Lord? Are they speaking directly against Him? What can we learn about God’s plan through how their story played out? How can the events, actions, and words in the story help us to honor the Lord further and more deeply desire to understand Him?

Bible studies can offer discussion questions that lead you in the right direction to unpack what is learned about God through each situation.

  • Look out

Finally, look outward into your own life and see how your day-to-day existence should be impacted through what you’ve learned about the biblical person and what you’ve learned about the Creator. Maybe you’ve found some characteristic that you want to emulate. Maybe you’ve seen the wisdom with which a situation was handled or the grace that was extended, and you are able to find a parallel in your own life (even as we recognize the importance of not over-extending the passage’s intended context). Maybe you’ve been reminded of attributes of the Lord for which you can pause and thank Him.

Additional articles and resources can help you bridge the lessons from the story into applications for your own life.

We have much to learn from each other and much to learn from the legacy of believers or other characters within Scripture. 

Lifeway has a team of dedicated writers and editors that wanted to make these lessons from biblical characters more accessible to you and your small group. They’ve developed seven Bible studies that focus on different characters in the Bible. These lessons help you learn in all of the four categories listed above. Timeline information teaches you about looking around; biographical insight reveals more about looking in; the discussion questions and descriptions teach you about looking up; and the application sections aid you in looking out.

For more information (and for many free resources such as timelines, devos, trivia, and more) visit lifeway.com/characters.

 

Online Bible Study
August 4, 2020

Join us for The Good Life Online Bible Study!

By Deborah Spooner

In our increasingly digital world, we are excited to announce our next online Bible study!

On Tuesday, September 8th, we will begin studying The Good Life by Derwin Gray. Hosted through our free Facebook Group, the study experience will run through October 27. 

About the Study:

Everyone wants to be happy. We spend our money, time, and energy chasing our version of the good life. And on the way, we run ourselves into physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. But what if the happiness we’re all striving for isn’t the happiness we were created for?

Pastor and author Dr. Derwin L. Gray believes there is a better road to happiness, and it is found in the Beatitudes of Jesus. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed the shocking, countercultural path to true flourishing. It comes not through wealth, fame, or laughter but through poverty, obscurity, and mourning. This 8-session small-group study demonstrates how Jesus taught us to search for, find, and hold on to the good life. 

Session Topics: 

1) Happy are the Beggars

2) Happy are Those Who Lament

3) Happy are the Humble

4) Happy are the Hungry and Thirsty

5) Happy are the Merciful

6) Happy are the Seers

7) Happy are the Peacemakers

8) Happy are the Persecuted

Click to read a sample, order the Bible study, or to find out more.

How it works:

  • Each week on Tuesdays at 7 AM CT in the Facebook Group, we’ll post a teaching video from Derwin Gray. Each video corresponds to a session in the Bible study, and we’ll post one a week until October 27.
  • Three discussion questions will be posted along with each video, and group participants will answer the questions in the comments to engage with other participants. Even if you do not watch the video right when it’s posted, you can still watch after and comment anytime!
  • Participation is completely free!

To participate:

  1. Head over to our Facebook Group and sign up! You will be asked to accept the group’s rules of engagement and to provide a valid email address. This lets us send you a weekly reminder as we post the session videos and makes sure Derwin and his team are able to communicate with you.
  2. Purchase a copy of The Good Life Bible study book or eBook. While a Bible Study Book is not required, we do recommend one to enhance your experience during this Online Bible study. 
  3. Join the conversation by commenting in the Facebook Group. Be sure to turn on your notifications so you can keep up with the discussion and be notified as each session posts.

Share any questions you have in the comments section of this blog post and we will see you on Facebook!

 

Group Leadership
July 30, 2020

Three Ways to Overcome During Difficult Seasons

By Deborah Spooner

What does it take to be an overcomer?

As you launched your groups at the beginning of this year, you likely had certain goals set—solid ideas of what success would look like and hopes for conversations, relationships, or service opportunities that your group would progress toward as meetings continued. Then, challenges—as they always do—arose.

