Sunday, January 20th

HANGING OUT WITH GOD

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha", the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10: 38-42

Jesus Christ is not physically hanging out on the couch in our living room. One way we take our faith seriously and grow to be like Jesus is participating in devotions; aka alone time, quiet time, devos, hang'in out with God. Every Christian struggles on some level with devotional time. It's a difficult habit to learn and to maintain. In the beginning, the rewards can't always be seen so we have a hard time realizing its true value. Over time we become distracted, forgetting just how valuable time with the Creator is.

What's your favorite thing to do with your best friend? What do you typically do when you're hanging out together?

What in your daily routine gets in the way of participating in a regular devotion time?

How might I be able to help myself or a friend develop a regular habit of spending time with God (without sounding preachy)?

From the scripture reading, why wasn't Martha commended for being a good servant? She was working hard to prepare the house and a meal for Jesus and his twelve disciples.

What compelled Mary to sit and listen to Jesus?

If hanging with Jesus and doing housework are both good things in their proper times, how do you know when is the right time to do each one?

What was Martha's biggest problem, according to Jesus? Do you struggle with these issues yourself?

What's easier for you- doing ministry or spending personal time with God? Which is more important?

Pair up and discuss some of the following:
Describe the quality of your daily devotional times with God.
Share about something you've recently learned during your alone times.
Recite the memory verse you learned from the last meeting.
Share about one new idea you learned during this small group lesson.
Ask for accountability for your alone times this week. What will accountability look like?