God Delights in Showing Clemency

Sunday, July 26, 2015
Micah 7:14-20 NIV 

14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago. 15 "As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show them my wonders." 16 Nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will put their hands over their mouths and their ears will become deaf. 17 They will lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground. They will come trembling out of their dens; they will turn in fear to the LORD our God and will be afraid of you. 18 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. 19 You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. 20 You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What did the Prophet Micah ask the Lord to do for His people? (v.14-15)
2) How would the nations respond? (v.16-17)
3) What does the prophet ask the Lord and say about His relationship with His people? (v.18-20)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) How has the Lord shown His faithfulness to you, despite any spiritual weaknesses, or transgressions, that have manifested in your life/

LIFE LESSONS
5) The Lord longs to be gracious to His people and will relent from allowing calamity to befall us when we confess and repent of our transgressions.

Increasing Love for One Another

Thursday, May 28, 2015
2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 KJV 

1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have [free] course, and be glorified, even as [it is] with you: 2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all [men] have not faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep [you] from evil. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. 5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What three (3) things did Apostle Paul ask his readers to pray for and why? (v.1-2)
2) What does the aposte write about our Lord and what he will do for His followers? (v.3)
3) What else is Paul confident that the Lord will do for His followers? (v.4-5)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) Have you ever been in the company of a professing believer who acted as one who had no faith in God? If so, please describe one such time and what you did in response.

LIFE LESSONS
5) We manifest the love of God toward the faithless when we pray for them and demonstrate God's love for them despite their faithlessness.