by Max Lucado
A. What is the “living proof” to which this passage refers?
B. How do you respond to this “living proof”?
SOUL ANCHORS
READ ROMANS 8:32–39.
A. For what purpose did God give up his Son (v. 32)?
B. Finish the following phrase, based on the second half of verse 32: “Because God was willing to give up his only son for us, we should never think that he ______________________________________________.”
C. What does it mean that Christ even now “intercedes” for us (v. 34)? How does this make you feel?
D. In a passage of scripture aimed at helping believers understand their safe position with God, what is Paul’s point in quoting a text that says, “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered”?
E. What things, according to Paul, can separate a believer from the love of Christ (vv. 35–39)?
LIFE ANCHORS
A. Think about past hurricanes in your life. What gives you “living proof” that God loves you? Make a list of these specifics.
B. Do you help others experience your love for them? Who are the significant people in your life? Think of one thing you can give them as “living proof ” of your love for them, and do it.
C. If you have not been able to experience God’s love for you, ask God to open your heart so that you would recognize his hand in your life. Then go to a Christian friend whom you regard as spiritually mature and ask what he or she would do in your shoes.
CHAPTER 5
FLAMING TORCHES AND LIVING PROMISES
MIND ANCHORS
1. Had any visits from Doubt lately? If you find yourself going to church in order to be saved and not because you are saved, then you’ve been listening to him. If you find yourself doubting if God could forgive you again for that, you’ve been sold some snake oil. If you are more cynical about Christians than sincere about Christ, then guess who came to dinner?
A. Explain the phrase “If you find yourself going to church in order to be saved and not because you are saved, then you’ve been listening to him.” How is this statement a reflection of doubt?
B. To which lies of Doubt are you most susceptible?
2. The invisible God had drawn near to Abraham to make his immovable promise: “To your descendants I give this land.” And though God’s people often forgot their God, God didn’t forget them. He kept his word. The land became theirs. God didn’t give up. He never gives up.
A. In what situations are you most likely to forget God?
B. How does it make you feel to know that God “never gives up”? At what times in your life has this knowledge been especially comforting?
3. So the next time that obnoxious neighbor Doubt walks in, escort him out. Out to the hill. Out to Calvary. Out to the cross where, with holy blood, the hand that carried the flame wrote the promise, “God would give up his only Son before he’d give up on you.”
A. Why is Calvary a good place to put doubt to rest?
SOUL ANCHORS
READ 2 TIMOTHY 2:8–13.
A. One good way to combat doubt is to remember what things are essential. What does Paul ask Timothy to “remember” in verse 8? How is this essential?
B. Verse 11 promises that we will live with Christ if we “died with him.” What does it mean to “die with him”? How do you do that?
C. How is “enduring” connected with “reigning” in verse 12? How does this idea relate to verse 10?
D. What warning is included in verse 12? How does doubt sometimes enter in here? How does Paul’s warning here compare to Jesus’ own words in Luke 12:8–9?
E. What great hope is found in verse 13? Upon what is this hope built?
F. What does it mean to you that God is absolutely faithful?
LIFE ANCHORS
A. This chapter has listed many times when God did not give up on his people. Think about your own life. Can you recall times when you were unfaithful but God was faithful to you? Write these down and tell a friend about them.
B. Is doubt ever a good thing? Have there been times in your life when you looked your doubts in the face and they strengthened your faith? Talk about these times with a friend or write about them. How can this encourage you the next time doubt comes your way?
C. For more insight into doubt and God’s faithfulness, read Disappointment with God by Philip Yancey.
CHAPTER 6
ANGELIC MESSAGES
MIND ANCHORS
1. What if God had responded to my grumblings? What if he’ d heeded my complaints? He could have. He could have answered my carelessly mumbled prayers. And had he chosen to do so, a prototype of the result had just appeared at my door.
A. What prayers have you mumbled which you’re glad God hasn’t answered? Why do you think grumbling comes so easy to us?
B. What “angels” have crossed your path recently?
2. God sent the boy with a message. And the point the boy made was razor sharp: “You cry over spilled champagne. Your complaints are not over the lack of necessities but the abundance of benefits. You bellyache over the frills, not the basics; over benefits, not essentials. The source of your problems is your blessings.”
A. Do you believe God would make these same statements to you? Why or why not?
B. Try to name your personal “Top Ten Blessings.”
3. Gajowniczek survived the Holocaust. He made his way back to his hometown. Every year, however, he goes back to Auschwitz. Every August 14 he goes back to say thank you to the man who died in his place. In his backyard there is a plaque. On the plaque is a tribute he carved with his own hands. A tribute to Maximilian Kolbe—the man who died so Gajowniczek could live.
A. What makes Gajowniczek trek back to Auschwitz every August 14? If you were in his place, would you continue the trips? Why?
