Pray: To open your time together.
Read: Matthew 6: 9-13
Consider: Some thoughts for your group
What is it we want of this life? It is a question worth pondering. Each day when we get out of bed, we set a course for somewhere. We are building something each day of our lives. Most of us get through our days without necessarily giving much thought to where we are going and what we are accomplishing. Lots of life can feel more like surviving than living. Whether we recognize it or not, in our work, in our relationships, even in our presence, we are creating something in this world.
Jesus calls us to something more than simply surviving each day. Our lives are given over to a vision for this world that looks more like heaven because of the way we live. In Matthew 6, Jesus gives us an example of how to pray and maps out for us a life that – when submitted to God’s vision and will – literally brings heaven to earth.
This is a world where relationship with God our Father is central life itself. Where we don’t hold our mistakes over one another. Where we forgive freely and are forgiven freely. Where evil is kept at bay. All because this is the way God has planned it and directed us to follow suit. Do we want this kind of life? If we do, God has invited us into it with Him. On earth as it is in heaven.
Group Questions:
- What do you want of this life? When you get up in the morning what is the North Star that is directing your decisions for the day? Be honest with yourself and your group.
- When you read the Lord’s prayer what stands out to you? Take your time and chew on Jesus words in Matthew 6. Have you experienced anything like what is being described in these words? Tell your group about that experience.
- What keeps us from giving our life over to this kind of living? What are your greatest fears in following God’s will for your life as described in the Lord’s prayer?
Staying Curious:
Often, we live life on autopilot. This is a very normal experience for all humans. And yet, there is so much good around us all the time that does not come from our own doing. What does it say about the character of God that “the rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous” as described in Matthew 5:45?
Closing Prayer:
Spend some time praying for one another. Take a moment to do an inventory of your own heart and repent for the places you know you are living separate from God’s will for humanity. If necessary, confess those things aloud to your group knowing you are safe to be forgiven and shown grace by God and your brothers and sisters. Pray for a resolve of submission to God’s best for you as a person and for the life you give to this world each day.