Yet, the challenges of the past several months have exceeded even the typical trials of life. A pandemic is causing chaos. Many are dealing with the long lasting economic consequences. Churches are facing difficult decisions for reopening and are seeking how to best serve as the body of Christ. Groups are facing childcare challenges amid social distancing. Mental health is a growing concern. Relational dynamics are being pushed to their limits.

Yet in the midst of this difficulty, we all have opportunities to overcome. As your group members work through external challenges that often pose internal struggles, here are three ways you can step in to help.

  • Ask Core Questions

As circumstances around us reveal deeper realities transpiring within us, you have the opportunity to have crucial conversations with members of your group. They might realize they are struggling in particular areas: relationally, emotionally, or spiritually. Questions they’ve grappled with beneath the surface about God, purpose, or their identity might now be on the forefront of their minds. Asking questions such as “What are you learning about God in this season?”, “What sin is God revealing to you during this time?”, “What thoughts and questions are taking up a lot of your time?”, or “In what areas of your life do you feel defeated?” can lead you towards Christ-centered conversations, gently helping your leaders dive deeper into how the truth of the Bible can help us overcome weakness.

  • Remember Brokenness

Many group members may feel discouraged, defeated, overwhelmed, purposeless, or tractionless during this time. In a lot of ways, many of us are coming face-to-face with the simple reality that we are not in control. Even though we might have believed we could control our next hour, day, week, or year, it has been made clear that so much is beyond our grasp. This can make us feel helpless and broken, unable to succeed in loving others, in our jobs, or in our ministries as we once did. However, we can remind our group members that this brokenness is human and points us to the Perfect One—Christ. He can show us the way to overcome. Instead of focusing on our failures and brokenness, we can overcome through turning our eyes to the truth of what Christ says about us and how He enables us to face each day.

  • Pursue the Overcomer

Even when much seems out of our control, we can still choose how we spend our time and where we fix our thoughts. Encourage your group members to overcome the challenges of this time through pursuing the Overcomer by spending time in the Word and in prayer. Challenge them to join with one or two other group members (even if virtually) for prayer, Bible reading, and accountability whenever possible. Encourage them to memorize key verses that can fill them with hope and strength throughout the day. Challenge them to set reminders on their phones to stop and pray throughout the day for their own situations and for others in their group. The best way to overcome is to consistently seek out the Overcomer who sought us first.

Even though this season is challenging, there is hope. Overcoming is possible. Through whatever means possible, encourage your group not to lose sight of this. 

If you’d like additional resources on core questions of who we are and how to Overcome (where some of these ideas are expanded), check out the two Bible study resources below. These are available as DVD kits with teaching sessions for group use or as digital video sessions for group or individual use. 

Overcomer Bible Study

Many people feel they are less than who God says they are. We get our identity from our careers, our political positions, our roles in the family, and a number of other lesser things. However, when we understand who God is, we more fully understand who we are. This small group study uses clips from the film Overcomer to examine how we determine our identity and how we can find our true identity in Christ (5 sessions). 

Defined Bible Study

When you introduce yourself to someone for the first time, you have an opportunity to define yourself. You disclose your name, profession, and interests. These factors help our culture define us, but are those answers enough? There are bigger answers our culture can’t answer: Who am I? Why do I matter? And before asking, who am I? You must first answer, who is God?

The Scripture teaches that we are all made in the image of God. We do not define ourselves–the Creator does. We were all created to be known and loved by God. Once the answers are clear, we can move forward and discover all God has called us to be (8 sessions).

 

Group Leadership
July 28, 2020

5 Bible Studies for Fall

By Deborah Spooner

Groups are adapting. Each week might look different than the previous as we learn to be comfortable planning one day at a time.

However, fall is still coming. And fall? Is one of our favorite times for groups. New groups launch. Existing groups get a reset. New leaders begin their journey. Experienced leaders grow from the previous year’s learning.

What studies might be right for this fall in particular? We’ve rounded up five of our favorite studies for you and your group. The traditional leader kits are still available, but digital video sessions and eBooks are also offered for each of the titles below. Whether you are handing out Bible study books during an in person gathering or sending around a link to purchase an eBook version, we have a solution for you.

  1. The Good Life by Derwin L. Gray

Everyone wants to be happy. We spend our money, time, and energy chasing our version of the good life. And on the way, we run ourselves into physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. But what if the happiness we’re all striving for isn’t the happiness we were created for?

