Introduction
Notes:
1. The duration of the devotional sessions is 20-30 minutes.
2. This leader’s guide is suitable for both online and physical discussions.
3. This leader’s guide is suitable for officers and leaders who lead a group or individuals who are not joining any of the discussion groups.
For officers or leaders who conduct the sessions in a group, keep in mind the following:
1. Have a non-judgmental attitude.
a. In the course of the discussion, some members may give answers that you, as the leader, know are wrong.
b. Don’t pounce on the answer or reprimand them – they will not want to continue participating.
c. Value the insight you are gaining into their true thoughts, so that they are able to share what they think openly rather than parroting “right answers” to you.
d. Accept the answer by saying something like, “That’s an interesting point of view. What do the rest of you think?”
2. Encourage participation.
a. Some members are chatty and assertive. Welcome their contribution but remind them to give others a chance to speak.
b. Other members are shy and quiet. Encourage them to share, but if they really don’t want to, don’t force them.
c. Try to give every member a chance to say something.
3. When summarising or concluding, highlight good answers that have been contributed and add insights from the leaders’ guide that the members may have missed.
Day 21: On Our Hearts
Lesson/Learning Objective: To reverently remember and obey God’s Word.
Preparation:
❖ Bible verse: Read Deuteronomy 6:1-9.
❖ Context: Deuteronomy contains Moses’ retelling of the Law that God gave His people at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20-30). In today’s reading, Moses concluded his summary of the law, then proclaimed the Shema, the Jewish declaration of faith. After that, he boiled down the essence of the law into loving God with our entire being, which Jesus declared to be the greatest commandment (Matt 22:37-38). Moses then instructed them to keep God’s commandments on their hearts, pass them on to their children, and make them an integral part of their daily lives so that they will always remember and obey them.
❖ Materials: Bibles; if you decide to do the creative activity, A4 papers, scissors, cellophane tape or staplers, and artwork stationery.
Activity:
❖ Ask your members to pair up.
❖ In pairs, take turns to memorise and recite Deuteronomy 6:4-5 to each other. The aim is to recite it word-perfectly without looking at it.
❖ After 5 minutes, ask if anyone has succeeded in memorising the verses and to recite it in front of the whole group. Choose 3 or 4 volunteers to do this.
❖ Encourage those who have not yet managed to memorise it to keep working on it on their own.
❖ If you have time, give them some A4 papers, cellophane tape or staplers and let them use their creativity to design headbands and bracelets with the words of Deuteronomy 6:4 and 6:5.
➢ For bracelets, you can shorten the verses to “the LORD is One” and “Love the LORD your God”.
➢ You may move this activity to the “Conclusion” if more appropriate.
❖ If you are doing this devotional individually, memorise and recite the verses on your own and feel free to make a headband and bracelet too.
❖ What we’ve done in today’s activity is actually a direct application of some of the verses in today’s reading. Let’s read it together!
Discussions:
❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.
❖ Discuss the three questions:
1. Q: Why were the Israelites to obey God’s law (Deuteronomy 6:2-3)?
A: They were to obey it so that they would fear the Lord, enjoy long lives full of wellbeing, and experience great personal and national growth.
Sometimes when we think of God’s commandments and laws, we think of God like a strict policeman, just waiting to zap us if we break one of his rules. But the reasons given for obedience here reveal a very different picture of God. He did not give us the law to restrict us and confine us, but to help us live lives full of true freedom, joy, wellbeing, and growth. And the greatest benefit of obeying His law is the privilege of having a personal relationship with the true and living God, being able to know and revere the almighty Creator of our vast, wonderful, beautiful, complex universe. (Note: To “fear the Lord” does not mean to feel scared of or terrorised by Him, but to worship Him with reverent awe).
2. Q: What can you learn about God from the verses you memorised (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)?
A: God is One. This means that He alone is God; there is no one like Him, no one else who is worthy to be worshipped, praised, adored, and obeyed like Him. Everything and everyone else is created, bound by time and space, imperfect, and dependent on external causes for existence and sustenance. God alone is the Creator, eternal, transcends time and space, perfect, self-existent, and self-sufficient. He is the source of all truth, goodness, and beauty in our world.
God is worthy of our love. He is worthy of our total allegiance, worthy to be the focal point of all our feelings, desires, thoughts, and efforts. He loves us with an everlasting love. The Israelites experienced His love, for He sent Moses to rescue them out of slavery to the Egyptians. We too have experienced His love, for He sent Jesus to rescue us.
3. Q: How can we hold God’s commandments in our hearts and make them a part of our daily lives (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)?
A: (i) We can memorise God’s Word, as we did in the Activity earlier. Then, we can meditate on them. We can chew on God’s Word; ponder on it; allow it to take root, grow, bloom, and bear fruit in our lives; allow it to transform our mind, change our ways of thinking, ways of seeing the world, and ways of interpreting our experiences; and allow it to modify our deeply-held attitudes and values.
(ii) We can talk about God’s Word with our family members and friends. Moses instructed parents to impress God’s commandments upon their children, but as a son or daughter, you could also share with your parents the things you are learning about God and His Word. As a teenager, you can give back to your parents, encourage them spiritually, minister to them, and be a blessing to them. If you are from a non-Christian family, sharing what God is doing in your life can be a
powerful testimony and a way of sowing the seeds of God’s truth and love in their hearts. Moses encouraged the Israelites (and by extension, us) to have meaningful, deep conversations about God and His Word with one another at every opportunity - sitting, walking, lying down, and getting up.
(iii) We can use reminders to help us remember God’s commandments. The headband and bracelets we made today may not be stylish and lasting, but there are other reminders that we could use. Remember the WWJD wristbands and P.U.S.H. slogan from the 90’s? They stand for “What Would Jesus Do?” and “Pray Until Something Happens” and they’re good reminders to act and speak in Christlike ways, and turn all our anxieties and cares into prayer.
(iv) We can write Bible verses on sticky notes. Place them on laptop screens or mirrors etc. Every time we see them, we’re reminded of God’s truths. Moses told the Israelites to tie and write God’s commandments on their hands, foreheads, door frames, and gates. It is up to your members’ creativity on how and where to place reminders of God’s words in their lives.
Conclusion:
❖ Encourage your members to memorise God’s Word, meditate on it, talk about it with friends and family, and put reminders in place to help them remember and recall it.
❖ Close in prayer.
Day 22: Heart Food
Lesson/Learning Objective: To revere God by being honest with Him, enjoying and delighting in His Word, guarding our hearts from negative influences, and serving God faithfully.
Preparation:
❖ Bible verse: Read Jeremiah 15:15-21.