B. The statement about Kolbe—“he died so that I could live”—is also a good way to think about Jesus’ relationship to redeemed sinners. Explain how this is so.
SOUL ANCHORS
READ JOHN 11:45–52.
A. In the verses just prior to this passage, John tells how Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. What happened because of this miracle (v. 45)? How did this make Lazarus an “angel” to others?
B. In what two ways did people respond to this “angel” (vv. 45–46; Luke 12:9–11)? In what ways can we respond to the “angels” God sends us?
C. What did Caiaphas mean by his speech in verses 49–50?
D. What did God mean by that same speech (vv. 51–52)?
E. How are these two interpretations of the same speech typical of the way God often works (see also Acts 4:24–28)?
F. For what purpose did Jesus die, according to verses 51–52? For whom did he die? Are you included in this list? If so, how?
LIFE ANCHORS
A. Who are the people for whom you are most grateful? Do they know how you feel? If not, tell them of your appreciation and why they mean so much to you. Ask God to help you encourage them in both the timing and the selection of your words.
B. Take a couple of hours this week to go with a friend and visit a homeless shelter or mission. Talk to the people there, finding out who they are and what has happened to them. Also talk with those who work there. What needs do their clients have? How does the community respond to the have-nots in your city? What might you do to help meet some of these needs?
CHAPTER 7
REMEMBER
MIND ANCHORS
1. The church of Jesus Christ began with a group of frightened men in a second-floor room in Jerusalem.
A. What frightened these men?
B. Why do you think modern-day disciples are frightened?
2. The one betrayed sought his betrayers. What did he say to them? Not “What a bunch of flops!” Not “I told you so.” No “Where-were-you-when-I-needed-you?” speeches. But simply one phrase: “Peace be with you.” The very thing they didn’t have was the very thing he offered: peace.
B. What was the purpose behind Jesus’ speech? Why did these men need it?
3. What unlocked the doors of the apostles’ hearts? Simple. They saw Jesus. They encountered the Christ. Their sins collided with their Savior, and their Savior won! What lit the boiler of the apostles was a red-hot conviction that the very one who should have sent them to hell went to hell for them and came back to tell about it.
A. Explain the phrase “Their sins collided with their Savior, and their Savior won!”
B. What should it matter to us how Jesus interacted with a group of men two thousand years ago?
4. Think about the first time you ever saw him. Think about your first encounter with the Christ. Robe yourself in that moment. Resurrect the relief. Recall the purity. Summon forth the passion. Can you remember?
A. Describe the first time you “saw Christ.”
B. How long ago did you first “see Christ”? If you could climb in a time machine and revisit that moment, would you? Why?
5. There is a direct correlation between the accuracy of our memory and the effectiveness of our mission. If we are not teaching people how to be saved, it is perhaps because we have forgotten the tragedy of being lost! If we’re not teaching the message of forgiveness, it may be because we don’t remember what it was like to be guilty. And if we’re not preaching the cross, it could be that we’ve subconsciously decided that—God forbid—somehow we don’t need it.
A. Try to recall what it was like to be “lost.” Describe it. Did you feel guilt? In what way(s)?
B. Do you think you need the cross? Why?
6. A man is never the same after he simultaneously sees his utter despair and Christ’s unbending grace. To see the despair without the grace is suicidal. To see the grace without the despair is upperroom futility. But to see them both is conversion.
A. Why are both “despair” and “grace” necessary for conversion?
SOUL ANCHORS
READ ACTS 23:6–15.
A. For what reason was Paul in custody at this time (v. 6)? Would there have been an uproar had he kept silent about Jesus? Explain.
B. What incident gave Paul great strength and courage in the midst of his hardships (v. 11)? How would this have helped?
C. Did the Lord’s promise of help shield Paul from trouble (vv. 12–15)? What did the promise secure for Paul?
D. What is it about seeing Jesus that gives boldness and strength?
E. Can you “see Jesus” without having an actual vision of him? If so, how?
LIFE ANCHORS
A. Take about half an hour and meditate on the cross. You could do this in several ways—
1. Remember who you are and who Jesus is and what he did for you. What is it about Jesus that particularly amazes you?
2. Use a familiar hymnbook and focus on hymns about the cross. Try reading them aloud or singing them.
3. Ask God to fill you with awe that he—the God of the universe—would die for you. Read Psalm 22 and use it to guide your thoughts.
B. Find a partner and take turns asking the following questions. Write down your answers, but don’t evaluate what was said until all questions are answered. Say what you really think, not what you believe you should think.
1. What does Jesus think about your relationship with him? How would he describe it?
2. How does he view you?
3. How do you view him?
4. Do you believe he would offer you peace as he did the disciples, or do you think he would reprimand you? Why?
Once the questions have been answered, go over them together and summarize what your answers reveal.
C. What hardships are you facing right now? Write these down and, beside each, note how Jesus can help you weather this storm.
