Just joining our online Bible Study, “Stuck” by Jennie Allen? INFO, WEEK 1, WEEK 2, WEEK 3, WEEK 4, WEEK 5, WEEK 6 and WEEK 7
Recap ~ “Sad” ~ Jennie Allen’s Bible Study Stuck
Sadness… for some it sneaks up on us during this time of year. As we approach the holidays, a time of thankfulness and love, for some it is heart wrenching. It doesn’t feel temporary. It doesn’t feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel. The loss is great. I don’t mean to sound like Debbie Downer, but sometimes this life is hard. Jesus doesn’t promise us an easy life. In fact, James addresses this.
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4
I love the hope that God gives us; the opportunity for joy in the midst of trouble.
Joy is not an emotion. It is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians). It is a gift we are all given when we become believers. It is up to us to pray to dig it up; to persevere toward it – to use it.
I shared Scott’s story with you on week 2. He was our dear friend who passed away at age 19. I shared how his faith was tested and how he was faithful. Talk about endurance and growth. It was not only a time of growth for him, but for Mike and me. Our faith was tested. We had to persevere. His family had to persevere. Through the immense sadness, our faith grew, our marriage grew, our joy grew. Kingdom perspective became very real to us. Things that matter eternally became more important to us. Jesus was front and center. Sometimes, do you feel that you walk closer to God during times of trouble? The times when you truly can’t rely on yourself or control the situation? I treasure the times when I am not self-reliant. They are stones in my faith foundation. Stones I go back to. Stones I cling to! This is where I find joy and gratitude, thankfulness…
Thankfulness. Sometimes the overflow of our heart is pure gratitude… sometimes, not so much. When you feel like there is nothing to be thankful for, when life is disheartening, hard, overwhelming (not in the good sense)one thing to cling to is…
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:18
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Hebrews 12:28
Praise the most High that there is more! This is not our home! He doesn’t leave us in our helpless state! His love endures forever. FOREVER. HIS KINGDOM CANNOT BE SHAKEN. This is good news! Glory be to God! Life here may be sad and hard, but girl….you just wait…. Heaven is coming and it is going to be so glorious! (can I get an AMEN?) I am convinced that my tiny little mind cannot even in my wildest imagination conceive of its’ majesty. We will all be around the throne praising the Lord. Can you even imagine? What a great hope we have in Jesus. (Wow… I think I just had a preacher moment there…)
Jennie says it this way on page 115
God wants us to hope, but He wants us to hope in something way bigger than today. He desires for us to believe in Him and the place He is preparing for us, and to actually hope in it… wait for it… live it.
With all that said, I realize that sadness can be consuming sometimes. Depression. You can’t do it on your own. If sadness is overtaking your life right now, please call someone; a friend, family member, the Women’s Ministry, me. There is hope and help.
This Week ~ “Unstuck”
I can hardly believe we are coming to the last week of our study! I pray that you are radically different. Things may not be different on the outside, but perhaps your eyes have been opened. Maybe your perspective has shifted to the eternal. What if, everything you did was through the lens of the Lord?
Unstuck. For me it is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight! This week we will look at our future. Now that we have all this knowledge and have hopefully brushed off a little mud, we can ask ourselves, “What does my life look like now?” I don’t want to write too much and influence your week, but I sure am excited to hear how the Lord is leading your life.
I love that we are ending this study around Thanksgiving. We truly have so much to be thankful for and I am not talking about material things. We have a Savior who loved us enough to make a way for us to have a relationship with Him. Not only that, but He didn’t put an end on that timeframe. It is for eternity! That is a love that is hard to wrap our minds around! And it gets better! He gave us the Holy Spirit as a helper for us. The Holy Spirit, folks….ponder that for a minute!!
I think as we become more and more unstuck, our eyes are opened to the temporary home we have and the eternal hope in Jesus…
I am so thankful for all of you. Many of you I will never meet until heaven! This journey is one that isn’t going to end this week. I pray God reveals His purpose for this stage of your life and that you have the guts to choose to obey it! Whether it is moving to Uganda, or loving your neighbor.
FYI…I will share a recap of our final chapter as well as a survey next Monday…”see” you then!
I thank my God every time I think of you…Phil. 1:4
Questions:
In one sentence, share what you are leaving behind and what you are moving toward.
What does a life of freedom through Jesus Christ look like to you now?
Talk about heaven and hope. How has your perspective on these things been shaped?
LOVINGLY BLESSED ~
ANNE
(Click here for printable study guide)
Below is our scripture printable for this week ~ John 12:25, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” I encourage you to print it out and memorize it by heart.
Click here for your Scripture Printable (formatted for 4×6 frame)