❖ Context: Jeremiah is also known as the “weeping prophet” because of his deep sorrow over the sin of his people and their impending judgement and exile. Just before today’s reading, God had told Jeremiah not to pray for Judah anymore. Because of their sin and rebellion, their judgement was certain and their destruction was inevitable. In today’s reading, Jeremiah is confessing and lamenting. He accuses God of being untrustworthy because of how unfair it is that he has served God and has only been “rewarded” with pain and suffering. God responds by calling Jeremiah to repent of his words, promising him restoration and continued service as God’s spokesman if he will speak God’s worthy words instead. If Jeremiah is willing to do that, God promises to strengthen him to stand firm against the people and to save and deliver him from persecution.
❖ Materials: Bread, condiments, blindfolds.
Activity:
❖ Prepare some mini-sandwiches with weird fillings like peanut-butter-and-wasabi, tuna-andkaya, jam-and-cheese, tomato-sauce-and-ginger, etc.
❖ Ask for volunteers to eat them.
❖ For added excitement, blindfold the volunteer and ask them to guess what’s in it.
❖ Debrief them:
➢ Volunteers, how did your sandwiches taste? Did you enjoy them?
➢ Those who didn’t volunteer, do any of the fillings sound yummy to you?
❖ In today’s reading, the prophet Jeremiah says that he ate something that was his “joy” and his “heart’s delight”. What did he eat? Let’s read and find out!
❖ If you’re doing the devotional alone, recall if you have ever eaten something that tastes weird or bad to you. What was that?
Discussions:
❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.
❖ Discuss the three questions:
1. Q: What kind of situation was Jeremiah facing, and how was he feeling (Jeremiah 15:15,18)?
A: He was facing persecution and rejection. He was emotionally wounded and hurt. He felt disappointed with God and even accused God of deceiving him.
When we go through tough times and feel disappointed with God, it is good for us to remember Jeremiah’s example. His words show us that we can be totally honest with God. What Jeremiah said was not right – God doesn’t deceive anyone. But it was an honest expression of his feelings and his pain at that time, and God did not hold it against him.
2. Q: What had Jeremiah done in the past in order to serve God faithfully and well (Jeremiah 15:16-17)?
A: He had “eaten” God’s Word and taken it as his joy and his heart’s delight He bore God’s name. He kept away from and did not mix with partygoers and merrymakers.
Like Jeremiah, we too bear God’s name – as Christians, we bear the name of Christ. Jeremiah is a good example for us to “eat” God’s Word and savour it as our joy and heart’s delight, for His Word is “really good for us.” Remind your members of Day 13, Question 3 – hearing, reading, studying, memorising, and meditating on God’s Word. Like food, encourage them to choose one of these ways, to work up an appetite and a taste for God’s Word, and to increase their intake of it.
Being teenagers, your members are susceptible to peer pressure. In a Christian group, it is easier for them to encourage one another and grow in spiritual maturity together. Therefore it is good for them to follow Jeremiah’s example in keeping away from bad influences. We should be friendly and open to others, but not everyone should be allowed intimate friendship with us, or else they will influence us.
3. Q: What did God tell Jeremiah to do, and what did He promise Jeremiah (Jeremiah 15:19-21)? Write down two commands and two promises below.
A: God told Jeremiah:
1) To repent, because he had made a false accusation against God, likening Him to a “deceptive brook.” (Imagine walking through the jungle. Your water is running out. Fortunately, you have come this way before, and you know a river where you can refill your water bottle. But when you reach there, oh, no! The river has dried up. This is the picture that Jeremiah used to describe God in 15:18.)
2) To speak worthy words, the words God would give him, rather than unworthy words like his false accusation against God.
3) To let the people turn to him, but not to turn to them; meaning that he must stand firm on what God has said and call the people to listen and come back to God, but he must not allow himself to be influenced by them or agree with their point of view.
If Jeremiah would repent and speak worthy words, then God promised:
1) To restore him.
2) To let him serve God as God’s spokesman.
3) To make him strong like a fortified bronze wall to stand against the hostility of his listeners (Jeremiah 1:18 - “Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land…” God reminds Jeremiah that when He first called him to be a prophet, He already said he would face opposition and promised to strengthen him. He did not deceive Jeremiah, and had been honest from the start.)
4) To be with him.
5) To always rescue, save, and deliver him from wicked and cruel people.
Conclusion:
❖ Encourage your members to revere God in the following ways:
➢ Turn to God in times of trouble and difficulty, sharing their emotions and struggles with Him honestly.
➢ Take in God’s Word and learn to make it their joy and our heart’s delight.
➢ Guard their hearts from negative influences of their peers.
➢ Repent if they have said or done wrong before God.
➢ To serve God faithfully in the ways He has called them to (Jeremiah was called to be a prophet; they are called to be good sons and daughters, good students, to serve Him in their Company, their Christians Fellowship in school, and their Youth Fellowship in Church, and so on).
➢ To draw strength from God to do all this, abiding in His presence and trusting in His promises to them.
❖ Close in prayer.
Day 23: Self-Control in God’s Strength
Lesson/Learning Objective: To grow in reverence and Christlikeness.
Preparation:
❖ Bible verse: Read 2 Peter 1:3–10.
❖ Context: The books of 1 and 2 Peter were written by Simon Peter, the ex-fisherman who, together with James and John, formed the inner circle of disciples who were closest to Jesus. 1 Peter was written to encourage Christians facing persecution from outside the Church, whereas 2 Peter was written to help Christians facing false teachers and evildoers inside the Church. In today’s reading, Peter writes about how God has enabled us to live godly lives and take part in His very own nature. With that enabling, Peter calls us to grow in spiritual maturity, listing out Christlike qualities that we should do our best to develop. Lastly, Peter motivates us to grow in those qualities so that we can be 100% confident of our salvation and our place in Christ’s Kingdom.
❖ Materials: Marshmallows.
Activity:
❖ Give each member a marshmallow, and tell them they can earn a second marshmallow if they refrain from eating it for five minutes.
❖ If you’re doing this devotional alone, prepare some marshmallows for yourselves.
❖ Debrief them:
➢ Who decided to eat the marshmallow before the five minutes were up? Why did you do that?
➢ Who managed to wait and get a second marshmallow? Was it difficult?
➢ If you have time, watch this 3.5 minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_oy9614HQ
❖ The “marshmallow test” is a test of self-control, which is one of the Christlike virtues mentioned in today’s reading.
Discussions:
❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.
❖ Discuss the three questions:
1. Q: What has God given us, and why has He done so (2 Peter 1:2-4)?
A: God has given us everything we need so that we can live godly lives. He has also given us His great and precious promises so that through them, we can participate in His divine nature.
