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Woodlawn Family Bible Study THURSDAY BIBLE READING :   1 Corinthians 10:13  MAIN IDEA :   “ Choose to have a decided heart ” DISCUSSION : Motives play a huge part in making decisions. Peer pressure can be a strong motive for making decisions. Pressure to make a choice a lot of times is just temptation in disguise and it’s never been acceptable to give in to temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us we will be tempted but with God we will be able resist it. When we make decisions in life, we have to realize some decisions are not going to please everyone in your group of friends. Don’t be afraid to do what is right.  Don’t let your future depend on others opinion, when your heart and love for Christ tells you which decision is right. Sometimes our decision may not be based on “what is the right thing to do?” but on “do I want to do the right thing?”  Never do the wrong thing, even for the right reason, and never do the right thing for the w...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study WEDNESDAY BIBLE READING :   Joshua 24:15 MAIN IDEA :   “ Choose to take Action ” DISCUSSION : Civil war Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, previously a Maine school teacher, was leader of a regiment during the battle of Gettysburg. His band of men successfully held off many attempts by the Confederate army to advance. Finally, with the enemy reinforced and charging, and his men out of bullets, he choose to fix bayonets and charge them. This so surprised the enemy that they turned and ran.    When faced with the choice of standing up for right, the choices are to do nothing or take action.  Choose to act. Do the right thing for the right reason. A good leader has the ability to inspire others to be their best. Choose who you follow carefully. An army of sheep lead by a lion will defeat an army of lions lead by a sheep. When faced with a decision many people say I am waiting on God.  However, understand th...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study TUESDAY BIBLE READING:   1 King 3:22-27; 1 Kings 11:1-11 MAIN IDEA :   “ Choose to seek spiritual wisdom ” DISCUSSION :   Solomon was the son of David. God blessed him with wisdom, and he made many wise decisions (e.g., 1 King 3:22-27).  Not only did Solomon acquire many riches, but he also acquired many wives and concubines, which proved to be his down fall. He let greed and self-esteem (vanity) creep into his life (1 Kings 11:1-11). Solomon choose wisdom for the right reason but as he aged he let his spiritual wisdom turn to earthly wisdom, which became his downfall. Choose wisdom for the right reasons (James 3: 13-17). In these verses James tells us there are two type of wisdom. Earthly wisdom promotes selfishness, bitter jealousy within your heart (there will be confusion and every kind of evil), and boasting that is a lie and covers the truth.  This wisdom comes from the devil. If you have spiritual...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study MONDAY BIBLE READING :  2 Corinthians 1:3-7 MAIN IDEA :   “Choose to Let the Buck Stop Here ” DISCUSSION : Choose to "let the buck stop here" (Sign on President Truman’s desk). Accept responsibility for your past, then move on.  Don’t let the words "It’s not my problem come" out of your mouth. Don’t look for someone else to blame. Don’t let the past control your future. Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but you can start today and make a new ending. God did not give us the ability to always make the right choice, but He did give us the ability to make choices and correct the wrong ones we make. Facing adversity is part of preparation to make yourself a better person.           Proverbs 24: 10, " If thou faint in the day of adversity, Thy strength is small." APPLICATION :  Look for opportunities to improve. If there is a problem, be part of the solution. P...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study SATURDAY BIBLE READING:   Philippians 4:8,9 MAIN IDEA :  “Slow down and think before you make a choice you will regret” DISCUSSION :  A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside. "That laundry is not very clean; she doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap." Her husband looks on, remaining silent. Every time her neighbor hangs her wash to dry, the young woman makes the same comments. A month later the woman is surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and says to her husband: “Look, she finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this.” The husband replies, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.” And so it is with life.... her neighbor hangs her wash to dry, the young woman makes the same comments. A month later, the woman is surprised to see ...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study FRIDAY BIBLE READING:   Matthew 13:44 MAIN IDEA :   “ Slow Down and think before you pass up an opportunity God has given ” DISCUSSION :   How many of us look back on our lives and realize we made mistakes in some of the choices we made? Choices on such things as; investments we made, people we made friends with, how we raised our family, how we didn’t put God first in our lives. Which of these can we correct immediately?  Many people don’t realize how important it is to obey God’s word when they realize they are not following it. When we realize we are not on the path to heaven, we must make the changes in our life to get on the path to heaven. Paul tells us in Romans  6:23, “When people sin, they earn what sin pays--death. But God gives his people a free gift--eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Jesus taught in a one verse parable in Matthew 13:44 that the gospel is more valuable than any earthly tr...