Memory Verse: Ephesians 2:8
“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Day 1 – Integrity – Read Matthew 5:13 - 16
Dig in: How important is it for Christians to conduct themselves with integrity? To whom is it important? Why?
Take Root: The simple answer to that first question is VERY IMPORTANT! Our lives are like a commercial, our behavior like a documentary on the life of Christ. We are the shadows of His likeness and His light.
Cultivate: To whom? To our families, to our coworkers, to our customers, to the shoppers at the grocery, to our friends in Jamaica and Brazil and Indonesia and Africa, to the world. Why are my decisions, my behavior, important to others? Because my mission is to share Christ with each and every one of them so, according to Matthew 5:16, they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. How are you doing?
Journal #1: Write down ways in which your integrity effects your ‘saltiness’ to those around you. Has your salt ever lost its flavor? What about the light of Christ in you? Think about a time when you may have hidden your light and why you chose to do that. Pray and ask God to strengthen your flavor and to brighten your light for His glory.
Day 2 – Godly Sincerity -Read 2 Corinthians 1:8-14
Dig In: What is the difference between speaking with integrity and living with integrity?
Take Root: Remember Paul had to be vetted by Barnabus just after his life-changing experience with Jesus. He had only his words to testify to what had happened. In this passage, what did Paul say he has to boast about? And why would he boast?
Cultivate: Paul shared with the Corinthians his experiences in ministry. He wanted to let them know what they had endured in order to share the light of Christ. Have you ever been “under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself”? How was your behavior in that situation? Could you testify that you “conducted ourselves in the world, . . .with integrity and godly sincerity.”? It is when our actions of godly living match the words coming from our lips that our testimony is seen as true to those around us.
Day 3 – Perseverance -Re-read 2 Corinthians 1: 8-14
Dig In: Is living out integrity too difficult for you? Sometimes knowing that others are counting on us to be salt and light can be stressful. How did Paul say he got through the overwhelmingly difficult experiences he had during his ministry? Pay special attention to verses 9 and 12 in 2 Corinthians chapter 1.
Take Root: The only source we have for strength is God. Jesus put it this way: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4). The fruit of our testimony has the potential to bring those we encounter to a saving knowledge of Christ. Paul said worldly wisdom is not dependable. Only the grace of God can give us the power to live out a life of integrity.
Cultivate: No one ever said that living the Christian life would be easy or simple. When you feel like you can’t go on, or you wonder if it’s worth it, or if you will ever see results from your testimony, what do you do? Where do you turn? God has given us tools to use in living our lives for Him. But we have to use the tools and continue to develop our relationship with Him.
Journal #2: Write down some practical ways to use prayer, the Bible, Christian fellowship, and abiding in Christ to maintain your integrity and sincerity in your daily life.
Day 4 – Grace – Read Ephesians 2: 1 – 10
Dig In: God’s Grace. It’s a term used a lot. Is grace a label we put on anything that seems to go our way? (Ex.: Only by grace did he make that goal!) What is it really?
Take Root: God’s grace isn’t just something He passes out to those He loves or delights in. It’s not to be taken lightly. The word of God says His grace is what saved us!! Paul said that it’s because God loved us, because Christ died and He raised Christ from the dead that the way of salvation became open. But only because of His GRACE did He choose to save us when we come to Him in faith. His love and mercy and His favor toward us – toward YOU!
Cultivate: When was the last time you thought about what God’s grace has done for you? Really thought about why, in this sinful, ugly, desperate world He CHOSE to provide grace to you? He didn’t have to. Except for love. Except for the fact that He loved us so much that letting us go without His grace wasn’t acceptable to Him. Praise Him today for His GRACE!
Day 5 – Grace Alone – Read Ephesians 4: 1 – 7
Dig In: For our salvation, God’s grace needs nothing else. Nothing we can do, nothing we can say, no amount of goodness to go along with it. No side dishes necessary.
Take Root: We read yesterday that we have been saved by grace, through faith, not of ourselves. It is the gift of God. Today’s passage also tells us that grace has been given to us. We have no earning power when it comes to salvation. We have nothing to offer that would have us believe that we deserve it. A gift – nothing owed in return. A gift – free to the recipient. A gift – ours to keep. A gift – a voluntary and generous exchange. A gift – completely unmerited. Such is God’s gift of grace to us.
Cultivate: If you could draw a picture of grace, what would you depict? Not being an artist, there’s no telling how my picture would come out. But I know one thing. Grace would not be pulling a wagon. That might seem strange. But the thing I know is that grace doesn’t need to pull anything along behind it or beside it. And there’s nothing I could load in a wagon that would change the gift that grace is. If grace seems to be pulling a wagon in your life, unhook it and let it go. God’s grace is enough.
Cultivate the Soil:
Barnabus was described as a “good man”. What other examples does God’s word give us of “good or upright people”? (Hint: check out Job 1:1, Luke 23:50, Gen. 6:9, Mark 10:17) What was different about those people that made them special?
How are telling the truth and having integrity the same? How are they different?
How did you become aware of God’s grace in such a way that it led you to take a step of faith toward Him? Can you help make someone else aware of that grace this week?
Small Group Questions:
Is living a life of integrity or godly sincerity the only thing that helps others see Christ in us? Is a public, out-loud testimony necessary? What does God’s word say about that?
How do you feel when someone you admire in the faith loses their saltiness or their light flickers like it’s going out? What can you do to be a Barnabus – the encourager– to them?
Take a spiritual selfie this week. Look at what might be in that image. Can you see a fruitful testimony, a bit of encouragement, a bright light for Jesus, or a pinch of salt?