Don't Begrudge That Nudge

In one paragraph

This Sunday's service centered not on a sermon in the usual sense but on a report from the men's retreat that had just wrapped up. A group of men shared what God did in them over the weekend, and Pastor Karl closed with a word about obedience and mercy. Matt Litzelman, an elder at First B, opened by thanking the congregation for supporting the retreat through meals and prayer. He described the...

Read together

1. Psalm 32 read as an encouraging word to lead the congregation into worship
2. 2 Corinthians read as a good word about God's promises being fulfilled in Christ with a resounding yes
3. Jeremiah 17 read as a word about those who trust in the Lord being like trees planted by the riverbank
4. John 8:32 cited by Buster as the team scripture for the Freedom Fighters group at the retreat
5. John 15 mentioned twice as the passage two different preachers had recently preached on regarding discipleship and abiding in Christ
6. Isaiah 55 read as the benediction, calling the congregation to seek the Lord while he may be found

Talk about it

1. Buster shared that he signed up simply to drive, and ended up being invited along to the retreat. When have you found yourself somewhere you did not plan to be, and what did God do with that?
2. Cole said he had been living in a spiritual no man's land, one foot in and one foot out, and that he wanted to come out of the retreat with a sense of conviction one way or the other. What does it look like in your own life when you are trying to pick and choose which parts of following Jesus you want?
3. Glenn talked about how two years earlier he had prayed and asked God to show him a specific person he could pour into, pray for, and encourage in Christ, and that person came to the retreat. Who has God put on your heart in that way, and what have you done about it?
4. Matt said that when you take a step of obedience, everybody after you benefits from that obedience. Can you think of a time when someone else's obedience opened a door for you, or when your own obedience had consequences you did not expect?
5. Pastor Karl closed by saying a good and merciful God nudged, and added, do not begrudge that nudge. What nudge have you been resisting, and what is holding you back from responding to it?