[Note: What is God’s divine nature? It is what God is like - His goodness, His
love, His holiness etc. Human beings were created in the image of God, and were designed to display certain aspects of His character and who He is. For example, God is rational, so we are capable of thinking logically. God is spiritual, therefore we have an eternal spirit. God is creative, and we too make works of art, architecture, and literature. God is morally perfect, therefore we have conscience. God is relational, therefore we are designed for relationships.
Unfortunately, when Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God, that image was marred and spoilt. But because Jesus died on the cross, we can be of right standing with God again. Separated from God, we become beastly, less than human, controlled by instincts and desires. Reconciled with God in Christ, we become new creations, bearing His perfect image once again. This wonderful transformation is what Peter means by “participate in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).]
2. Q: List down the Christlike qualities mentioned in 2 Peter 1:5-8. Which of these qualities do you feel you need to develop more of, and how could you do so?
A: Peter mentions faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love.
The second part of the question is personal to your members. Give them some time to think about it, evaluate themselves, and answer. Encourage them to choose one quality to focus on, and to think of specific and concrete ways to grow in that particular Christlike quality and practise it.
3. Q: Why should we grow in these Christlike qualities (2 Peter 1:8-10)? Write down two reasons below.
A: We should grow in Christlikeness so that:
(i) We will be effective and productive in knowing Jesus (2 Peter 1:8). Knowing Jesus is not merely head knowledge or verbal confession. It should produce life-transformation. That is the effectiveness and productiveness that Peter is talking about.
(ii) We will not be spiritually short-sighted and blind, forgetting that we have been cleansed from past sins (2 Peter 1:9). And worse still, if we are so blind and forgetful, we may end up returning to those sins again.
(iii) We can be 100% sure of our calling and salvation (2 Peter 1:10a). On Christian subreddits, there are common questions like: “Can I be a Christian and listen to secular music?”, “I did this. Have I committed the unforgivable sin?”, “Have I blasphemed against the Holy Spirit and lost my salvation?” “I feel that God has abandoned me. Am I going to hell?” Peter is not saying that we are saved by our efforts to grow in Christlikeness. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). But Peter is
saying that if we make every effort to grow in Christlikeness, we don’t have to worry about questions like these. As we become more and more like Jesus and see His transforming power at work in our lives, we can know with confidence that He has saved us and is saving us by His grace. Our spiritual growth will be a confirmation and an assurance of the salvation that is already ours in Christ.
(iv) We will not stumble in our race of faith (2 Peter 1:10b).
Conclusion:
❖ Summarise God’s heart for us:
➢ God has given us everything we need to live Godly lives.
➢ He has given us His great and precious promises in His Word.
➢ He calls us to the amazing goal of participating in His divine nature.
❖ If we will live reverent, Godly lives, participate in God’s nature, and grow in Christlikeness, we will:
➢ Effectively and productively know Jesus.
➢ Have clear spiritual sight and be able to leave past sins in the past.
➢ Be 100% certain of our calling and salvation.
➢ Run the race of faith well, without stumbling.
❖ Encourage them to take concrete action to develop faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, or love.
❖ Close in prayer.
Day 24: Gaining Respect
Lesson/Learning Objective: To stand firm in the principles of God’s Word and revering Him even when it means being different from others or going against the prevalent culture.
Preparation:
❖ Bible verse: Read Daniel 1:1-16.
❖ Context: The book of Daniel is set in the period of Judah’s exile to the Babylonian Empire due to their continued rebellion against God. In today’s reading, we meet Daniel as a young man, possibly in his mid-teens. As one of the best and brightest of his generation, he was chosen to serve in the palace of the Babylon king. He and his cohort were to undergo three years of education and brainwashing to follow Babylonian culture and religion, to be assimilated into the conquering empire and be prepared to serve it.
Daniel, though, resisted the pressure to conform. He asked to abstain from meat and wine from the king’s table for 10 days as a test, as the pigs, prawns and shellfish may not be kosher (the Jewish equivalent of halal). After 10 days, he and his friends looked stronger and healthier than the others, and so were allowed to continue to obey God’s law and maintain this aspect of their identity and culture as God’s chosen people.
After today’s reading, Daniel and his friends excelled in their studies in that foreign land and graduated top of their class. Daniel continued to work in Babylonian government until the reign of King Cyrus in 559 BC, in a career spanning 43 years.
❖ Materials: None.
Activity:
❖ Ask: Do you prefer to eat veggies, or meat? Why?
❖ In today’s reading, we meet some young men who chose to eat veggies rather than meat. Let’s read to find out why!
Discussions:
❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.
❖ Discuss the three questions:
1. Q: What happened to Daniel (Daniel 1:3-7)? Try to put yourself in his shoes. How would you feel if something similar happened to you?
A: Daniel and his friends, belonging to noble families and being the best and brightest of their generation, were “kidnapped” by the Babylonian empire to enter the king’s service. They had to undergo three years of reeducation and brainwashing to ensure they were loyal to Babylon and capable of contributing to the government of the empire. In those three years, they could enjoy royal food and wine from the king’s own
table. As part of the process of assimilation, they were also given new Babylonian names.
For the second part, we can imagine if a foreign country like Indonesia suddenly attacked Malaysia one day. With total defeat, Malaysia is no more. Everyone has lost family members, and it is war and chaos. Now Indonesia will take the best young men and women, those with the potential to be future leaders, and bring them to Jakarta where they will be given Indonesian names, taught about the glorious history of Indonesia, made to sing Indonesian songs, learn the Indonesian language, and be trained to serve the Indonesian government to help them continue their conquest of South East Asia. How would they feel?
2. Q: What did Daniel do as he and his friends faced this situation (Daniel 1:8-14)? Why did he do this?
A: Daniel decided not to eat the meat and wine from the king’s table and courageously asked the chief official for permission to abstain. When the chief official protested about the possible negative consequences to himself, Daniel wisely persuaded him by suggesting a 10-day test to see if a vegetarian, alcohol-free diet was sustainable.
Daniel decided to do this because he loved God and wanted to continue obeying God’s law as far as possible even though he was in a foreign land. This was also his personal way of resisting the Babylonian brainwashing and reeducation and maintaining his and his friends’ sense of their identity as God’s chosen people.
3. Q: Would you have done something similar to what Daniel did that showed his reverence to God? Why or why not? What is one area in your life in which God is calling you to “dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone; dare to have a purpose firm, dare to make it known”?