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study THURSDAY BIBLE READING:   Colossians 4:6 and James 3:13 MAIN IDEA :    “ Slow down and think before you breakup a troubled home ” DISCUSSION : A moment of patience in a moment of anger can save you years of regret.   Do you argue more than you pray in your home? Our country has an alarming number of divorces within the first couple of years. Putting God first, patience and realizing life is not just about you, is a must for success. When you said I do, your life changed from me to we; you accepted responsibility to share your life with someone as a family. One mark of a Christian home is patience. Successful families are not the ones who never have storms. They are the ones that weather the storms and make their homes even stronger as they rebuild. Ask yourself these questions and answer honestly: Do I fly off the handle answering questions that I think the one asking should know the answer? Do I talk down to o...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study WEDNESDAY BIBLE READING :  Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4 MAIN IDEA :  “Patience is a virtue that slows us down” DISCUSSION : Slow down and think before you let up during the times when you are faced with hardship and persecution.   It is not much of a challenge to be patient and happy when everything is going our way. The real test comes when things go wrong, plans go awry, fortunes disappear, health fails, and friends forsake us, or death invades our lives.   We are told in James 1:2-4 and Romans 5:3,4 that the lessons we learn from enduring troubles in our life makes us stronger through patience and this makes our hope stronger.  Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the assurance of things hoped for. So as our faith is increased also we have more proof that heaven will be our reward. And that is what it is all about. We have many examples of Gods people dealing with adversity and how they held on and were able to endu...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study TUESDAY BIBLE READING :   Ezekiel 18:24 MAIN IDEA :    “ Slow down and think before you slow up in the Christian race ” DISCUSSION :  Patience is a virtue that slows us down.    Slow down and think before you slow up in the Christian race.   When we patiently wait on the Lord’s coming (Isaiah 40:31), He will give us strength to finish. Ezekiel 18:24 tells us that good people who stop doing good things and start doing evil things as sinners do will not get credit for their good things but will die to sin unless they change their evil ways. As we go through life, there will come a time when we can’t continue to do as much good as we once did.   In Ecclesiastes 12 the wise man, Solomon, tells us how important it is to serve God while we can, because as we age our abilities diminish. If you don’t use your abilities while you can, you will feel like you have wasted your life when old and you can’t. ...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study MONDAY BIBLE READING : Isaiah 40:29-31 MAIN IDEA:  “ Patience is a virtue that slows us down ” DISCUSSION :  Our society is so focused on instant results, that the very thought of slowing down sounds like a bad thing. Patience is a calm temper, which endures evils without murmuring or discontent” (Webster).Synonyms include- endurance, steadfastness, longsuffering. It includes an attitude of “cheerful hopefulness”. Why is patience important for Christians? God originated it - Romans 15:5 Its source is the Holy Spirit -  Galatians 5:22 Its perfect example is Christ -  2 Thessalonians 3:5 Slowdown and think before you blowup at a difficult person. Do you think your way of doing things is always the best? Do you get angry if challenged by associates? Can you roll with the punches? Don’t lose your patience and control of your tongue.   Harsh words can’t always be retracted. James 3 tells us the t...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study SATURDAY BIBLE READING :  Matthew 13:18-22 and Ephesians 4:17, 18 MAIN IDEA :     “ How does our heart get calloused?" DISCUSSION :   How does our heart get Calloused? Do nothing. Paul warns the Christians in Ephesians 4- Don't continue living like those who don't believe. They have no understanding, and they do nothing and their hearts are hardened. So they cannot have the life that God gives. Don’t put forth the effort to make yourself a better person and you will create a heart that doesn’t want you to be a better person. Does God harden our hearts? No, but by lack of concern and unbelief you let it happen. Romans 1:21 "because, knowing God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were thankful. But they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." They didn’t try to please God and their heart became calloused. Work to keep your heart tender. A cal...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study Friday BIBLE READING :   Hebrews 13: 15, 16 MAIN IDEA :   “ How do we grow a tender heart in a calloused world? ” DISCUSSION :   Part 4 - Look for opportunities to do well. If we spend our time doing good, evil will not easily enter our lives.  Get busy serving God, doing good and you want have time for evil. Psalm 11:7 The LORD always does what are right, and he loves seeing people do right. Those who live good lives will be with him. Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. The reward for doing good and doing what is right is great! The way to get that reward is so simple; just follow Gods plan. Psalm 106:3 Those who obey his commands are happy. They do good things all the time. Psalm 112:5 It is good for people to be kind and generous and to be fair in business. By doing good we will reap rewards of – life, loyalty...