pdf/2008/Mapquest Wk8
Week 8 mapquest for life Traffic Jams & Other Back-ups “What happens when your plans take a detour?” “This was the best Christmas ever mom.” Molly couldn’t believe her ears. Her 21 year old son chose this Christmas as the best Christmas ever? She never had been able to understand how his mind worked. It definitely should have been the best Christmas ever. She had spent hours combing over recipes online, settling on prime rib-eye steaks with mustard parmesan crust. The steaks were crusty all right. After an impromptu game of Mexican Train with the family, the prime rib-eye steaks cooked for 35 minutes too long and they ate ham sandwiches. In the spirit of trying to keep Santa Claus alive in their household, Molly had placed some of the presents in the chimney. She hadn’t, however, told her husband, who then set 1 MP3 player, 2 sweater sets and a watch on fire. Her family had laughed so hard at her blunder that she had eventually joined in. One of the reasons Molly had tried so hard to make this Christmas pleasant was that this would be the first Christmas she celebrated without her dad. He had loved Christmas so much, and she hated to ruin the festivities with her tears. But instead of ignoring her absent father, her family had dragged out all the albums and talked about their favorite times with her dad at Christmas. And the tears she had tried to avoid came with a sweet smile for all her good memories. “You’re right Josh, this was the best Christmas ever,” she said. Haven’t we all had this happen to us? You work so hard to plan the perfect event and one thing after another goes wrong. But like this story the success of an event depends more on love and people then a perfectly executed plan. This week we will look at passages that help us see that serving God doesn’t always go smoothly. Ministry is not without some trials and a successful ministry focuses on direction and not perfection.
Week 8
Day One
Get Directions:
Philippians 3:12-16
Starting Location
In vs. 12, Paul states that he “has not obtained all this, or already been made perfect”. What is he referring to?
Road Signs
Paul was an amazing man of God, yet he felt that he still had room to grow. How is realizing you have room to grow an important trait for your life?
Ending Location
Consider the areas in your life where you would like to see more growth. Make a list of those areas here.
Week 8
Day Two
Get Directions:
Philippians 3:12-16
Starting Location
According to vs. 13 what does Paul forget?
Day Three
Week 8
Get Directions: Philippians 3:12-16 Starting Location
Paul writes that he “strains towards what is ahead.” Look up the word “strain” and write the definition here.
Road Signs
What would be the benefit of forgetting your past actions? Do we do this naturally, or is making our past powerless something we have to work for?
Road Signs
When it comes to your spiritual growth, do you find it difficult to keep moving in a forward direction? Why or why not?
Ending Location
What is there in your past that tends to hold you back from following God? Write a prayer to God, asking Him to help make your past powerless when it comes to holding you back from ministry.
Ending Location
What are some action steps you can take that would encourage forward movement in your spiritual life?
Day Four
Week 8
Day Five
Get Directions: Acts 15:36-41
Get Directions: Acts 15:36-41
Starting Location
Starting Location
Road Signs
Road Signs
What were Paul and Barnabas disagreeing about?
What emotions do you think Paul and Barnabas were feeling during this time? How do you think it affected their ministry?
Ending Location
Is there someone or something in your ministry that has been a disappointment to you? Write down your feelings about the situation.
Week 8
Where did Barnabas and John Mark go to serve? Where did Paul and Silas serve?
Although Barnabas and Paul were no longer serving together they each continued their ministry to different areas, effectively doubling their ministry area. Do you think ultimately this better served God? Why or why not?
Ending Location
Consider your answer to the previous “Ending Location”. Do you see a resolution to your situation that would honor God? Is this how you pictured things working out?
Spiritual Direction vs. Spiritual Perfection. In your Bible find two or three examples of men or women of God who experienced personal failure. Then describe spiritual growth that took place as a result of them being less than perfect. List the scriptures you refer to.
Week 8
Day One
Get Directions:
Philippians 3:12-16
Starting Location
In vs. 12, Paul states that he “has not obtained all this, or already been made perfect”. What is he referring to?
Road Signs
Paul was an amazing man of God, yet he felt that he still had room to grow. How is realizing you have room to grow an important trait for your life?
Ending Location
Consider the areas in your life where you would like to see more growth. Make a list of those areas here.
Week 8
Day Two
Get Directions:
Philippians 3:12-16
Starting Location
According to vs. 13 what does Paul forget?
Day Three
Week 8
Get Directions: Philippians 3:12-16 Starting Location
Paul writes that he “strains towards what is ahead.” Look up the word “strain” and write the definition here.
Road Signs
What would be the benefit of forgetting your past actions? Do we do this naturally, or is making our past powerless something we have to work for?
Road Signs
When it comes to your spiritual growth, do you find it difficult to keep moving in a forward direction? Why or why not?
Ending Location
What is there in your past that tends to hold you back from following God? Write a prayer to God, asking Him to help make your past powerless when it comes to holding you back from ministry.
Ending Location
What are some action steps you can take that would encourage forward movement in your spiritual life?
Day Four
Week 8
Day Five
Get Directions: Acts 15:36-41
Get Directions: Acts 15:36-41
Starting Location
Starting Location
Road Signs
Road Signs
What were Paul and Barnabas disagreeing about?
What emotions do you think Paul and Barnabas were feeling during this time? How do you think it affected their ministry?
Ending Location
Is there someone or something in your ministry that has been a disappointment to you? Write down your feelings about the situation.
Week 8
Where did Barnabas and John Mark go to serve? Where did Paul and Silas serve?
Although Barnabas and Paul were no longer serving together they each continued their ministry to different areas, effectively doubling their ministry area. Do you think ultimately this better served God? Why or why not?
Ending Location
Consider your answer to the previous “Ending Location”. Do you see a resolution to your situation that would honor God? Is this how you pictured things working out?
Spiritual Direction vs. Spiritual Perfection. In your Bible find two or three examples of men or women of God who experienced personal failure. Then describe spiritual growth that took place as a result of them being less than perfect. List the scriptures you refer to.
