More Bible study notes

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Notes for the weeks beginning 10th, 17th, 24th May and 7th June


Bible notes –
Week beginning 10th May

Day one – Read
Philippians 4:6-8 (New Living Translation)
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Question one: Paul is writing to the Christians in Philippi. What does he say they should do instead of worrying?


Question two: In our prayers what two things does he tell us to do?


Question three: what does he say we should fix our minds on?


Day Two – Think
Fixing our minds on good things helps us not to worry, especially if a situation doesn’t seem to be sorting out straight away. And its then that we learn how to have patience: can you think of a situation in your life which isn’t going right? Given what you have learnt here, what might God want you to do?


Day Three - Pray

Ask God to give you patience in difficult situation and to help you keep your mind fixed on Jesus so you have peace. You might like to use this prayer:

Father, please will to help me with ____________________ thank you that you are always with me and helping me by your Holy Spirit. Please help me to keep my thoughts on good things.
In Jesus name
Amen



Bible notes –
Week beginning 17th May

Day one – Read
Luke 10:30-37 (New Living Translation)
Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was travelling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
“By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbour to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Question one: Which person was it that showed goodness?


Question two: Why was it a surprise that it was him and not the others who helped?


Day two – Read
Matthew 5:13-15 (New Living Translation) Teaching about Salt and Light
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.

Question one : What is food like without salt? And, what would it be like if we had no lights at night?

Question Two: Why do you think Jesus was saying we are like salt and light?


Day Three – Think
Who could we go out of our way to be kind to this week? What kind of goodness could we bring to the lives of the people around us? Is there someone you could talk to about Jesus – and shed a little light? How can you act in a right way this week and bring a little salt? (Hint: perhaps refuse to gossip? Or not swear or be rude?)


Day Four - Pray
Why not ask God to help you be a Good Samaritan to someone this week, brining a bit of salt and light? You could use this prayer if you like:
Lord, please will you help me to be good to the people I would rather not hang out with and please will you help me to not join in with bad behaviour especially _________________________
In Jesus name, Amen


Bible notes –
Week beginning 24th/31st May


Day one – Read

Proverbs 3:3-6 (New International Version)

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favour and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Question one: what do love and faithfulness bring you?



Question two: What does trusting God and recognising him in your life do?



Day Two – Think
Why do you think it is that being faithful to God will win you a good name? (Hint: how does God want us to behave?) And why do you think there is a connection between us trusting God and him helping us see the way forward in life?


Day Three - Pray

God is always faithful to us, but sometime we have trouble being faithful to him. Why not ask God to help you trust him more and act in a way that pleases him. You could use this prayer:


Lord, thank you so much that you are always faithful to us. Please help me to put my trust in you and do things your way. Please show me the way this week

In Jesus name
Amen


Bible notes –
Week beginning 7th June

Day one – Read

Proverbs 25:14-17 (The Message)

Like billowing clouds that bring no rain
is the person who talks big but never produces.
Patient persistence pierces through indifference;
gentle speech breaks down rigid defences.
A Person Without Self-Control
When you're given a box of candy, don't gulp it all down;
eat too much chocolate and you'll make yourself sick;
And when you find a friend, don't outwear your welcome;
show up at all hours and he'll soon get fed up.
Question one: what does gentle speech do? What might harsh speech do? Question two: What happens is we don’t have any self control?

Day Two – Think Sometimes it can be very easy to answer someone back out of anger, but this proverb shows that if we hold back (show self control) and speak in a gentle way, we can get a good outcome rather than a bad one. Can you think of a situation in your life where gentleness might help? The proverb tells us to hold back on chocolate and bugging people. What is God asking you to hold back on?

Day Three - Pray Ask god for the ability to hold back and be gentle instead. You could use this prayer if you like? Lord, thank you that you are wise in every situation. Please show me when I need to be gentle or to hold back from saying or doing something. In Jesus name Amen