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study Thursday BIBLE READING :   Galatians 6:1,2 MAIN IDEA :   “How do we grow a tender heart in a calloused world?” DISCUSSION :  Part 3- Choose your friends wisely. How much influence do friends have on our lives? It would be wise to choose these people carefully.  They will influence you a lot. Most people believe a true friend is someone who accepts them as they are. That can be very dangerous to believe. It sounds good but it is so wrong to believe. Accepting you for who you are is what most people you don’t even know do. A true friend holds you to a higher standard. A true friend brings out the best in you. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:1, 2 - (ESV) Brothers and sisters, someone in your group might do something wrong. You who are following the Spirit should go to the one who is sinning. Help make that person right again, and do it in a gentle way. But be careful, because you might be tempted to sin too. Help e...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study Wednesday BIBLE READING : 1 Corinthians 15:33 MAIN IDEA :   “ How do we grow a tender heart in a calloused world? ” DISCUSSION :   Part 2- Control what you allow into your mind. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 that we will be corrupted if we put ourselves in an evil environment. If we watch violence enough on TV or the internet, it will callous us to violence. Images in our mind influence our thoughts and callous our hearts.  It makes real situations of violence difficult for you to correctly respond. You may have trouble understanding there are going to be consequences. If you listen to bad language enough you will accept it as OK. If you watch or read about sinful acts, you begin to accept that sin as normal. The human side of us allows this to happen- Don’t put yourself in situations that pull you away from God. Who are you inviting into your daily life, Jesus or Satan? Can it be both and pleas...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study Tuesday BIBLE READING :  Deuteronomy 10:12 & 2 Timothy 2:22 MAIN IDEA :  H ow do we grow a tender heart in a calloused world? DISCUSSION :  Part 1 - Put God first in our lives. Most of us had parents who taught us right from wrong, maybe even taught us from the Bible. Some had “going to church” a part of family life. Not all were equally blessed in this area.  Each of us has different strengths and weaknesses, different environments we work in or live in. This is not an excuse for sin in our life, wrong choices cause that. God always gives us a way to not sin. 1 Corinthians 10:13 The only temptations that you have are the same temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to endure it .      We have to do things to prov...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study Monday BIBLE READING :  Matthew 13: 3-9, Luke 8:5-15 MAIN IDEA : “Parable of your heart” DISCUSSION: In Christ’s parable written in Matthew 13 and Luke 8, neither the skill of the sower nor the power of the seed is the issue. The seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11). This parable is about our hearts. The importance of having a tender heart, not calloused. Christ is comparing our hearts to four possible types of soil; 1- Along the roadside, 2- Rocky places, 3- Thorny places, 4- Fertile soil. Three of the four types of soil represent the heart of the hearer that falls short of fully committing to God’s word. Only the heart that is tender (good) will please God. To understand what causes a calloused heart, we should learn how we get a tender heart. Are we born with a tender heart? After the flood when Noah offered a sacrifice to God, we read in Genesis 8:21 - Jehovah smelled a sweet odor. And Jehovah said in His heart, I wil...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study SATURDAY BIBLE READING :   1 John 1: 7-9 MAIN IDEA :  Forgiveness Has Already Been Paid for by Christ. DISCUSSION Some of us are not able to forgive ourselves.  We look at whatever we have done and believe we are beyond forgiveness.  But what we really feel is disappointment with ourselves – a disappointment that confuses a measurement of our sin with merit for our forgiveness.  The first consequence of a self-directed unforgiving spirit is that we punish ourselves on an ongoing basis.   How do we do that?  We replay our sins continually.  Satan initiates it, and we foolishly follow.  We even replay the feelings of guilt, and as we do we put ourselves in a tortured state that God never intended.  When we ask God for forgiveness of our sins as we repent, He forgives us of them.  But we continue to put the burden on ourselves, not on God.  We are unwilling to forgive ourselves, ...

Woodlawn Family Bible Study FRIDAY BIBLE READING :   Matthew 6:12-15 MAIN IDEA : “ Forgiveness (You can do it)” DISCUSSION The major obstacle to forgiving is a lack of understanding of what forgiveness is.  Some of us confuse forgiveness with condoning unkind actions.  Some think when we forgive we must forget.  Some think forgiving is a statement that it no longer is a hurt. Forgiveness is a feeling of peace that emerges as you take your hurt less personally, take responsibility for how you feel, and become a hero instead of a victim.  Forgiveness is the experience of peacefulness in the present moment. Forgiveness doesn’t change the past but changes the present and the future. It means that even though you are wounded, you choose to hurt/suffer less.  Forgiveness means that you become part of the solution. Forgiveness is the understanding that hurt is a part of life . Forgiveness is an act that shows strength.  Our strength ca...