Pastor and author Dr. Derwin L. Gray believes there is a better road to happiness, and it is found in the Beatitudes of Jesus. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed the shocking, countercultural path to true flourishing. It comes not through wealth, fame, or laughter but through poverty, obscurity, and mourning. True happiness comes from a heart directed toward the kingdom of God and satisfied in Jesus the King (8 sessions).

  1. Help My Unbelief by Barnabas Piper

All of us have questions about faith, but we often feel awkward or uncomfortable asking them. We assume doubt is always a bad thing. But instead of making Himself smaller and easily understood, God invites us into a larger faith—one that has room for questions, victories, failures, and mystery. This Bible study will help you see that belief in an infinite God by finite humans is an act of exploration. It’s a process of learning all we can understand and trusting God in all we can’t. (6 sessions)

  1. The Church and The Racial Divide by Trevor Atwood (eds. Trillia Newbell and Dan Darling)

Featuring contributors: Walter Strickland, Juan Sánchez, and Russell Moore

In light of racial tension in America, many Christian leaders are talking earnestly about racial reconciliation. Many pastors and lay leaders look at the growing tensions in our churches and wonder how they can be a healing force in our culture. The problem is they don’t know where to begin. The average evangelical Christian may not understand why racial reconciliation is a gospel imperative. The average pastor may not know how to pursue it. This resource features video teaching from key leaders discussing race, culture, and the gospel. Using these evangelical voices and Bible study, participants will learn about racial reconciliation and be equipped to be part of the solution (6 sessions).

  1. Defined by Alex Kendrick & Stephen Kendrick

When you introduce yourself to someone for the first time, you have an opportunity to define yourself. You disclose your name, professions, and interests. These factors help our culture define us, but are those answers enough? There are bigger questions our culture can’t answer: Who am I? Why do I matter? And before asking, who am I? You must first answer, who is God?

The Scripture teaches that we are all made in the image of God. We do not define ourselves–the Creator does. We were all created to be known and loved by God. Once the answers are clear, we can move forward and discover all God has called us to be (8 sessions).

  1. My New Life

The new Christian can become easily overwhelmed trying to figure out how to be a Christ-follower. For the believer to grow, it’s necessary to have an understanding of God’s Word, God’s character, prayer, the gospel, and so much more. This study explains these deep truths in short and simple to understand chapters. Whether completed individually or with a mentor, this study, it will help a new believer grow in knowledge of God’s Word and provide a foundation on which daily trust in Jesus will grow for the rest of their lives.

Uncategorized
July 24, 2020

2 Bible Studies for When Life is Unpredictable

By Deborah Spooner

Purpose.

Sometimes we think that we understand where our life is heading. Our lives become predictable; our church involvement becomes steady; our small groups get into a rhythm. We might even think we have a plan of what our group will look like this week, next week, and a few months from now.

But other times, life shifts unexpectedly. 

What do we do when it feels like our pathway to purpose isn’t clear? When it seems like we are on an unpredictable, detoured journey?

Turns out, we are not the first ones to ask these questions. Trusted leader Dr. Tony Evans has written two Bible studies that can help both you and your group as you grapple through such difficult seasons.

 

Pathways: From Providence to Purpose (8 sessions)

The story of Esther appears to be a series of coincidences that deliver the Jews from certain death. However, God selected Esther for a particular purpose at a particular time in the history of His chosen people.

These resources will help you discover the power of God’s providence in the midst of your personal pain, fear, gain, loss, and love. You’ll see that God has a purpose for your life, and He uses every action and event that occurs in it to make that purpose a reality.

 

Detours: The Unpredictable Path to Your Destiny (6 sessions)

Find hope in understanding that the sudden or seemingly endless detours in life are God’s way of moving you from where you are to where He wants you to be.

The biblical account of Joseph clearly demonstrates that God is at work even when life seems to be going wrong. Even today, it’s easy to wonder why God would allow calamity to happen or if He’s in control at all. Whether through uncontrollable circumstances or the pain of personal relationships, everyone has experienced unforeseen changes in life. This study helps believers navigate detours that may take you through trials, injustice, and even betrayal. You will be comforted and encouraged when you learn to rest in God’s redemptive plan and the hope found in God’s sovereign will.

