Week 4

Hello--last week only one person showed up, so we prayed for everyone!

This week you needed to:

• Prioritize your roles
• Take care of yourself this week
• Read Chapter 4

What did you decide was your most important role? What is your least important role?

Chapter 4: Love Others as Jesus Loves You

John 13:34-35

This is a basic life purpose. All the other life purposes branch out from this. 1 Cor 13:1-3

What is the difference between love and Christlike love?

“Love, then, is spending ourselves, investing ourselves, in the daily and eternal well-being of others.”

Remember that old song, “They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love…”?

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love

Focusing on Jesus starts a Love cycle

1. Deepens our relationship with Jesus
2. Our lives become a bridge to Jesus for those we love
3. Our relationships with others become a support for us

Haven’t we seen this in our group? These ladies have been through a lot as we studied, laughed, prayed together. We're sending one lady off tonight on an adventure! She's sold her house and is going to travel in an RV with her husband. What kind of amazing opportunities will she have?

1 John 4:19

Do you have Destination Disease? Are you more worried about getting somewhere than enjoying the journey there? Let’s look inside our hearts and take a reality check. P66, para 1.

Ezekiel 11:19-20 "And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God."

Let’s try some of the exercises Katie mentions in this chapter.

Making a loving Difference-Random Acts of Kindness
Try to look for opportunities to love on someone. It can be as simple as listening to them without offering your own story. Ask questions about what they are sharing with you. It could be letting someone go in front of you at the grocery store. It might be paying for someone’s coffee in the drive thru…think about where you go, who you see and keep your eyes open.

Get more involved in church
Try some of their duties on for size. You might find you make a great greeter!

Offer Forgiveness
Don’t put off forgiving someone today. 1 John 4:20

Take a Relational Opportunities Checkup
P72 offers ideas for reaching out in the community.

1. Ask God to fulfill your relational needs first.
2. Ask God if it would be good for you to ask someone to walk with you in this.
3. Tell God you are willing to risk love.
4. Ask God to take you from where you are today to where He wants you to be.

Pray for the Unloving and Unlovable
These are the people who grate against your nerves…the last person you want to call, have lunch with or sit next to in church. Pray for God’s best in their life. Love is caring about God’s eternal relationship with others, not warm fuzzy happy feelings. The prayer may change you more and how you behave towards them!

Homework

• Pray for God to reveal to you one particular person in which He wants you to invest more love, time, energy and/or resources in.
• Read Chapter 5

Week 3

Chapter 3: Do what Matters Today
6-13-2007

Katie says, “Fulfilling your roles today, although those roles may not be thrilling or sensational, is the safest, most predictable step you could possibly take toward tomorrow’s intriguing purpose.”

Industrial psychologist Piers Steel of the University of Calgary said, "We have a workplace that is motivationally toxic. Convenient access to inferior choices is decidedly inconvenient."

It is so easy to get caught up in daydreaming, shoulda-couldas and downright covetousness that we neglect the wealth of purpose God has us knee-deep in right now! I like what Katie calls our day to day assignments--our stealth missions. We're flying below the radar of the enemy. Does that give you a new spin on your chores today?

Have you seen the commercial that shows someone clicking on web videos? The ad asks if 15 min of your time could be better used by checking out their auto-insurance instead. How much time do we waste during the day? How are we spending those “24 coins”?

James 4:17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Look at your list you made in our first lesson. What jobs or roles do you think are unimportant or monotonous? Someone once told us that being women, we needed to strive for equality. Being a mother and wife was not an important role. And yet, how did God decide to come to earth? Did he descend from the clouds? No. He came through the birth canal of a woman. What about wife? When Jesus comes back to earth, He is not coming for people. He is coming for His Church, which is described as “the bride of Christ”. Who says the Bible belittles women? Even demon-possessed Mary Magdelene was redeemed. We read that earlier.

So what are we waiting for? We are procrastinators; avoiding the responsibility that God has given us now. When we “wait on the Lord”…are we online, emailing or chatting about what we want to do, or on the phone talking about our dreams and putting off that humdrum task? Do we have our affairs in order? What about a will—if you want to go overseas, did you start the process for your passport? Do you have a will updated? How ready are you, really?

Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.
Matthew 6:34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are {just} a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

What is the product of procrastinating?

• Stress
• Guilt
• Loss of productivity
• Crisis builds
• Bad rep with friends/family

These are not fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Patience, not procrastination, is what we need to cultivate. We’re so anxious to be given our life-changing purpose…when all the while we should be blooming where we are planted! This is our boot camp.

Patience is the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties. Increasing patience is viewed as the work of the Holy Spirit in the Christian who has accepted the gift of salvation.

Galatians 4:4-5 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

God is patient with us. Not wanting anyone to miss the boat. Why do we have a problem with being patient?

By doing what we are given every day, we are being prepared to handle the mission or ministry that God has in mind for us. How would someone enduring a family illness handle a full-time ministry or mission? Think about it…when you were changing diapers, would you have been able to jet to Africa to feed the hungry, or help out during a hurricane like Katrina? God is cultivating desires and empathy in your heart. Every woman has seasons in her life...what season are you in?

Matthew 25:21 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

1 Timothy 3:11 Women {must} likewise {be} dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.

Did you know you are a missionary? A missionary is “a person sent to do religious or charitable work in some territory.” Think of the different locations you go…home, office, school, neighborhood, state or nation. Our today duties are like mini-stealth missions into enemy territory. Does that encourage you? God counts the hairs on your head, don't you think He's concerned with the daily tasks of life?

If we stepped out to do some amazing missionary or ministry work, would we be ready for the enemy’s attacks? How do you handle panic and crisis now? We have some steps to take. Let’s take them one at a time. Do what matters today.