CHAPTER 8
FATAL ERRORS
MIND ANCHORS
1. Could you do it all over again, you’d do it differently. You’d be a different person. You’d be more patient. You’d control your tongue. You’d finish what you started. You’d turn the other cheek instead of slapping his. You’d get married first. You wouldn’t marry at all. You’d be honest. You’d resist the temptation. You’d run with a different crowd.
But you can’t. And as many times as you tell yourself “What’s done is done,” what you did can’t be undone.
A. What major decisions or actions in your own life would you change if you could?
B. What dangers are there in rehearsing past personal errors? What benefits?
2. Don’t we all long for a father who, even though our mistakes are written all over the wall, will love us anyway? Don’t we want a father who cares for us in spite of our failures?
A. How would you answer these questions? Why would you answer like this?
3. We do have that type of a father. A Father who is at his best when we are at our worst. A Father whose grace is strongest when our devotion is weakest.
A. What specific comfort do you receive from the thought in this passage? What does this statement mean for you?
B. Name three instances where you experienced the truth of this passage.
SOUL ANCHORS
COMPARE ACTS 13:13 AND 15:36–41 TO 2 TIMOTHY 4:11.
A. Describe the failure of John Mark. How serious, in Paul’s mind, was this failure?
B. What happened in Acts 15:36–41 as a direct result of this failure?
C. The text doesn’t mention how John Mark felt about this controversy. If you were in his shoes, what might you have felt?
D. How does 2 Timothy 4:11 show that Mark’s failure was not fatal? What had changed over time?
E. What lessons can you learn from the experience of John Mark?
LIFE ANCHORS
A. If you find it difficult to believe that God accepts your failures, begin with these two things:
1. Reread “Fatal Errors,” slowly and meditatively, asking God to let the truths of the chapter sink into your soul.
2. Go back to the story of John Mark in Acts 13:13 and 15:36–41, then write out the lesson you learn from John Mark and how you can apply this lesson to your life.
B. If you have trouble experiencing God’s grace, it will take time for you to feel free of your guilt. Over the next week, take time to identify those things which keep you from accepting failure as a normal part of life. Here are some things to think through and write down:
1. Do you have specific memories of times when you have failed and then been punished?
2. How have the significant people in your life affected your view of failure?
3. Can you remember times when you have failed and the results were used for good in your life?
C. Analyze how you responded to the questions above and then pray that God will renew your mind and help you see yourself as he sees you.
CHAPTER 9
CRISTO REDENTOR
MIND ANCHORS
1. What kind of redeemer is this? I thought. Blind eyes and stony heart? I’ve since learned the answer to my own question: exactly the kind of redeemer most people have.
A. Do you agree with this observation? Explain your answer.
B. What kind of redeemer do you think your next-door neighbor has? Your closest coworker? You?
2. In her despair the woman looks at the teacher. His eyes don’t glare. “Don’t worry,” they whisper. “It’s okay.” And for the first time that morning she sees kindness.
A. Imagine you are this woman. What would you have expected to see in Jesus’ eyes? What is running through your mind?
B. Does this passage mean that Jesus winks at sin? What does it mean?
3. On earth, Jesus was an artist in a gallery of his own paintings. He was a composer, listening as the orchestra interpreted his music. He was a poet, hearing his own poetry. Yet his works of art had been defaced, creation after battered creation. He had created people for splendor. They had settled for me
diocrity. He had formed them with love. They had scarred each other with hate.
A. How are these images of “artist,” “composer,” and “poet” meant to remind us of Jesus? To what aspects of his personality or work do they refer?
B. Give five specific, personally observed examples that illustrate the point of this passage.
4. “Is there no one to condemn you?” he asked. There is still one who can, she thinks. And she turns to look at him. What does he want? What will he do?
A. Why does the woman think, “There is still one who can”?
B. What do you think Jesus wants of you?
5. She would recognize his eyes. How could she ever forget those eyes? Clear and tear filled. Eyes that saw her not as she was, but as she was intended to be.
A. What did Jesus intend this woman to be? What does he intend you to be?
B. Does this passage give you hope? Why?
SOUL ANCHORS
READ LUKE 7:36–50.
A. What things does the woman in this story have in common with the woman described in John 8?
B. What do you see in the eyes of this Pharisee when he looks at the woman (see verse 39)?
C. Compare the way Jesus dealt with the woman in this passage to the way he interacted with the woman of John 8. What things did he do similarly? What did he do differently?
D. What is the point of the story Jesus tells in verses 41–43? With which character in the story do you most identify? Why?
E. How would you answer the question raised in verse 49?
F. Do you think Jesus could repeat his words found in verse 50 to you? Why or why not?
LIFE ANCHORS
A. Ask your closest friend to tell you honestly what your behavior reveals about the kind of redeemer you have. Find out why he or she says this and make any changes you see are necessary.