A: For the first part of the question, the answer is personal to your members. Of course the “right” answer is “yes,” but also accept and affirm honest “no’s”. They may give reasons like, “It’s too difficult,” “I would be too scared,” “I love to eat meat,” and so on.
For the last part of the question, ask them to be quiet for a minute or two, pray and ask God if there is any area in their lives He is calling them to think, act, or speak differently from their friends and surrounding culture.
If you have an example from your own life, do share it. For myself, there was a time in secondary school when I would regularly use the “F-word,” “S-word” and so on whenever I felt like it. After all, my friends in school did the same. Then one day, during my quiet time, I read James 3:9-10 - “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made
in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”
Through this verse, God convicted me that I needed to clean up my language, regardless of what my friends in school thought or said about it. And with His help, I did. Although such words do still emerge sometimes in moments of shock or anger, I do not use them regularly anymore.
Some of your members may not hear anything from God or think of anything. Encourage them to be prepared so that when they have to make a decision, they’ll have the courage to do as God says. Others may talk about studying hard, not playing around in class, or not making fun of others when they’re tempted to join in. Encourage them to follow through.
Conclusion:
❖ Listen to the song, “Dare to be a Daniel” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd5lfCV8NDw
❖ For some, it’s difficult to stand out or be different. Encourage them to be brave, to obey and revere God. For those who enjoy being different, remind them to have wisdom. We don’t do it out of rebellion, defiance, or for the sake of it - but to stay true to God’s Word.
❖ Close in prayer.
Day 25: Fear and Love
Lesson/Learning Objective: To revere God by fearing Him, obeying Him, loving Him, serving Him, observing His commands, allowing Him to transform our hearts, and being teachable and sensitive to His leading.
Preparation:
❖ Bible verse: Read Deuteronomy 10:12-17.
❖ Context: In today’s reading, Moses calls the Israelites to be faithful to the covenant and their covenant God. This happens just after he had found them worshipping a golden calf after descending Mount Sinai with the ten commandments. In his speech, Moses lists down God’s five requirements of them: fear God, obey Him, love Him, serve Him wholeheartedly, and observe His commands for their own good. Moses then impresses upon them the great privilege that Yahweh, the almighty and omnipotent Creator of the entire universe, has chosen them from among the nations of the world to be His very own. In view of this amazing honour, they are to “circumcise their hearts” (to cultivate inner transformation) and stop being “stiffnecked” (stubborn and rebellious). Moses then repeats God’s greatness, might, and awesomeness.
❖ Materials: Five chairs, blindfolds, rotan or long sticks.
Activity:
❖ Arrange five chairs in a straight line, one metre apart.
❖ Get members to pair up. If there is an odd number, pair with you.
❖ One member is blindfolded and their partner walks one metre behind them. The seeing partner is to guide the blindfolded partner to walk in a zig-zag pattern between the chairs.
❖ The seeing partner cannot speak to the blindfolded partner or touch them with their hands. The only way is to prod them gently in the neck with a long stick.
❖ If you have the time, let the pairs switch roles.
❖ Continue the activity until every pair has gone through the five chairs.
❖ Debrief them:
➢ What was it like being blindfolded? Was it easy to follow your partner’s prodding?
➢ What was it like being the prodder? Was it easy to guide your partner to the right path?
❖ Today’s activity highlights a phrase in today’s reading. What phrase is that? See if you can find it as we read the passage together. The answer is “stiff-necked. (See more in Question 3.)
Discussions:
❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.
❖ Discuss the three questions:
1. Q: What are the five things that God requires of His people (Deuteronomy 10: 12-13)? Choose two of them and explain – what do you think they mean,
and what could you do to meet those requirements in your own life?
A: The five things God requires are for them to fear God, obey Him, love Him, serve Him wholeheartedly, and observe His commands.
To fear God does not mean to be afraid or terrified of Him, but to have an attitude of reverent awe towards Him. It means being aware of who He is; His greatness, goodness, beauty, and power, and how small and insignificant we are in comparison. It means appreciating the fact that in spite of this great gulf between us, His love is so strong that He has reached down to us and made a way for us to know Him and worship Him. We can be close to Him, intimate with Him, open, honest, and vulnerable. We can even joke and play with Him, for He created us and designed us with those capacities for enjoyment. But the attitude behind all our interactions with Him must never be flippant, overly-familiar, or taking Him for granted. We must remember who He is, so that even in our joy and laughter in His presence, we hold Him in reverence and awe.
To obey God means to hear from Him and to do what He says. It implies a relationship with God that is dynamic and alive, always listening for His voice and following after Him. To practise this, encourage your members to ask God if there’s anything He’d want them to do this week. Once they hear from Him, go ahead and do it. If they are mature Christians, they should be able to discern God’s voice. If they are not, ask them to check with an older, wiser Christian to confirm whether it is aligned with God’s Word. The important thing is not to give up, to keep practising, and to pursue God wholeheartedly with the intent to hear from Him and obey. He will surely honour that desire of their hearts.
To love God means to make a choice and commitment to turn our whole beings away from ourselves and towards Him – heart, soul, mind, and strength. It means choosing to put Him first as the main priority in our lives, and choosing to think, do, and say things that please Him and are in line with who He is and His heart’s desires for us. One way to practise this is through fasting. It can be one meal a week, or even fasting from social media, games etc. Fasting is a way of displaying our love for Him over and above all other things.
To serve God means to do things for Him and for His people. Some examples include arranging chairs for a meeting, washing cups and plates after a fellowship meal, carrying heavy things, etc. Other roles include being a soundman, leading worship, playing music etc in church, or formal leadership roles like serving as a squad leader, an NCO, committee of their school CF or youth council of their Church YF.
To observe God’s commands means to do what God has said. Whereas obeying God is more dynamic and in-the-moment, God’s commands have been written down in black and white and we should know them and follow them. We should not just follow the letter of the Law, but the spirit of the Law ie. Jesus’s teaching about about the Law concerning murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, retaliation etc. in Matthew 5:21-48.
2. Q: How does Moses describe God in Deuteronomy 10:14-15, 17? List down three things about who God is or what He has done.
A: Moses says that God is:
The One who owns our entire universe, including our planet earth and everything in it (v14).
Although He is so much greater than us, He has loved us and chosen us out of the nations to be His very own (v15).
He is the true and living God, high above all other “lords” and “gods” (v17a).
He is great, mighty, and awesome (v17b).
He is impartial and cannot be manipulated by bribes (v17c). The point here is that they really have to change their hearts and walk in obedience to God; they cannot continue doing as they please and then try to “bribe” God with sacrifices and prayers.
3. Q: Given who God is as described in Question 2, what should the Israelites (and by extension, we Christians who are God’s people today) do (Deuteronomy 10:16)? What does this mean?