“I had value because He created me, not because of what I could do.”

Ephesians 6:10-18
Are you standing ready, or do you still need to get on that armor and pick up your weapons?

Homework

• Prioritize your roles
• Re-read the Purpose-filled women of the Bible P56
• Take care of yourself this week
• Read Chapter 4

Week 2

6-6-07

It was a dark and stormy night...but we made it to Bible study anyway!

Acts 2:28
'You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with your presence.'

Tonight we’re going to step toward the pathway for our purpose. It’s time to start unloading that stuff you’re carrying.

Chapter 1 Is Your Life Out of Sync?

We have some ladies who have no idea what their purpose is. We have some who have an idea, but need help in finding the path. We have others who are in transition from one purpose, into another. We’re in this study because we feel a little out of sync. (sync means harmonious relationship)

How can we get into sync or back into harmony?

In the book, the writer tells of her different ways she took for her path. One is a trip to India to visit Mother Theresa. Although many of us do not have the time or money to make this trip, we can glean some advice from the writer’s experience. (We're going to look for the movie to share on another night. The name of it is listed at the end of the chapter.)

Mother Theresa is undeniably one of the most selfless women of purpose I’ve ever heard about. As a young girl, she had a normal family life but her heart was burdened for mission work. She became a nun and traveled to India to work with children. After teaching orphans, she decided to work with all orphaned and unwanted people, the sick, the leprous…Why do you think God’s love for people spilled out into this woman’s life? She was in sync with God.

What other women can you think of that have found their purpose in life?

Our GPS alarm is going off…we’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere and we need to get back on track. If our car is not running properly, do we take it to a plumber? Who put that longing for purpose in our hearts? We need to go to the Creator of this longing for answers, not run to Oprah or Dr. Phil.

Let’s look at what some consider a Biblical Martha Stewart: Proverbs 31:10-31

Some women think this example is a huge burden to hold over women—a super mom/super wife that can do it all. I would propose to you that this is a woman and the different seasons in her life. And those that are single, you think this does not pertain to you—I disagree. Aren’t we all considered “Brides of Christ”? If we consider Jesus our husband…look at the passage again. It is rich with meaning and purpose for every woman.

Let’s get out a piece of paper and write down some things we know about ourselves. No put downs allowed!

Let’s start out with the different hats we wear, start out saying, “I am…” If you get stuck, think about your day and list the person you are to each person you meet. Ex: I am a mom. I am a daughter.

Now lets get a list of skills. What were you good at in school? What was your favorite class? What skills have you learned since then? Make a list by saying “I can…” Ex: I can cook. I can drive.

Finally, what do you have a passion about; what would you do without being paid? Make a list by saying “I enjoy…” Ex: I enjoy cooking new recipes. I enjoy writing.

Brazelton says, “Do today what God is asking me to do today in my family, church and community. Be more like Christ. And then, do the distinct and bold work God has specifically designed for me to do before I die!” (This is the Do-Be-Do concept)

We start getting into sync or harmony by doing our daily tasks and by doing what we love, or being who we are, for those we love. We are showing them the love of God in a practical way. By interacting with people who cross our path and doing the things we have the skills and passion for, we find ourselves in training for our purpose like a marathon. We will be going farther and getting stronger than we ever thought we could. We will be breaking thru walls that once seemed too high for us to climb over.

I’ll give you an example. A woman who enjoys painting might offer to paint her elderly neighbor’s kitchen a bright happy color. A step further would be for her to organize community service team for the elderly. Reaching out in Jesus’ name to others with a paintbrush may be that woman’s purpose!

Ask God every morning before your feet hit the floor, “What do you want me to do today?” Philippians 1:6

Chapter 2 Leave Your Past Behind

Have you ever been camping? What do you take along with you? What do we leave behind? Why can’t we take all our belongings?

Brazelton says, “We really can’t forget something until we have experienced some type of healing.”

What is it in your past that seems to be holding you back? What do you need to do about it? Would you consider prayer or counseling? What can you do today to deal with this? I agree with the writer. No one should rush through healing. We only end up stuffing it and have it pop out somewhere else in our life.

If someone did something to you, forgive him or her. If they’ve died, write a letter to them anyway. If they’re still alive, try to reconcile. You are called to reach out. If they do not want to reciprocate, that’s not your problem. You have been obedient. (Ephesians 4:26)

If you have hurt someone else, you need to ask for forgiveness at the next possible opportunity. (Matthew 6:12) If they’re still alive, reach out. Again if they refuse to forgive you, you have done what you are supposed to. Then ask God for forgiveness.

I agree with Brazelton. Skipping this step will only cast you into a cycle of the same lesson over and over. How can God fix something that you won’t admit is broken?

What’s eating you? (p35-36) Annoyances, Chronic problems, The unexpected, Sin, The Unspeakable.

Psalm 56

God knows what you've been thru. He keeps your tears in His bottle. I think the ocean is His tear bottle...how else can he contain the tears of all his children?

God will also use your positive experiences in your life. What amazingly good things have happened to you?

Remember a time that you survived a bad experience? You came out the other side. Remembering that God brought you thru something will help you survive another crisis. Remembering how He brought you through it shows you how to make it through another trying time.

What good or bad experiences have you drawn from to help others?

What do you think about Mary Magdalene’s story? Luke 8:2, John 20:1-18

How far will you go to try and discover your purpose? Would you go to India? Would you revisit your past to find healing?

This week:

• Pick one or more suggestions on pages 37-39 and follow the steps.
• Read Chapter 3
• Read about Mary Magdalene Luke 8:2, John 20:1-18