I Was Just Minding My Business

We are on the last of three weeks where each person in the group has an opportunity to tell “their story.”  Before we hear from more group members, let’s take a look at someone’s story from the book of Exodus.  A little background:  This baby boy was born during a tumultuous time for the Hebrew people.  They were being persecuted in the land of Egypt and they were commanded to put every newborn Hebrew son to death.  However, the Hebrew midwives feared God more than the officials so they did not obey their gruesome orders and allowed the baby boys to live.  One such boy was Moses.  He ended up being adopted by the Pharaoh’s daughter and a lot of interesting things happened.  (You can catch up on all these happenings in Exodus 1 and 2).  But for our time together today, let’s read Exodus 3:1-9 Exodus 4:10-17.

1.        What was Moses doing as he was just “minding his business,” when he came upon a burning bush?   

2.       Why do you think God chose this time to appear to Moses? 

3.       When you think of times you are just “minding your business,” what are you doing in those times? 

4.       In what times has God caught your attention?  What proceeded that time when you were at a place where you recognized that God was speaking to your heart?  

5.       In Exodus 4:10-13 Moses tries arguing with God and ends by asking God to please send someone else.  Has God ever put a desire or task into your heart to perform, and you really thought someone else would do a much better job?  Can you relate to Moses?  Did you accept your assignment or are you in the process of accepting your assignment, or did you run the other way?

Now, let’s hear from some of our group members.  Here are the three questions:

·         Who have been three special people in your life? 

·         What three are noteworthy events in your life? 

·         What are three places in your life that stand out in your mind? 

When everyone has finished sharing, have the leader, or anyone else who wishes to pray, thank the Lord specifically for the special people in the lives of the group members.

Declaration of Dependence

II Chronicles 6

I have virtually no sense of direction. I’m not sure what causes that or if that can ever be changed. I compensate for this weakness by making sure I have detailed maps, have purchased a GPS that works intermittently, and I often have the benefit of the shotgun to point me in the right direction. When I leave a store in the mall I often have to REALLY consider which way I was going before I entered the store, so as to not backtrack. I have hopped in the wrong parked cars thinking they were mine and I have been terribly lost in so many geographic locations. The rushing freeways in major metropolitan cities are the worst. Make a wrong turn, and let me tell you from experience, you may be lost a LONG TIME.

1. How is your sense of direction? Do you have a funny story about getting lost or about someone close to you that has this same malfunction that my brain exhibits?

The term ‘repentance’ means to turn – and specifically in the New Testament it means to turn from sin. When life is easy and rosy, the thought of turning from sin might seem hard to comprehend. We may even argue about what constitutes sin and what does that have to do with me, etc. etc. But when tragedy strikes, we know exactly what sin is because we tend to run straight to God and start asking forgiveness for all the things we know down deep in our hearts are wrong. Then we begin to plead with God to help us with our problems. Funny, how clearly we understand what sin is, when we are in trouble.

2. Consider points in our National history when we, as a nation, knew we were in trouble. How did the country respond? Consider the beginning of World War II and 911 for discussion starters.

3. Read II Chronicles 6. At this point in history, Solomon was a wise leader. He did the ultimate wise act as a person in authority and that is to humbly acknowledge God as the supreme ruler of the universe. What words did Solomon use to describe God’s authority?

4. In II Chronicles 6:22-31 what reasons does Solomon give for the bad things that happened to the nation of Israel? Solomon pleads with God to do something. For what does he plead?

5. Say II Chronicles 6:36-39 briefly, in your own words. What is the essence of what Solomon is saying?

6. Read II Chronicles 7:14-15. Who are God’s people?

7. What is humble about the act of praying?

8. Can you think of an example in the Bible of someone praying who was not being humble? What did Jesus think?

9. What does God promise for those who humble themselves, pray and repent from their wrongdoing?

10. How can this group pray for you today?

The Credibility Factor

1. This time of year is all about diets and exercise. The extra pounds accumulated over the holidays causes many of us to get to the point of surrender when it comes to becoming disciplined about taking care of our bodies. Many crazy diet fads have gained popularity over the years. Do you occasionally “diet”? And, what is the most ‘wakadoodle’ diet that you have ever decided to embark upon? Did it work?

2. Read Nehemiah 1:1-4. When Nehemiah heard about his people, the Jews, and Jerusalem, Nehemiah not only “dieted,” he fasted. What else did Nehemiah do? What was the news he heard and what was his reaction?

3. Read Nehemiah 1:5-11 carefully. Describe Nehemiah’s prayer. What does this prayer tell of God’s character? How did Nehemiah represent his own people? What does this prayer tell us about Nehemiah’s character?

4. As Nehemiah led the efforts to rebuild the wall around the city of Jerusalem, the workers were met with great opposition by their enemies. Read Nehemiah 4:1-3:7-8:10-12. What kinds of fears did the enemies of the Jews incite?

5. What wise leadership strategies did Nehemiah bring about in Nehemiah 4:14-23? After reading Nehemiah 5:6-19, why do you think the people listened to Nehemiah?

6. In Nehemiah 5:15 what reason did Nehemiah give for not acting like the former governors?

7. Think of someone for whom you have a high degree of respect. What qualities does that person have that causes you to hold them in high regard?

8. Think of a field in which you are knowledgeable. Perhaps it is the kind of work you do, perhaps it is your role in your family, or perhaps it is an area of study or a hobby. What gives you credibility in this given subject? What kinds of actions on your part could hurt your credibility in this area?

9. Now, contrast your answers in question number 8 with the idea of moral authority. What kinds of actions could hurt the moral authority you have in an area, and what could be the consequences?

10. The governors that preceded Nehemiah acted in an expected way. Nehemiah chose to act differently and because he did, he gained the credibility - the moral authority needed to become a great leader and help the Jewish people out of a terrible dilemma. What did you learn from Nehemiah that can help you to raise the bar in the area of credibility?