 

Our plans can change. But the purposes of the Lord remain the same. Let’s hold onto His faithfulness, even during unprecedented times.

Group Leadership
July 17, 2020

Help Your Group HEAR the Bible

By Deborah Spooner

Do your group members struggle to understand the Bible? Do they find it difficult to learn more about the Lord and see how His Word changes their lives?

Robby Gallaty felt this tension and lack of biblical understanding. Even beyond his personal experience in the Word, Gallaty saw this echoed in people around him. As he continued to talk to others, Robby kept hearing the same expressed belief: The Bible doesn’t apply to me.

He decided to do something about this situation by developing the H.E.A.R. method: a way of reading the Bible characterized by Highlighting, Explaining, Applying, and Responding.

H.E.A.R. Video

During seasons when group members have more time, they may feel this tension and wish they had a more accessible way to read and digest their Bibles. This method can fill that need. In partnership with others, Gallaty has developed a guided, individualized resource to take people through the entire Bible or just the New Testament. There are even three different versions of this resource specifically tailored for adults, students, and kids.

Find out more about the H.E.A.R. method in the video above, and learn more about the resources at lifeway.com/foundations. 

Group Leadership
July 10, 2020

Equip Your Group with Resources from Tony Evans

By Deborah Spooner

Whether you’ve been a believer for a few days or for many years, you’ve likely come across a sermon, video, or other resource that originated with the ministry of Tony Evans.

Who is Tony Evans?

Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, former chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets, and Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard daily on more than 1,400 U.S. outlets and in more than 130 countries.

The first African American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, he has been named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University. He launched the Tony Evans Training Center in 2017, an online learning platform providing quality seminary-style courses for a fraction of the cost to any person in any place. The goal of the center is to increase Bible literacy not only for lay people but also for those Christian leaders who cannot afford nor find the time for formal ongoing education.

Dr. Tony Evans was married to his late wife Lois for nearly 50 years. They are the proud parents of four, grandparents of thirteen and great-grandparents of two. 

What has he recently released?

Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American.

The CSB team shares: “The Tony Evans Study Bible includes extensive study notes and other ancillary resources carefully crafted and curated by Dr. Tony Evans as General Editor and adapted from his sermons, teachings, and writings. These features are strategically placed alongside the biblical text to explain God’s Word in a fresh way. Applying these truths will empower readers to have transformed lives that then transfer the values of the kingdom of God to others.”

Two Resources to Equip Your Group During this Season of Isolation

One of Lifeway Men’s bestelling Bible studies, No More Excuses, has now been adapted into a newly released devotional: No More Excuses: A 90-Day Devotional for Men. And right now, you can get both his insightful study Bible and devotional for a 40% discount.

We’re still living in the effects of a COVID-19 ridden-world. Your group might look different right now than at other times. The combination of these two resources can help group members who might be more isolated during this time have the personalized study and devotional encouragement they need.

To find out more, visit: https://www.lifeway.com/en/contributors/t/tony-evans?vid=tonyevans.

 

Uncategorized
June 29, 2020

Happy Are Those Who Mourn

By Deborah Spooner

By Dr. Derwin L. Gray

Over the years of sitting at Jesus’ feet, I’ve found that the more time I spend with Him, the more I am connected to His heart. And somehow, in a way that only He understands, I am a better person because my love for people and their plight increases. 

Mourning is necessary for Christians to understand and embrace. So often we are bombarded with messages of positivity and “keeping it moving.” We don’t take the time to slow down, feel pain, and mourn with those who are mourning. We want to move past those painful feelings and get back to the happy feelings. I have learned, however, that taking the time to sit in the pain is necessary for discipleship. There is no other option than to know God in our suffering and the suffering of others.  

Lament

The Bible speaks of “lamenting.” Lamenting is a holy hurt. But the hurt is a pain that pushes us deeper into faith, hope, and love. 

Deeper into faith in Jesus and His redemptive purposes. 

Deeper into hoping, which is a knowing that one day all things will be made new. 

