How has recent events affected your peace of mind? Either good or bad
I have had a lot of discussions with people this last month about peace of mind. So many have been affected by this virus and the issues that surround it. Many have completely lost a feeling of peace. Others feel more secure than ever through all of this and have a sense of peace no matter the outcome.
Is peace of mind the same as spiritual maturity to your way of thinking?
I have been thinking this question for a while. To be honest, I’m not really sure how to answer my own question! I believe I have a good spiritual maturity, but I know I also have times where I don’t have peace of mind. Can you have the 2 realities at the same time? I am truly curious to read your comments.
What was 1 thing you learned from the Hebrews passage about finding peace of mind from the life of Moses?
Lets read the Hebrews passage again about Moses, we so all have it fresh in our minds.Hebrews 11:23–29 (ESV) — 23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. 29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.
I will admit that using the 4 basic questions of life and look at this passage about Moses gave me a whole new perspective on his life. I actually saw the real strength of his faith though that lens.
The basic question of life is quite similar to what we talked about last week. Who am I?
How does knowing who you as a child of God help you find peace in life?
I talked about how Moses chose not to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter but Identified himself with the people of God. Think about how that completely reshaped his life.
I know that by choosing to be a child of God has changed so much of what I do in life. Every decision I make is influenced by my Christian identity.
The next question was Who do I want to be?
Why is choosing who I want to be important to peace of mind? Why not just be happy with who I am?
Many people can find peace of mind by being happy with who they are. That works for life on this earth, but we have a longer view of peace of mind. Eternity. That means I need to find peace of mind that leads into the next life.
Did understanding that your choices, good or bad, have consequences affect you in any way?
We don’t always think about the consequences of our choices. The younger we are, the less we think about that. I will never forget talking to an older gentleman. One day we were talking he said he had so much regret in life since becoming a Christian. I was puzzled by that and asked him to explain. He became a Christian after his kids had grown up, and while he had a great faith in God, as did his wife, their children had no interest in Christianity. He thought of all the lost influence and faith he could have instilled in them if he had become a Christian earlier in life.
Even great choices life salvation has consequences you don’t always see ahead of time.
The 3rd question was; What’s important in my life.
Why does having the right priorities in life matter?
Most of us here probably understand this basic question better than all the rest. We see and understand the setting of priorities. We just don’t always live out that understanding.
When we don’t have the right priorities set, we go back to the last question and deal with the consequences.
The last question was: How am I going to live?
Have any of you had your livelihood affected by staying true to your faith? Another question you can answer is this:
How can you have peace of mind if how you make a living is affected?
While this is a basic question of life; I am not sure we Americans really ask this question. Probably even less when it come to finding peace of mind as a Christian. That not true in many areas of the world. This is a very serious question they struggle with.
I want to end with one last question: What bring you peace of mind as Christian right now?
While your answering that I want to remind of a couple of pieces of business.
This will be our last live study. I will have the same types of questions each week on the blog page of the church website for life groups to use if you wish. Also feel free to study whatever you want.
If you aren’t going to be a part of a group, and PLEASE UNDERSTAND only you can decide the risk to your health in choosing to gather. Use these questions for your own time of reflection or with your family.
Thank you to all those who have kept up with your giving. Even though we don’t gather right now, the bills haven’t gone away. Remember, you can drop off, mail, or use Venmo to give to the church.
Close with communion thought.