Week 37 Can People See You Shine
“Let your light shine. Be a source of strength and courage. Share your wisdom. Radiate love.”
Wilferd Peterson
Passage
1Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
2For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.
3Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.
Psalm 37:1–6 (NASB95)
"Sunshine in Greece" by Guillaume Cattiaux is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Background
Quote-Wilferd Arlan Peterson (1900–1995) was an American author who wrote for This Week magazine (a national Sunday supplement in newspapers) for many years. For twenty-five years, he wrote a monthly column for Science of Mind magazine. He published nine books starting in 1949 with The Art of Getting Along: Inspiration for Triumphant Daily Living. Wilferd Peterson was born in Whitehall, Michigan and lived most of his life in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was married to Ruth Irene Rector Peterson (1921-79). He credits his wife Ruth as being the inspiration for his work (saying that while he "wrote about the art of living, she lived it"), and they collaborated often on producing these inspirational books.
Passage-First The genre of Psalms is Songs and Poetry of all kinds. It is written by multiple authors; David wrote 73, Asaph wrote 12, the sons of Korah wrote 9, Solomon wrote 3, Ethan, and Moses each wrote one (Ps. 90), and 51 of the Psalms are anonymous. They were written over the span of approximately 900 years (Beginning at the time of Moses 1440 B.C. and through the captivity in 586 B.C.).
The Psalms include praises of joy, laments, blessings, and thanksgivings. They are directed at God and they help us to express and communicate ourselves to Him. We read about the Psalmist’s emotions from one extreme to another, from praising, delighting in and worshiping God with fervor, to repentance and crying out to Him in despair.
Lesson Notes
Opening Statement
People see us. They see us every day. They make decisions about us even when they are subtle decisions, almost reflex that we are just there. What kind of decisions do we want people to make about us? Do we care? Are they deciding we are a good person or a bad one? Are we worth their time or someone to be avoided?
Ask: What do people see when they look at you? Both people you meet in private and those you will never see again like the lady behind you in the grocery store. What do they see of you?
Point: This is a discussion question that has no right or wrong answer. It is designed to be self-reflective and illustrative of your current situation.
Re-read verses 1 & 2 of Today’s Passage
Ask: What do these verses mean to you?
Point: These verses both do and do not speak of earthy envy for earthly situations. We are not to envy those who do not follow Christ for the things they have because His kingdom is not an earthly kingdom but a spiritual one.
First Reading Matthew 16:15–19 (NASB95)
Ask: Verse two talks about grasses fading but we see people of the World doing quite well. How can this contradiction be?
Point: Because this is not a passage about the world. Where verse 1 tells us to not be concerned with worldly things unbelievers have, verse 2 tells us it is because they won’t always be doing that well.
Second Reading Matthew 6:28–30 (NASB95)
Ask: Does the Lillies of the Field passage mean we get what we want with material goods and wealth while we live?
Point: The answer is not yes, but the answer is not no also.
Ask: How can the answer above not be either yes or no? What is the third option?
Point: Faith and obedience.
Ask: How can faith and obedience be the answer when considering worldly wealth and prosperity?
Point: Re-read verses 3 & 4.
Ask: What three actions do you see in verses 3 & 4 that we should take as commands?
Point: Trust, do good, delight in the Lord.
Ask: What do these three commands mean for us as we pursue our path with God?
Point: The answer to all three lies in the Third Reading Proverbs 3:5–6 (KJV 1900)
Ask: How does the Third Reading answer the question what do these three commands mean for us?
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: Isaiah 55:7–9 (NASB95)
Lean not on thine own understanding: 1 John 1:5–7 (NASB95)
Acknowledge Him: Matthew 7:20–23 (NASB95)
Closing Statement
7Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7 (NASB95) This is the verse after the last verse, verse six. If we trust in God, follow his ways, and acknowledge Him as the chief arbiter of right and wrong, He says we cannot fail. Fail at what? Our plans for this world? Not necessarily, but not no either. God’s Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom of faith in eternity. We walk through this life but our 401k, savings accounts, and worldly wealth do not follow us from here to eternity. There, we need to listen to Him in how we save up where moth cannot eat and rust cannot destroy. There, we will have eternal delight the wicked do not understand.
Questions for the Week
Question 1 On your own, find and read Matthew 6:19-21.
Question 2 Write in your journal as much or as little as you are led to write about where your treasures lie?
Question 3 Consider what you do or can do in an ongoing fashion to store up treasures where niether moth nor rust destroy?
Question 4 How do you trust God?
Question 5 Where in your life do you lean on His understanding and not your own?
Question 6 Where in your life do you delight in the Lord and openly acknowledge Him?
Scripture
First Reading
15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
19“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:15–19 (NASB95)
Second Reading
28“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
30“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
Matthew 6:28–30 (NASB95)
Third Reading
5Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding.
6In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (KJV 1900)
Trust, Do Good, Delight in the Lord
Trust
7Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:7–9 (NASB95)
Do Good
5This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
6If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
7but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:5–7 (NASB95)
Delight in the Lord
20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:20–23 (NASB95)
Psalm 6:8
Definitions
Faith
[ feyth ]
noun
Confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.
Belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.
Belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.
Belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
A system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
The obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.
The observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.
Christian Theology. The trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.
Obedient
[ oh-bee-dee-uhnt ]
adjective
Obeying or willing to obey; complying with or submissive to authority: an obedient son.
Trust
[ truhst ]
noun
Reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.
Confident expectation of something; hope.
Confidence in the certainty of future payment for property or goods received; credit:to sell merchandise on trust.
A person on whom or thing on which one relies:God is my trust.
The condition of one to whom something has been entrusted.
the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence Or authority is placed:a position of trust.
Charge, custody, or care:to leave valuables in someone's trust.
something committed or entrusted to one's care for use or safekeeping, As an office, duty, or the like; responsibility; charge.
Archaic. reliability.
adjective
Law. of or relating to trusts or a trust.
verb (used without object)
To rely upon or place confidence in someone or something (usually followed by in or to): to trust in another's honesty; trusting to luck.
To have confidence; hope:Things work out if one only trusts.
To sell merchandise on credit.
Delight
[dih-lahyt]
noun
A high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture: She takes great delight in her job.
Something that gives great pleasure: The dance was a delight to see.
verb (used with object)
To give great pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment to; please highly: The show delighted everyone.
verb (used without object)
to have great pleasure; take pleasure (followed by in or an infinitive): She delights in going for long walks in the country.