Deeper into loving people. 

In the midst of human suffering, having someone who cares for you, comforts you, prays with you, reads Scripture over you, and nurtures you through the rising river of pain is a gift. It’s as if God heals us as we become instruments of healing touch. 

Those who lament will be cemented in God’s comfort. God’s comforting grace will be experienced in the present through the Spirit’s presence, and in the future, when ultimate redemption is realized in the new heavens and new earth. Just like the cross, out of great sorrow, comes great comfort. Happy are those whose hearts break for what breaks God’s heart, for they will be comforted.

Hope has a name, and it’s Jesus. Through His cross and resurrection, our bodies, along with all of creation, will be made whole. But until that time, God lovingly enters our suffering and is broken on a cross to heal our brokenness. Our hope is not a mere wish, but an assurance, because God, through the Holy Spirit, is pouring His love into our hearts. 

Lament moves us to action. 

Happy are those who lament, for they will be cemented in God’s comfort. 

Help Others Mourn

How do we help our people mourn? There is no perfect formula, but I humbly offer these suggestions:

  1. Slow down. Do not rush past sin, hurt, and sadness. Take time to sit in it. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak through these feelings and do a work in you. As you experience suffering and mourn it, you will be conformed to the image of Christ. 
  2. Pray. Talk to God about what is going on. Cry out to Him. Scripture is filled with God’s people crying out to Him. If you don’t have the words, know that the Holy Spirit groans on your behalf. 
  3. Read Scripture. Again, we see many examples in Scripture of God’s people crying out to Him. Spend time in the Psalms. Remember God’s promises written in the Scriptures. 
  4. Allow lament to move you to action. We have seen many instances, both in Scripture and in recent history, where lament moves people to action. They see hurt happening around them and decide to do something about it. Ask God how He is calling you to move to action. 
  5. Spend time in community. God has given us a family to walk through difficult seasons together. Don’t try to go through mourning on your own. Lean on each other. 

A Prayer for a Season of Mourning

Here is a prayer from my most recent book that I hope will minister to you as you walk through a season of mourning.

Blessed Trinity,
you are not distant or disinterested in us. 

Thank you that I can approach your throne of grace and mercy in my time of need. 

In every moment of every season, including moments of disappointment, doubt, and despair, you have determined to be present with us. 

You enter our worst moments and teach us how to lament and long for a day when all wrongs are made right, when tears of sorrow turn to tears of joy, when hurts are healed. 

Teach me to lament well. Teach me to cry out to you. 

May my lament over our broken world be a battle cry of victory, for in Christ, we are more than conquerors in him who loved us. 

As I lament, encourage my heart and cement me eternally in the truth that nothing will ever separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. 

In Jesus’ name, amen. 

This post was originally published here on Lifeway voices. Reposted with permission.

Free Bible Teaching
June 22, 2020

Free Bible Characters Devotion for Your Group

By Deborah Spooner

The last few months have been incredibly unpredictable. 

What we have experienced as a nation and in our own personal lives is beyond what we anticipated when we rang in New Year for 2020.

As we strive to move forward, we’re facing much of the residual upheaval. We might be wondering about what we’ve seen inside ourselves as we’ve had time to hear our own thoughts. We might be wondering about our relationships as we’ve had to navigate conflict. We might be wondering about the future we thought was secure. We might be wondering what our once stable group dynamic will be like this fall.

Even though the specifics that moved us into this state of upheaval might be unique to this time and place, we know we are not the first ones to experience hardships and difficulties. In fact, trials, temptations, and challenges have been endured by believers for centuries.

What if we could learn from others? And not just anyone, but characters within the Bible?

They were human, just as we are. They struggled, just as we do. They made mistakes, but they also learned. As we all strive to continue seeking the Lord and growing through these challenging times, we can learn from their stories recorded in the Bible through a free 7-Day Characters devotional. 

Learn from Abraham, Ruth, Josiah, Malachi, Jesus, Philip, and Barnabas. The first devotional (centered on Abraham) is excerpted below. Use it to equip your group during this challenging time. You can download the entire 7 day devotional here, at lifeway.com/charactersdevotional. 

