Solid Rock Desire • Week 2
Pray to open your time together.
Then play the week one video, and each share something that stood out to you.
Play this video.
Today’s Scripture
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,…
- Philippians 1:9
...for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
- Philippians 2:13
Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
- Psalm 37:4
We love because he first loved us.
- 1 John 4:19
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
- 1 John 3:17-18
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight...he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure...to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us…
- Ephesians 1:3-8
Discussion and Personal Application
Applying the scripture passages above, discuss the following questions as a group. Journaling can help make your learnings stick.
In last week’s discussion, we discovered how the church in Philippi so generously supported Paul’s work and the Christians in Jerusalem. This week, we are talking about desire. What motivates us to be generous?
What motivates you to want to give someone a gift? Is it something about them or something about you that makes that easier?
Was there a time when you felt like God really worked through you to bless someone financially or otherwise? What was that like? What was your motivation?
In the two verses from Philippians, what does Paul say is the foundation of generosity?
From Psalm 37, what is the connection between delight in God and the fulfillment of our desires? Do you think this verse means that a) God gives us what we desire, or b) that He gives us better, Godly desires?
In the passages from 1 John and Ephesians, what is the relationship between gratitude and generosity? In what ways could you use your gratitude as a motivator for your generosity?
Prayer
Ask God to continue growing you in your discipleship journey in the area of generosity. Ask God to continue to draw Westside together as a loving community that is following Him on a mission in the world.
