April 8, 2018 Our Shepherd The Point
God Is … — Session 5— EXTRA! Ideas for Adults Date: April 8, 2018 Our Shepherd The Point: God guides us as He walks with us.
Get Into the Study Use this story to introduce The Point of the session: God guides us as He walks with us. A German Shepherd that was headed for Kansas, recently ended up in Japan. The dog had been sent to Kansas on a United Airlines flight, but when his owner went to pick him up in Kansas, she instead found a Great Dane. The mix-up occurred during connecting flights in Denver. The German shepherd was sent to Japan, while the Great Dane was sent to Kansas. United Airlines ended up chartering a private jet in order to quickly rectify the mistake. We’ve all made wrong turns and ended up somewhere we didn’t mean to go. Although we rarely end up on the other side of the world, mistakes in life can send us somewhere we never imagined we’d go. In this session we see how God guides us as He walks with us, keeping us headed in the right direction. Nikki Wilbanks is a stay-at-home mom, writer, Bible study leader, and commercial real estate appraiser/investor. She graduated from Pepperdine University, and lives with her husband and two children in Murfreesboro, TN.
Live It Out Psalm 23 urges us to slow down, rest, and trust Jesus to be our good Shepherd. Use the following story to highlight our need to rest fully in Him. It’s beginning to look a lot like spring. As the days get longer we “spring forward,” setting our clocks ahead an hour for daylight savings time. While the longer period of daylight in the evenings is a welcome change to many, the initial loss of sleep can be difficult. Each year, tips and tricks are posted from sleep experts on how to handle this one hour change in sleep schedule. While one hour may not seem like a lot, it can wreak havoc on an already sleep-deprived society. Reports suggest an increase in car accidents and heart attacks on the Monday following the start of daylight savings time. Some have wondered why we are so dependent on sleep. The recommended eight hours of daily sleep is one third of our lives. But sleep and rest are gifts from God. While our exhaustion reminds us that we cannot do it all on our own, God calls us to slow down and find our rest in Him. Take time this week to rest in Jesus’ completed work for you. Nikki Wilbanks is a stay-at-home mom, writer, Bible study leader, and commercial real estate appraiser/investor. She graduated from Pepperdine University, and lives with her husband and two children in Murfreesboro, TN.
Additional Questions Icebreaker If you were to pick one animal that would best describe your personality, what would it be? What words come to mind when you think of a sheep? Why? Who are some people who have provided significant guidance in your life? Psalm 23:1-3 © Copyright 2018 LifeWay. May be printed and duplicated only for use with Bible Studies for Life. All rights in this work are the property of LifeWay, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee, 37234.
What does “the LORD is my shepherd” communicate to you? Why is God a better guide than any other source where people seek guidance? In what ways do you need the Shepherd to refresh or renew you?
Psalm 23:4-5 How would you explain the types of difficulties described in this text? What feelings do you experience as you wrestle with these verses? Why do you think God most often chooses to lead us through and not over problems? Psalm 23:6 What are the results of God shepherding His children? What other passages of Scripture come to mind when you read these verses? What promise from God’s role as Jehovah Rohi do you find the most comforting and why?
Get Into the Study Use this story to introduce The Point of the session: God guides us as He walks with us. A German Shepherd that was headed for Kansas, recently ended up in Japan. The dog had been sent to Kansas on a United Airlines flight, but when his owner went to pick him up in Kansas, she instead found a Great Dane. The mix-up occurred during connecting flights in Denver. The German shepherd was sent to Japan, while the Great Dane was sent to Kansas. United Airlines ended up chartering a private jet in order to quickly rectify the mistake. We’ve all made wrong turns and ended up somewhere we didn’t mean to go. Although we rarely end up on the other side of the world, mistakes in life can send us somewhere we never imagined we’d go. In this session we see how God guides us as He walks with us, keeping us headed in the right direction. Nikki Wilbanks is a stay-at-home mom, writer, Bible study leader, and commercial real estate appraiser/investor. She graduated from Pepperdine University, and lives with her husband and two children in Murfreesboro, TN.
Live It Out Psalm 23 urges us to slow down, rest, and trust Jesus to be our good Shepherd. Use the following story to highlight our need to rest fully in Him. It’s beginning to look a lot like spring. As the days get longer we “spring forward,” setting our clocks ahead an hour for daylight savings time. While the longer period of daylight in the evenings is a welcome change to many, the initial loss of sleep can be difficult. Each year, tips and tricks are posted from sleep experts on how to handle this one hour change in sleep schedule. While one hour may not seem like a lot, it can wreak havoc on an already sleep-deprived society. Reports suggest an increase in car accidents and heart attacks on the Monday following the start of daylight savings time. Some have wondered why we are so dependent on sleep. The recommended eight hours of daily sleep is one third of our lives. But sleep and rest are gifts from God. While our exhaustion reminds us that we cannot do it all on our own, God calls us to slow down and find our rest in Him. Take time this week to rest in Jesus’ completed work for you. Nikki Wilbanks is a stay-at-home mom, writer, Bible study leader, and commercial real estate appraiser/investor. She graduated from Pepperdine University, and lives with her husband and two children in Murfreesboro, TN.
Additional Questions Icebreaker If you were to pick one animal that would best describe your personality, what would it be? What words come to mind when you think of a sheep? Why? Who are some people who have provided significant guidance in your life? Psalm 23:1-3 © Copyright 2018 LifeWay. May be printed and duplicated only for use with Bible Studies for Life. All rights in this work are the property of LifeWay, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee, 37234.
What does “the LORD is my shepherd” communicate to you? Why is God a better guide than any other source where people seek guidance? In what ways do you need the Shepherd to refresh or renew you?
Psalm 23:4-5 How would you explain the types of difficulties described in this text? What feelings do you experience as you wrestle with these verses? Why do you think God most often chooses to lead us through and not over problems? Psalm 23:6 What are the results of God shepherding His children? What other passages of Scripture come to mind when you read these verses? What promise from God’s role as Jehovah Rohi do you find the most comforting and why?