A: We should “circumcise our hearts” and not be “stiff-necked”. Circumcision is the cutting away of the foreskin, an unneeded piece of skin at the tip of the penis. It is the sign of the covenant given to Abraham (Genesis 17:9-14). Here, Moses is saying that God desires more than external, physical change. He wants inner transformation, a circumcision of their hearts. In Romans 2:28-29, Paul picks up this idea of an inner, spiritual circumcision.
As for “stiff-necked,” reference the activity today. The phrase comes from oxen ploughing the land. The farmer would guide the plough with one hand, and with the other poke the oxen on their necks or hind legs with a goad (a pole with a sharp spike at the end) to make them move faster or stop turning. A “stiffnecked” ox is insensitive to pricking, and stubbornly goes against the farmer’s guidance. Here, Moses is telling the Israelites not to be stubborn or rebellious, but to submit themselves to God’s leading and follow His guidance.
Conclusion:
❖ In today’s reading, Moses talked about seven ways that the people of God should revere Him in view of who He is and what He has done for us:
1. Fear God.
2. Obey God.
3. Love God.
4. Serve God wholeheartedly.
5. Observe God’s commands.
6. Go beyond external compliance to rules; allow God to transform your heart from within.
7. Be teachable and sensitive to God’s leading and guidance.
❖ We have discussed what each of these seven things mean and how we can apply them in our lives.
❖ Seven is a lot. Trying to do all of them at the same time would be too difficult and overwhelming. Take a few minutes now to ask God, which one would He like you to focus on for now? Hear from Him, and take action starting today.
❖ Close in prayer.
Day 26: Because
Lesson/Learning Objective: To love and revere God not because of the good things He gives us, but because of who He is – His love, goodness, sovereignty, and power.
Preparation:
❖ Bible verse: Read Job 2.
❖ Context: The book of Job deals with themes of suffering, justice and faith. Job was a rich man, with a large and happy family, who had been tremendously blessed by God. In order to prove that Job’s faith was genuine, God allowed Satan to take away Job’s family and possessions, but not to harm Job himself, then to hurt him physically, but not to kill him. When God finally responds to Job, He never explains why Job suffered. Instead, He asks Job questions about the world He has created, thereby making the point that this world is amazing, complex, and its just administration is beyond our human understanding. So when we, like Job, cannot understand why God has allowed us to suffer, He invites us not to accuse him from our restricted perspective, but to trust in His goodness and wisdom. Even in our suffering, He is in control. He knows what He is doing, and He has our best interests at heart.
❖ Materials: Whiteboard, flipchart papers, markers.
Activity:
❖ Divide your members into groups of 5 or 6. Give each group a sheet of flipchart paper.
❖ Ask them to write 4 kinds of disasters and what they should do if they experience it.
❖ Ask them to take turns sharing a disaster and one thing they should do.
❖ Write the answers on a whiteboard so there is a combination of all disasters and actions.
❖ When every group is finished, ask “What if you experienced all these disasters one after another in one day? What would that be like? What would you do?” (“Sure die lah,” Finished lah,” etc).
❖ If you’re doing this devotional alone, do the same and reflect on the questions above.
❖ In today’s reading we will meet someone who experienced disaster after disaster in his life. Why did he suffer like that? Was he a bad man? Or was there some other reason? Let’s read and see!
Discussions:
❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.
❖ Discuss the three questions:
1. Q: What kind of person was Job (Job 2:3)?
A: Job was a good man. His suffering was not caused by his own wrongdoing or by God punishing him. God Himself declared that Job was “blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” He was not perfect or sinless; no human being is or was except Jesus. But as far as humanly possible, Job was a
good man. Even though he had gone through disaster after disaster, he did not turn against God but praised and worshipped Him.
2. Q: What happened to Job (2:7-8)? Why did this happen to him (2:4-6)?
A: Job had lost all his children and his great wealth in a series of disasters. Now, he suffered from painful sores all over his skin. It was so bad that he tried to scrape his skin with a piece of broken pottery. These terrible things happened because of Satan’s words and actions against him.
It is important for us to understand that we live in a world of spiritual war (Ephesians 6:12) even before our world was created. Without this understanding, when bad things happen or suffering comes, we will end up blaming ourselves or blaming God. While there are times when we may have caused our own suffering by foolish decisions, this is not always so, as we see in Job’s case. Sometimes, our suffering is caused by Satan – his instigations, his deceptions and tricks, and his attacks.
We must also remember that God was and is still in control. While this world is at war, it has been won through Jesus’ death and resurrection (Colossians 2:15). So like Job, when we suffer and don’t understand why, we can still trust that God is sovereign, in control, and victorious. “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
3. Q: How did Job and his wife respond to what had happened to them (Job 2:9-10)? What can we learn from that?
A: It seems that Job’s wife became bitter against God, for she told Job to just “curse God and die”. Job, however, replied that she spoke like a foolish woman.
From this, we learn that when we experience undeserved suffering, we should respond with wisdom, not foolishness; for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). We must not allow our suffering to turn us away from God, for then we would be like Job’s wife and the “fool” of Psalm 14:1.
Suffering is a part of life and this is something that Buddhists understand well. But no matter the religious background, it’s a universal truth that this world is broken. However, Christians believe that God is good, that He loves us, and that our suffering, terrible as it may be, has purpose and meaning. With His help, our suffering can draw us closer to Him and shape us into His image.
Of course suffering is a bad thing, and we would rather avoid it if possible.
Yet from Job’s response, we learn something about God’s goodness and sovereignty when we experience suffering. God is so good that he can take evil events and turn them around to accomplish something good, like in Joseph’s story (Genesis 50:20). So, let’s accept God’s good gifts with gratitude, and also the sufferings He allows, so we can draw closer to Him for courage, comfort, and strength.
Conclusion:
❖ In today’s reading, we learnt from Job to turn to God when we suffer – to hope and trust in His love, goodness, sovereignty, and power in the midst of it all.
❖ Ask them to think about the suffering in their lives. Has it pushed them away from God, or made them closer to Him?
❖ Some may not have suffered much if they come from comfortable backgrounds. If so, today’s devotion is preparation for the suffering they will face in the future.
❖ Perhaps others have gone through real suffering. Encourage them to come to God for healing, comfort, and strength.
❖ Close in prayer.
Day 27: Drastic Measures
Lesson/Learning Objective: To cut out anything in our lives that are idolatrous or offensive to God out of reverence and love for Him.
Preparation:
❖ Bible verse: Read 2 Kings 23:3-7.
