Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Learn more.
It’s great to have options in life. Who doesn’t like a buffet diner where you can get chicken nuggets, lasagna, and tacos? Options are great, but unfortunately a lot of us only want to follow God when we agree with him. We want to pick and choose what we like about God, but God doesn’t work this way. In fact, if you only pick and choose what you will accept from God, then you are really a kinda, sorta Christian.
We Want to Do Things Our Own Way
Kinda, sorta Christians are happy to obey God when it makes them feel comfortable. For example, God says don’t steal, and so you don’t steal because you don’t want to be the kind of person who steals stuff. But maybe you ignore God when he tells you to give your money and stuff to build his church. You ignore God over the things that seem like they are too hard to follow, or just aren’t fun to do.
The Bible warns that this kind of thinking will lead to all sorts of problems.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
Following our own way is a real problem because it leads to death. This means that going our way over God’s way messes up our relationships with God and others.
We Focus on Ourselves, Not God and Others
The problem is that we think about what makes us happy and not about what God wants for us. Maybe you stay out past curfew, never thinking about how it makes your parents feel because you’re focusing only on what you get to do. Many people act this way with God. They put all the focus on themselves. However, the Bible tells us that we need to take the focus off of ourselves.
Colossians 3:2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
This verse is telling us to think about the long term (heaven) and not just focus on immediate gratification (earth). God wants you to make decisions with eternity in mind, not just how your decisions will make you feel in the moment.
We Need to See Things From God’s Perspective
God is telling us to look at the world like he does. This happens when we think less about ourselves and more about God. Really, it comes down to trust. Do you trust God more than you trust yourself?
Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
This verse teaches us to keep our focus on God at all time, and he will take care of the rest of life for us. This seems hard until you try it. If you do, you realize that life is much happier when you follow God’s way all the time.
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- Are you a person who likes to have lots of options (like on a restaurant menu), or a person who gets overwhelmed by lots of options? Explain.
- Share some examples of people picking and choosing when they will follow God and when they will do what they want.
- Read Proverbs 14:12. What do you think the proverb means when it says that our way leads to death?
- When you make a decision how much do you think about the long term affects of your decision? Or, do you just think about the immediate consequences?
- Read Matthew 6:33. How can following this verse help us to get the focus off of ourselves?
- How will you know when you are beginning to look at life from God’s perspective?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
