Psalm 34:8 may serve as an anchor for your time. The surrounding verses mention "fearing" the Lord. Should this come up, it may be helpful to understand that though the Hebrew words can mean as much as terrify, the context often puts these words up against other things we fear in different ways. So, it's typically a transferring of fear, such as no longer fearing something like going without extravagance, or fearing what someone thinks, but instead fearing God. Rather than terror, we're invited to fear the Lord by way of recognizing who God actually is, beyond our casual assumptions. Meeting God, with a sober view of ourselves, shouldn't be casual. Fear, biblically, is a humble respect. We already fear things (typically the thing we spend most of our money on has much to do with where our fears are pointed....look at what we spend the most on as a society and that's what we give our respect/worship...from entertainment to our appearance to healthcare....), but once clear, our fears should be rooted in our position toward God, by way of our chief concern being about our Creator and the life he designs, not any other man-made interest. This is a discussion about worship...if you didn't notice. Whatever we fear, we worship.
What were the key points for you?
What was the "one thing" you took away?
What surprised you?
What bothered you? Why?
Have you ever heard or come across a similar teaching or idea? Have you ever been taught something that was contradictory?
What is/was already part of your thinking on this subject?
What did you learn that was new to you?
*About God?
*About yourself?
*About others?
What changes of thought are necessary in light of what you learned?
What changes of action are needed?
How would life be different if you/we applied this teaching fully?
What are the hindrances, and what do we do about those?
What role can this group play to help you take steps this week and beyond?
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