❖ Context: The books of 1 and 2 Kings tell the stories of Israel and Judah’s kings. In today’s reading, we meet Josiah, 16th king of Judah out of 20, and her sixth and last good king. Before this, his predecessor King Manasseh had built altars to false gods, erected an Asherah pole in Yahweh’s temple, practised child sacrifice, divination, and consulted with occultic mediums and spiritists. Finally, in King Josiah’s 18th year of rule, he discovered the temple in neglect and ordered it repaired. In the process, Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the Law. When it was read to King Josiah, he tore his robes in grief and initiated a covenant renewal with God. Josiah begins a series of reforms to obey God, such as destroying the old idols and reinstating the Passover celebration, which had been forgotten for 400 years.
❖ Materials: A4 papers, pens or pencils.
Activity:
❖ Give each member a sheet of A4 paper.
❖ Today’s activity is to make a time inventory of your day. Take a typical weekday with 24 hours in it. How do you spend those 24 hours? How much time is allocated to each activity?
❖ Give them some time to think, reflect, and write it down on the paper. Each member should end up with something like this:
Sleep = 8 hours
Meals = 3 hours
Travelling = 1 hour
School = 6 hours
Personal hygiene = 0.5 hours
Homework = 2 hours
Tuition = 1 hour
Hobbies/Relaxing = 2.5 hours (they can specify playing online games, watching TikTok, etc.)
Total = 24 hours
❖ We’ll discuss this activity in Question 3. For now, let’s read 2 Kings 23:3-7 together.
Discussions:
❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.
❖ Discuss the three questions:
1. Q: What did King Josiah do with the elders, priests, prophets, and people of Judah (2 Kings 23:3)?
A: As the King and the representative of the entire nation, Josiah renewed their covenant before God. He led all the people to commit themselves to follow and obey the Lord, and all of them followed his lead to pledge themselves to the covenant.
2. Q: What did King Josiah do after that, in order to be true to the covenant that he and Judah had renewed before God (23:4-7)?
A: King Josiah got rid of all items of idolatrous worship from God’s temple and destroyed them; he stopped or killed the priests conducting rituals and sacrifices, and demolished the quarters of male shrine prostitutes and female weavers for Asherah in the temple.
For non-Christian members, explain that Christians believe Yahweh is the true and living God, and worshipping other false gods is an insult, offence and abomination to Him. A metaphor often used is adultery. A husband and wife belong to one another and are to be faithful, not seeking romantic bonds or sexual relationships with other men or women. Similarly, the Israelites (and Christians today) belong to God and should be faithful to Him, not worshipping any other “gods.”
For Christian members, explain that what the Israelites were doing is similar to having altars to Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god, or Kwan Yin, the goddess of mercy, inside our Church building! Emphasise that male shrine prostitutes were an evil practice of religious sex trafficking, and having them live on temple grounds is a terrible way of defiling God’s holy place of prayer and worship.
3. Q: Have you made a covenant with God to revere Him, obey Him, and worship Him alone? Is there anything that you should cut out of your life in order to be true to that covenant, like Josiah cut out the idolatry from the life of the nation of Judah?
A: The first part of this question is a simple “Yes” or “No” question. For those who answer “No”, gently remind them that the invitation to enter into a covenant relationship with God is always open. He loves them and wants them to know Him, to have Him as their God and belong to Him as His people. Encourage them to talk with you if there is a reason why they are holding back or what it is they can’t accept. When we decide to accept Jesus and put our trust in Him, it is not just lip service, but our lives must be submitted to His will and there are things to give up in order to follow Him (Luke 14:25-33).
Let’s take a look at our activity above. The way we spend our leisure time reveal whether we “walk the talk” and if it’s in line with loving and revering our covenant God. Some balance and wisdom is required here; most hobbies are neutral, but we have to filter our media consumption like
books, videos, movies, games, and music because they carry messages. Whatever we consume will influence us, so be careful to revere God and submit our favourite movies or games to Him.
Another point is on what we’re constantly thinking about. For example, if someone is always primping themselves in the mirror, there may be a problem with vanity. If someone is constantly thinking about food, they may have a problem with gluttony; if they are constantly thinking about making money, they may have a problem with materialism, and so on. Use balance and wisdom, but these are some red flags to look for as they think idolatrous things to get rid of.
Conclusion:
❖ Encourage your members to take action if the Holy Spirit has revealed to them any habits or mindsets to get rid of.
❖ It was not easy for King Josiah to carry out the reforms he did. It required manpower to do the physical work of destroying the altars and idols and so on. There may even have been opposition and dangerous conflicts.
❖ Similarly, it may not be easy to cut out the idolatrous and offensive things in their lives. Encourage them to persevere, to turn to God for help and strength, and to encourage one another and keep each other accountable.
❖ Close in prayer.
Day 28: Honouring God with Thanks
Lesson/Learning Objective: To revere and thank God in every situation.
Preparation:
❖ Bible verse: Read Psalm 50:8-15.
❖ Context: The Psalms are the worship songbook and prayerbook of ancient Israel. Psalm 50 was possibly arranged in a way to pair with Psalm 51; where God brings an accusation against His people and where they can respond together with King David in confession and repentance. Both psalms say that God does not need or require sacrifice, yet affirm it as a proper and accepted act of worship to Him. As today’s reading begins, God does not rebuke the Israelites for their burnt offerings, but corrects their possible misconception that He needs their sacrifice. God reiterates that He is self-sufficient, that He created all things, and all the riches of our world belong to Him. They should make sacrifices to Him, then, not because He needs them, but because He deserves their thanks and honour and because they need His help and deliverance.
❖ Materials: None.
Activity:
❖ What are your members willing to sacrifice? Read out a list of pairs below, and they have to decide which one they’ll sacrifice. You can assign each item to one side of the room, and instruct them to move to that side if they choose to sacrifice that item.
❖ Feel free to add more pairings to the list or tailor the combos to your group.
❖ Let’s start. What are you willing to sacrifice?
➢ Meat or Chocolate?
➢ McDonalds or KFC?
➢ TikTok or YouTube?
➢ Watching movies or listening to music?
➢ Your sense of touch or your sense of taste?
➢ Your intelligence or your good looks?
➢ Your ability to walk and run (so for example, you have to use a wheelchair, but you can still drive a car specially modified for differently abled people) or your ability to drive (so you can walk and run, but no driving)?
➢ Your favourite food or your favourite hobby?
➢ Money (so you’ll be poor but happy) or happiness (you’ll be rich but not happy)?
➢ Your handphone or your laptop?
