Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Learn more.
We are influenced by people all the time. From the shows we watch to the clothes we wear, a lot of our preferences come from people around us or people we look up to. In fact, think about how you feel when you like something that your friends think is dumb. When your tastes and preferences are different from the people around you, it makes you stand out.
Here is why this is important: If you follow God, then you are going to stand out at times. God and the world value different things.
If you saw our last lesson on Habakkuk, then you know that the world is anyone and anything that is opposed to God. Most of the shows you watch and even people you talk to at school make up the world. They aren’t interested in what God thinks.
The world loves what God hates
In Habakkuk 2, we find a long list of things that the world values: money, greed, always getting new stuff, and excessive partying. None of these things are what God values. Sadly, most of the world calls stuff good that God condemns. This is why our culture is so messed up. The world believes in the opposite of what God believes in. This is why it is God vs the world.
When you realize this, you might think that God is trying to take away all your fun. Well, he isn’t. God actually wants you to experience joy in life and have more fun than you probably thought was possible. However, God wants you to get the focus off of yourself.
Happiness comes through focusing on others
This is the problem with the world’s way. It causes you to focus on yourself. We spend most of our time thinking about ourselves, which is why you can get caught up thinking about what clothes to wear or what your hair is going to look like or what other people think of you. God wants you to get the focus off of yourself and on to God and other people. Take a look at what Jesus said:
Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
According to God, the most important thing in life is to love God and love other people. This means you get the focus off yourself and on to other people. Life isn’t supposed to be about you. Life is about looking out for the needs of others. It’s about honoring God.
All of that other stuff that the world says is fun is actually temporary. It won’t last after a few years, and it definitely won’t matter when you are dead. Loving God and loving others matters even after death. It carries on to eternity.
Habakkuk teaches us that God judges all those other forms of fun. If you find all your joy in yourself, then you are going to face God’s judgment. You are going to be left disappointed. However, if you focus on serving others, then you will be living the life God created you to have.
The world’s way looks like more fun, and it can give you some instant gratification, but God’s way is better and will bring you more joy in the end.
Discussion Questions:
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- Share a time when you disagreed with what the world said was important.
- Describe some ways in which God’s values differ from the world’s.
- Why is it so hard for us to obey what God says when it’s different from what the world says?
- Read Matthew 22:37-39. How would your life look different if you looked out for your friend as much as yourself?
- Share some times when focusing on others brought you happiness.
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