ABRAHAM

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone (other than Jesus) who figures more prominently in the Bible than Abraham. His story is referred to frequently by the biblical writers, and even by Jesus Himself.

But in the beginning, Abraham is just Abram, an aging and childless man who heard a simple call from God to go. Abram obeyed, and his story began as he followed God in faith, waiting for the fulfillment of the promises given to him. These promises frame the entire biblical story, for from Abram would come the nation of God’s chosen people, the Israelites. And in the New Testament, we find that Abraham’s fatherhood extends beyond blood to all those who believe in the same way that he did.

God told Abram to go, and that is what Abram did. Abram had a clear word from the Lord. God wanted him to leave the land where he lived and go to a new land. Abram was faced with the decision of obedience or disobedience.

This was a significant decision, and God knew it. To obey meant leaving everything he knew behind to pursue God’s promise. If Abram was willing to act in faith, then he would be the father of a great nation. He would be blessed, and his name would be made great. And in the end, every nation on the earth would be blessed through him. God chooses to use ordinary people who put their full faith in Him as conduits of His blessing to the ends of the earth. Those great blessings begin with people willing to take

God at His Word and step out in faith.

In Abram’s case, this promise was fulfilled in the person of Jesus. Through Jesus—born of the lineage of Abraham—people of every tongue and tribe can be blessed with the greatest gift, eternal life. When we turn from our sin and trust in Jesus we are grafted into the line of Abraham by faith. The blessing God promised Abraham belongs to us in Christ. And it all begins with a step of obedience, a willingness to trust Christ and respond to His call.

To learn more about the Characters Bible study series, visit lifeway.com/characters.

 

Group Leadership
June 15, 2020

Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness in Unprecedented Times

By Deborah Spooner

You’ve heard it said, many times by now. These are unprecedented times.

Truth is, they are in many ways. But it’s also true that these times are exposing things in our life, work, relationships, and goals that might seem unprecedented. Yet, these times aren’t revealing just inward realities. They’ve once again called to our attention the underlying realities of deep injustice amid a time of global health crisis.

Derwin Gray shares about the desire for a deeper justice in his newly released Bible study “The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches about Finding True Happiness” (partially excerpted below):

America is in the middle of a mass shooting epidemic. The past year has been filled with news of sexual abuse that religious leaders were covering up. These leaders were supposed to represent Christ and protect children. When we think about the many homeless men and women sleeping on the streets, children without parents, the thousands of abortions that will happen in one day, and the many other injustices that occur daily in our broken, grieving world, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the magnitude of the needs.

Perhaps prolific injustice has even led some of us to wonder how there can really be a powerful, loving God if there’s so much ugliness in the world. If you find yourself there today, keep reading. Whether or not you realize it now, your anger, disappointment, and desire for the ugly realities of our broken world to be fixed are a longing for the beauty of God. Consider this question:

How do we know something is unjust unless we believe there’s a standard of justice?

If we long for goodness, beauty, and justice, there must be one who created these things. That Creator must exhibit those things because we can’t give away what we don’t possess. As we yell and shake our fists at all the wrongs in the world, we’re longing for God to make the sad things untrue, to make the ugly beautiful, to heal the hurt.

Read Psalm 33:5 and Amos 5:24.

How do we reflect God’s character when we long for justice?

How does knowing God is righteous and just change the way you feel about the injustice you see around you?

The triune God made creation good, and we messed it up. We introduced death and decay, but God didn’t leave us in our mess; He joined us in our brokenness. He even allowed all the sad things that have happened to us to happen to Him on the cross. His resurrection births a new creation in the heart of the old. The righteousness and justice we long for walked out of a tomb in Jerusalem. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He wants us to become actors in the divine drama of redemption. We become His agents of redemption.

We can seek to be agents of redemption in a time of brokenness and darkness, even as we rely on Christ to keep transforming the brokenness sin causes inside of us.

Derwin Gray has much more to share about how we hunger and thirst for righteousness as he unpacks the Beatitudes in his new study, partially excerpted above. Engaging with this content will walk you through lamentation, peacemaking, humility, mercy, and more.

Find a free sample and other resources at lifeway.com/thegoodlife as we all strive to better bring glory to Christ during these particularly difficult times.

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