- “Blessed Assurance Jesus is Mine….This is my story this is my song….” – As a long time and much sung hymn, I was intrigued by the words, “This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long.” What does that phrase mean to you in your life? How do we praise Him all day? Is this part of the story you tell in your life as you live your life?
- Have there been times in our lives when we have tried to negotiate with God to try to get what we want from God? i.e., “I’ll go to church more if You just don’t let my parents find out what I did.” Are there any examples you can share when you might have prayed a similar prayer? How did it work out? How did you feel about it later on?
- We see in John 12:4-6 that Judas objected to the pouring of the expensive perfume over Jesus. Judas obviously did not have the right motive when making those comments. Judas was trying to leverage his relationship with Jesus to get what he wanted – money. The Bible even called Judas as thief. Obviously some things changed in Judas’ life to bring him to this point. What are your thoughts about Judas and how he changed? Why do you think the Bible called Judas a thief at this time? Were there any warning signs that Judas did not see that maybe we should be aware of in our lives?
- Judas came to a point that he realized that because of his actions, Jesus was going to be condemned to die. At that moment, his 30 pieces of silver did not have the same meaning or value as it did when he received the silver. H.W. Auden’s quote, “We would rather be ruined than changed.” How does this all go together? How does this all make sense? Have we ever been guilty in some similar ways?
- “Saying yes to God will cost you something. Saying no to God usually costs you more.” (Matt Carder) Have we ever said to God, “I give this (…) to you and then put something else in the place of God? A great response to God is to ask Him what areas in our lives we need to place in His hands. Are we willing to place every area of our lives to Him? What can you share about your experience with this? Could this be part of your story and song?
