Can you think of all God has done for you and all of God’s goodness in the world?

God’s goodness can be abundant and overwhelming. God’s goodness can lead us to worship and to great hope if we look at who God is and at all God has done for us.

The Prophet Isaiah wrote, “O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.” (Isaiah 25:1, ESV).

What keeps you from sharing the best news you have? Do you not share because of lack of opportunity? Are you ashamed of the good news, and therefore you do not share it?

If we possess good news, we should share it with others. When we do not share the good news, we keep people from experiencing the good news, and all the benefits of the good news, as we have.

The Apostle Paul wrote the church in Rome, saying, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, ESV).

God’s good news is for all people. We do not need to be ashamed of God’s good news, and we should proclaim it boldly to everyone, so that everyone will hear it and receive it.

Have you ever suffered for doing the right thing? Have you ever been marginalized, discriminated against, or persecuted for your beliefs?

We can experience hardships, suffering, and even persecution as we live out our faith in the world. Sometimes we can receive bad outcomes from living righteous lives. Even though we may experience marginalization, discrimination, or persecution for our beliefs, Jesus promises us the kingdom of heaven.

In the Beatitudes, from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10, ESV).

Where do you find wisdom, understanding, and discernment for your life?

When we open ourselves to it, God’s word is living and active in our lives. God’s word cuts to the heart and soul, and searches our spirit. God’s word gives us the wisdom, understanding, and discernment we need.

The author of Hebrews writes, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV).

When we search the word of God, the word of God searches us and gives us the wisdom we need to live our lives. God’s word is living and active and helps discern our thoughts and the intentions of our heart.

Do you believe God has your best in mind and a plan for your life, even when times are difficult and when you are experiencing turmoil and judgement?

For most of us it is easier to trust God when everything is going well, and when we are experiencing blessing and an easy road. It is more difficult to trust God’s plan when we are experiencing hardship or judgement.

God spoke to the Prophet Jeremiah in the middle of hardship and judgement, saying, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11, ESV).

When we are facing hardship and perceive we are facing judgement and the end, God promises he has a plan for our lives. God has our best in mind. God has a plan for our well being and gives us a future hope.

Have you ever poured yourself out in love and given of yourself only to find you were filled with love and received replenishing?

It is often the case that when we give we also receive. The measure we use to give to others is often the measure we receive from others.

The wise author of the wisdom book of Proverbs wrote, “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” (Proverbs 11:25, ESV).

When we live our lives as a blessing to others, we in turn are enriched and blessed. When we water others, not only do they bear fruit, but we are watered and we bear fruit as well.

How do we know wisdom? How do we become wise? How do we live wisely?

It has been said that wisdom is applied knowledge. Wisdom is essential for living well. If we are to live wisely, we need to apply what we know to how we live.

If we walk with those who are wise, we will learn what they know and we will learn how to apply what they know to our own lives. When we walk with the wise, we will become wise.

The author of the Proverbs writes, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Proverbs 13:20, ESV).

When challenges arise and life becomes difficult or even unbearable, how do you get out of bed another day and push through?

We all face challenges and hardship in life. Some days are better than others, but we can face painful circumstances and difficulties beyond what we feel we can endure.

The Apostle Paul wrote the Church in Corinth, saying, “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 9:25, ESV).

In the face of all that life throws at us, we must look towards the goal of eternity with God and an imperishable reward. Like a professional athlete, we labor and we discipline ourselves to finish the race—one day at a time and one decision at a time—to get up, to press in, to move forward, and to finish.

When you are grieving, where do you go for hope and comfort?

We all experience loss and grief at some point in our lives. We experience times of sadness and mourning where we need to be comforted.

In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus promised, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4, ESV).

When we are mourning we can be confident that comfort is coming. Jesus promised that the mourner is blessed, because they will experience God’s comfort.

Have you ever needed to be comforted? Have you ever comforted someone? Has God ever comforted you? Has God ever used you to comfort another?

We are comforted by God so that we can be comforting to others.

The Apostle Paul wrote the church in Corinth, saying, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, ESV).

God is the God of comfort. God is the Father of all mercies. God comforts us in all our discomfort and turmoil. God comforts us so that we may be able to comfort those in pain.