➢ Your arm or your life? (Refer to the movie, “127 hours,” where the protagonist went hiking and a boulder fell on his arm crushing it. He waited for rescue, but eventually had to choose to cut off his own arm in order to survive)
❖ Debrief them: In each combo, you imagined choosing one in order to keep another. In today’s reading, the psalmist talks about sacrifice – the Old Testament system of giving up an offering, usually an animal but sometimes also flour, grain, or wine, in order to worship God, revere Him, please Him, and ask for His forgiveness.
Discussions:
❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.
❖ Discuss the three questions:
1. Q: What have the people of Israel done correctly (50:8)?
A: They have faithfully made sacrifices and given burnt offerings to God according to the Law (see Leviticus 1-7). In this, they have done well, and therefore God does not bring any charge against them.
2. Q: What does God need from us (50:9-13)?
A: God doesn’t need anything from us. He is entirely self-sufficient. In fact, He created everything, and so everything belongs to Him.
3. Q: In light of Question 2, why was it still right and good for the people of Israel to give burnt offerings and sacrifices to God (50:14-15)?
A: Although God did not need their burnt offerings and sacrifices, it was still right and good for them to give them to Him in order to thank Him, fulfil their vows to Him, ask Him for help, and honour Him.
Conclusion:
❖ The first takeaway from today’s reading is that we no longer have to make the sacrifices described in Psalm 50 in order to draw near to God, because Jesus is our perfect sacrifice. By His death on the cross, He paid once for all the sins of humanity for all time (Hebrews 10:1214). Therefore, let our hearts be filled with reverence and thankfulness to Him for what He has done for us on the cross.
❖ The second takeaway is that worship is costly. While we no longer have to kill an animal to worship God, there are still sacrifices we are called to make, such as self-denial, our open profession of His name, and our lives lived selflessly for the good of others.
❖ Point them to New Testament verses like Luke 9:23, Hebrews 13:15-16 and Romans 12:1, “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God…”
❖ Let us reverently and thankfully bring to God the sacrifices required of us, not because He needs anything from us, but because He deserves them.
❖ Close in prayer.
Day 29: Holy is Your Name
Lesson/Learning Objective: To revere and worship God alone, turn away from idols, and honour His name.
Preparation:
❖ Bible verse: Read Exodus 20:1-7.
❖ Context: The book of Exodus contains the well-known story of God giving Moses the Ten Commandments, the Law by which Israel must abide by if they want to belong to Him and be His people. Our reading today touches on the first three commandments, which is about the relationship between God and us: We must have no other gods, we must not make idols, and we must not misuse God’s name. After today’s reading, there is one more commandment about our relationship with God: observing our Sabbath. The remaining six deal with our relationship with others; to honour our parents, not murder, not commit adultery, not steal, not lie and not covet.
❖ Materials: None.
Activity:
❖ Get your members to sit in a circle.
❖ In the circle, take turns counting, except for numbers that contain a 4 or are multiples of 4. Instead, they must say “buzz”.
❖ For example, “1, 2, 3, buzz, 5, 6, 7, buzz, 9, 10, 11, buzz, 13, buzz, 15…” and so on.
❖ If a member makes three mistakes, they are out of the game. Or give them a forfeit ie. “sing a song,” “hop around the room on one leg,” “do 10 push-ups,” etc.
❖ If you’re doing this devotional alone, try to count the same way, except with no forfeit.
❖ Debrief:
➢ This game has an arbitrary rule: “don’t mention numbers that contain a 4 or are multiples of 4.”
➢ It is random and without reason, because we could have chosen to play using 5 or 7 or any other number instead of 4.
➢ In today’s reading, we will find a list of rules. But these rules are not arbitrary; there are very good reasons why they prohibit what they prohibit, and why we should follow and obey them.
Discussions:
❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.
❖ Discuss the three questions:
1. Q: What is the foundational reason from which these rules (the Ten Commandments) flow (20:2)?
A: These rules are grounded in God’s identity and character. He is
Yahweh, the true and living God. He is the God of Israel (“the LORD your God”) and, if we choose to believe in Him, reverence Him, and follow Him, He is our own God, too. He is the God who rescued Israel out of slavery in Egypt, and He is the God who rescues us, through the Cross of Jesus, from slavery to sin and death. He is holy, righteous, and loving, and His laws show us the best way to live. If we obey them, we will live a life that pleases Him and avoids suffering the negative consequences of sin. Our life will flourish in His grace, overflow with meaning and purpose and fulfil His good plans for us.
2. Q: What are the three commandments listed in today’s reading (20:3-7)?
A: The three commandments listed are: (1) We must not have any other gods besides Yahweh; (2) We must not make any idols; and (3) We must not misuse God’s name.
3. Q: What do these commandments mean for us today? How can we live them out in obedience and reverence to God?
A: (1) We must not have any other gods besides Yahweh.
The obvious meaning here is that we are to forsake all other gods – Kwan Yin, Buddha, Ganesha, Krishna, etc. – and give our allegiance, loyalty, and worship to Yahweh alone.
Appeal to members from non-Christian backgrounds not to be offended by this exclusive claim.
Ask them to look at it logically – when two statements contradict, they cannot both be true.
For example, these gods are part of religious systems which teach us that we have to do good deeds in this life in order to earn a better afterlife (heaven, nirvana, moksha, etc.); but according to our God, no matter how many good deeds we do, we cannot cleanse, cancel, or undo our sin (Romans 3:23). The only way to heaven is through believing in Jesus (John 14:6), and therefore it is a free gift from God which we can never earn (Ephesians 2:8-9).
These two statements cannot both be true. Like 1+1 can only be equal to 2, if what our God says is true, then the religious systems of these other gods cannot be true.
One common objection to this is, “But all religions teach the same thing - do good, be kind to one another, don’t steal, don’t kill, etc. So why is only the Christian God the true one?”
Use the maze illustration, where in a maze, you may have two paths which run parallel and seem to be going in the same direction. Yet one can lead to a dead end, whereas the other leads to the centre of the maze.
In the same way, while the different religions may appear similar in some ways, there are major differences between them, which means that they lead to different destinations and are really not the same.
Ask them to think about it carefully and to seek the truth. All religions contain some truth and they agree on some matters, but they differ in details. God’s promise is, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Members from Christian backgrounds who already know God are to love Him above all other things and make Him their priority.
Refer to Day 16: Making Jesus more important than our comfort and security; social conventions and expectations; and relationships with family and loved ones.
Refer to Day 25: Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and choosing to think, do, and say things that please Him and are aligned with His desires for us.
(2) We must not make any idols.
Idols or false gods can be anything that becomes more important to us than God or that we love more than God.
