Week 8
I am so proud of us, friends! We stuck with it, and made it through the whole book! I sincerely hope you learned something about yourself through this study and that it encouraged you to spend more time in your Bible and in prayer!
Click here to review prior weeks.
Notes from my reading journal-
CHAPTER 27-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
*Keep in mind, I highly recommend grabbing your Bible and flipping to these verses (preferably even a verse before and/ or after). I’m so glad Allie includes these verses within the chapters, but I still just feel a deeper connection when I’m in my actual Bible!
Matthew 25:14-30
Notes:
I love how this chapter is basically the rebuttal to my soap box/ “Ted Talk” from chapter 23! We can’t do it all; God isn’t asking us to do it all- society is!
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
God has blessed me with so much! I know I am guilty of often looking at these blessings as burdens and items on my to do lists. For me, this is a really important aspect in this journey of “finding my where,” reclassifying my responsibilities from the to-do list category to the blessings I’ve been entrusted with category. I’ve been entrusted with so many blessings!! I have a fabulously supportive husband, 2 beautiful children, 2 adorable fur babies, a comfortable home, a job to provide for my family, food to cook for my family, clothes to cloth my family- this list could go on and on, right? I too often get bogged down in the daily to-dos: go to work, get the groceries, make dinner, clean the kitchen, do the laundry, etc and miss overarching blessings behind all of these responsibilities! I’m still not sure what God is calling me to, but I do think He is trying to tell me to rest, to take a breath, and to enjoy these blessings rather than stressing about them!
CHAPTER 28-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
Philippians 4:13
John 8:44
Proverbs 4:23
Romans 12:2
Philippians 4:8
Ephesians 4:22-24
James 1:5
Psalm 119:11
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
It’s funny/ ironic, having a spirit of gratitude is something I’ve been working on with our oldest son. He sometimes forgets about all the special treats he gets and gets stuck in a “gimmie” mindset; it took Allie’s points within this chapter to open my eyes to see that I am doing the exact same thing! Personally, within my journey of “finding my where” I need to work on cultivating a spirit of gratitude; not entertaining those thoughts of “not having enough”, “ not doing enough”, & “ not being enough”
The verse this brings to my mind, is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus
CHAPTER 29-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
Matthew 6:19-21
1 John 4:19
Psalm 95: 1-6
John 4:24
Matthew 15:8
Hebrews 1:3
James 2:17
Romans 6:13
Notes:
Prior to this study, I hadn’t considered the true meaning or task of living a surrendered life. I am very type A, with borderline OCD, control-freak tendencies. Surrender is certainly something I struggle with in all aspects of my life; I can barely even surrender the dishwasher to my husband for fear of him loading it “incorrectly.” So the thought of surrendering my entire life- my future, my health, my provisions, my children….that’s huge!! But isn’t that exactly what Jesus called us to do- surrender completely to our Heavenly Father!
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
When I think of “worship,” I think of a traditional church service, with traditional piano and organ music, the occasional “amen” from the congregation. The funny thing is, when I take a step back and think about those “old fashioned” church services and the way I felt during them, vs the way my heart feels driving down the road and a Lauren Daigle song comes on- it’s a very different feeling, right? You know the lump in your throat, heart swelling, can’t help but sing feeling you get when “that song” comes on vs the often mundane looking at my watch hoping my stomach doesn’t start growling while I’m waiting on the choir to finish up that last song before 12:00 feeling. Obviously one is worship and the other is just going through the motions- checking off that box on my list. Don’t get me wrong, I love our church and our church family, and our Sunday mornings truly are engaging, inspiring, and worship-filled; I just think true worship is an in-the-moment thing, not an on-demand feeling, automatically produced just because the choir stands up to sing when we reach a certain part of the service. Maybe worship looks a little different for all of us, what’s in our heart, what’s on our minds- it is the true surrendering of our hearts and minds!
CHAPTER 30-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
1 John 4:4
John 15:9-17
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
Living fully alive is certainly the goal, right? Living out God’s purpose for your life, feeling fulfilled and happy! Staying away from that weighted-down, “I need a vacation” type of life. For me, I’m still trying to figure out what that is and how to do it! I know God has a purpose for me, and I’m excited to continue on this journey of seeking out that purpose. I’m not sure that journey is ever really over though, at least not until our earthly race is finished and our faith becomes sight. Until that point, I think our “where” will continue to evolve, change, and grow as God uses us to glorify Him and carry out His plans.
Now that we’ve read the entire book, let’s do a quick recap!
We are Wonderfully Made, and:
Made by God
Made to know God
Made for a relationship with God
Made in the image of God
Made with love and wonder
Made to glorify God
Made to bloom
Made for beauty
Made for something more
Made to live forever
Made to live fearlessly
Made to walk worthy
Made to be redeemed
Made to belong
Made for friendship
Made to preserve
Made for such a time as this
Made for soul care
Made to create
Made for forgiveness
Made for sexual wholeness
Made to live wisely
Made to be present
Made to rest
Made for an outward focused life
Made for a mission
Made to be faithful
Made to be transformed
Made to worship
Made to live fully alive
Which of these chapters spoke most to you? Was one of these “charges” surprising to you? Did something within this study really jump out at you and impact the way you’re living or planning your future?
Thank you so much for being on this journey with me! Love you, friends!!