How are you in need of help? Where do you find the help you need? Who is capable to help you?

We all need help at some point in our lives. Most of us need help most days of our lives. Depending on the task, we may need help from certain people and not others. We may need help from multiple people. If the issue is big, we will need all the help we can get.

The Psalmist writes, “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2, ESV).

The Psalmist recognized that he needed so much help that he needed God himself to be his helper. If God created heaven and earth, then God can help us with anything we could ever need help with. Our help comes from the Lord, who has made all things.

Are you at peace when you do not have the wisdom you need to navigate life? When you need wisdom and direction, what do you do?

It can be disorienting not knowing what to do or how to go about our life with wise purpose, direction, and intentionality.

We need God’s wisdom to navigate the way and to have God’s peace in life.

In the book of James, the author James, the half brother of Jesus, writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5, ESV).

What do you hunger and thirst for? Are you satisfied by receiving what you crave?

God desires to satisfy our right desires.

In the Gospel of Matthew, in the Sermon on the Mountain, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6, ESV).

When we hunger and thirst for the things of God, we are satisfied by God.

God desires to satisfy our hunger and thirst for righteousness, because God is righteous, and God will not neglect to meet our desires when they are in line with his character and with his will.

How do we know love? How do we respond to love?

Love is observable in how someone lives their life. Love requires a loving response.

The Apostle John wrote in his first letter, saying, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” (1 John 3:16, ESV).

Jesus demonstrated his love for us by giving us his life for ours. Jesus laid down his life so that we could take up life.

This sacrificial love of Jesus invites us to lay down our own lives in love and in sacrificial service of others.

We know love because Jesus gave his life for us in love. We know love as we see love expressed as we lay our lives down for one another as Jesus did.

What is your life producing? If someone were to watch your life and assess what you contribute, would they be able to see the good you are producing?

We are called to live fruitful lives as followers of Jesus. We are to produce good in the world.

Jesus taught in Luke’s Gospel that “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45, ESV).

Our contribution speaks about the condition of our heart. We will do good out of the goodness within us. If our heart is filled with evil, our lives will produce evil in the world. If our heart is good, we will produce good in our lives. Out of the overflow of our heart we speak and live.

Is the world supposed to be as bad as it is? Are things the way they should be, or is the world broken or incomplete?

Most of the time when the scriptures refer to “the world”, they are referring to the broken and sinful nature of the world, not to the world as God intended it before the fall of humanity.

The Apostle John wrote, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1 John 2:15-16, ESV).

The broken and sinful nature of “the world”, includes the same temptations that have existed for all of time, “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life”. We are not to love these lustful sinful impulses which lead us away from God.

What are you fighting for in your life? What are you trying to take hold of in your life?

We fight to obtain, and to maintain, what is important to us. We seek to take hold of that which is important and of value to us. We fight for what is of consequence. We take hold of what is significant which we want to keep.

Our faith is worth fighting for. Eternal life is worth holding on to.

The Apostle Paul wrote his young disciple Timothy, instructing him to “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12, ESV).

Do you often find what you are seeking?

Most of us find what we are seeking.

The problem is, we are often seeking the wrong things, and we find them.

We find what we do not need, and we find what is not good for us, because we are looking in the wrong places, or we are looking for the wrong things.

We get what we are looking for, so it matters what we seek, and it matters where we seek.

The Apostle Paul wrote the Colossian church, saying, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1, ESV).

How much should we extend ourselves in love to God? How much are we extending ourselves in love? Are we loving God with all of who we are—heart, soul, and strength?

We often compartmentalize our relationship with God. We may love God well in our thinking, but we may not love God well in our bodies. We may love God well in our emotions, but we may not love God well in our intellect.

The Book of Deuteronomy, the law, instructs us, saying, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5, ESV).

God wants us to love him with all of who we are. God created us holistically and desires for us to love him with our whole selves.

How do we balance our understanding of God’s justice and righteous anger over the world’s brokenness and sin with God’s favor, rescue, and redemption?

God’s righteous anger over the enemy’s work in this world and in our lives is real. God’s favor is also real. While we encounter God’s anger, encounter grief, and encounter darkness, the dawn of God’s favor, light, love, and joy is coming. God’s favor will last a lifetime.

The Psalmist writes, “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, ESV).