In Day 27, we talked about cutting out idols from our lives, specifically on how we spend our leisure time and what we focus our energy on.
(3) We must not misuse God’s name.
It means we don’t use His name as a curse word or casual word, or claim that we have His approval for our actions when it’s just an excuse to do whatever we want; or use scripture to make God appear to say things that He didn’t really say.
Sometimes when we pray, we also use God’s name like a filler, saying “dear Lord,” or “Father God,” when we can’t think of our next sentence. That is not a reverent way to use God’s name, so try to avoid it.
Let’s also be careful of “In Jesus’ name, Amen,” at the end of our prayers. Sometimes, if we pray for things that Jesus does not agree with, tacking this on is meaningless and takes His name in vain.
Conclusion:
❖ Encourage your members to apply these three commandments in their lives.
❖ For non-Christian members, pray that they will continue to seek for the true and living God with an open and sincere heart, and that He will make Himself known to them.
❖ Close in prayer.
Day 30: God’s Radiant Beauty
Lesson/Learning Objective: To allow the beauty of God’s creation to fill our hearts and revere Him for His marvellous work.
Preparation:
❖ Bible verse: Read Romans 1:18-25.
❖ Context: The book of Romans was written by the apostle Paul to help the Church in Rome to agree and be united, especially in the midst of conflict between gentile Christians and Jewish Christians. In today’s reading, Paul establishes that humanity in general is guilty and under God’s wrath. God has revealed His power and wisdom in His work of creation, yet they have chosen to disregard His self-revelation and turned away from Him. As such, the people became foolish and chose to worship created things instead of the Creator. As they turned away from the Source of all goodness and purity, God allowed them to sink lower and lower into their evil desires and sexual impurity. (For the topic of homosexuality, you may refer to Day 5 of our previous resource “Love is a Four-Letter Word”)
❖ Materials: Internet connection, phone, laptop or pictures of famous artworks.
Activity:
❖ Get everyone to play this puzzle art game if there is good internet connection: https://artsandculture.google.com/experiment/puzzle-party/EwGBPZlIzv0KRw?hl=en
❖ If you are doing this devotional individually, try this game on your own.
❖ If not, print out or project these famous art pieces: “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Hokusai, “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh and “The Creation of Adam” by Michaelangelo.
❖ Ask, “What do these works of art tell us about the artist?”
● The artist is Asian or Japanese, as seen from the calligraphy signature.
● The artist wasn’t a painter, as there are no brush strokes (it’s actually a woodblock print).
● The artist probably lived or travelled near the sea to paint this.
● The artist had a unique style using dabs and short brush strokes.
● The artist mixed colours skillfully to give the impression of starlight and moonlight shining.
● The artist made the wind, which is invisible in real life, visible in this painting.
● The artist was familiar with human anatomy, depicting it in great detail.
● The artist was a Christian, painting a scene of God creating Adam.
● The artist portrayed God surrounded by a robe in the shape of a human brain. It’s open to interpretation, but it could mean God bestowing intelligence upon Adam, or showing God’s omniscient mind.
❖ Debrief them: When we look at an artwork, we learn about the artist’s vision of the world, what they saw as beautiful and inspiring, their skills and techniques, and so on.
❖ Similarly, when we look at the world God has created, we can learn something about the Creator and revere Him!
Discussions:
❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.
❖ Discuss the three questions:
1. Q: What can we know about God by observing the world He has made (1:20)? Explain what this means to you.
A: Paul writes that creation reveals God’s eternal power and divine nature to us.
God’s eternal power is evident in the universe’s immensity and complexity. For example, our sun is so huge that it can fit 1,300,000 earths into it! And yet, the sun is only one star among 100,000,000,000 stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. In turn, our galaxy is one among 200,000,000,000 galaxies in our universe, and this is only an estimate. Pause for a moment to think about these mind-boggling numbers. It is obvious that if there is a Creator behind it, He must be immensely powerful to have made all this.
God’s divine nature refers to:
(i) His omniscience – the state of knowing everything and never failing. Think about gravity and atoms, and how everything is designed perfectly to fit together. God is incredibly intelligent and able to conceptualise complexity that human scientists are only beginning to understand.
(ii) His creativity – for example, He didn’t just create one kind of fish or one kind of reptile; He created more than 33,000 and more than 10,000 of them respectively. Creation shows us God’s generous, abundant creativity, providing food, water and habitats for humans and animals.
(iii) His beauty and goodness – think about a glorious sunset, the majestic mountains, the wide open ocean, the colours and vista of our natural world that takes our breath away. The goodness and beauty of our world points us to the goodness and beauty of our Creator.
2. Q: Why is God angry with human beings (1:18-19, 21-25)?
A: God’s anger or wrath, which is old English for extreme anger, is due to human beings ignoring Him in general. We refuse to worship God or give Him thanks, and instead turn to false gods which look like us and other created things (Refer to Day 27, Question 2 on idolatry). Like the people in Rome, as we move further and further away from God, we will get worse, give in to sinful desires and fall into sexual impurity.
3. Q: What can we do so that God will not be angry with us, and that we can be right with God and revere Him instead?
A: We have to turn back to the truth; acknowledge that God is real, powerful, wise, creative, beautiful, and good; worship Him alone because He is the only One who is worthy to be worshipped; throw away or cut off false gods from our lives (Refer to Day 27, Question 2 and Day 29, Question 3); refuse to give in to our sinful desires; and stay away from sexual impurity – no fooling around with the opposite sex before marriage.
Conclusion:
❖ Tell your members, “Don’t think about a pink elephant!” And then ask them what they are thinking about. If they are honest, they will admit that they thought about a pink elephant!
❖ Explain that it is hard and impossible, in our own effort and strength, to try to do the things listed in Question 3.
❖ Even if we could stop sinning today – which is impossible – what about all the sins we have already committed before today?
❖ Explain that the only way to escape God’s wrath is by believing in Jesus.
❖ Read Romans 5:8-9: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”
❖ Then, we go on trying to do the things listed in Question 3, not in order to escape God’s wrath and gain His favour, but in love and thanks to Him because He has made a way for us and we have already escaped His wrath and gained His favour through the cross of Jesus.
❖ Invite your members to put their trust in Jesus today. Guide them in this ABC prayer:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I Admit that I am a sinner. I need You to save me. I Believe that You are the Son of God and that You died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins and wash them away. I Confess You as my Lord and Saviour. Help me to obey You and follow after You as You give me a new life. In Your name I pray, Amen!”
❖ If someone prayed, stay back and chat so you can give them some follow-up material. If no one has prayed, don’t be discouraged and continue to plant the seeds of truth.
❖ Close in prayer.
