APRIL 21

THE ONE WITH ME, MYSELF, AND GOD

Singleness is a gift to embrace and enjoy, not a season to rush or avoid.

Work through the following questions and scriptures on your own, and get together with your running partner, life group, or friends and family to talk through what you are learning.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. The statistic we heard in the message was that Austin, TX ranks in the top 25 of loneliest cities in America. How are you doing? On a scale of 1-10 (1 being not lonely at all, 10 being I feel lonely all the time) where would you rank yourself on the loneliness scale?
2. Read 1 Corinthians 7:6-9 & 32-35.

Make some observations about this passage (What does the text say?):

• What do you notice and what are you curious about? 

Make some interpretations (What does the passage mean?)

• What do you learn about humanity?
  • What do you learn about God?

Now make some applications (what’s my response?)

• How are you encouraged, challenged, or convicted by this passage? 
• What should be our response to this passage? 

    3.   This statement was made in the message, “The goodness of singleness is that it leaves room for an undivided, uninhibited focus on the goodness of God.” It begs the question (single or not), when was the last time you let yourself focus on the goodness of God or let His goodness invade your circumstances? If you are struggling to believe God is good, why is that?

    4.  If you read all of 1 Corinthians 7 the most repeated phrase is “remain”. Paul (the writer) is trying to help the Corinthians understand that no matter their circumstances, remain available to God, don’t wait for something to change in your relationships before you can find purpose. If you are single, are you finding contentment and purpose or are you lacking those things until something changes? If you are married, are you finding contentment and purpose with God first, or are you putting your relationship before God? 

    5.   When it comes to connecting with the whole family of God, how are you doing? Do you connect with people outside of your age demographic? What about relational status? How could you grow in connecting into the fullness and diversity that is the family of God?

KEY SCRIPTURE

1 Corinthians 7:6-9 & 32-35 –  I say this as a concession, not as a command.  I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.  Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.  But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion… I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord.  But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—  and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.  I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

PRAYER

This week, pray scripture. Use Psalm 37:3-7a. 

1. Start by reading these verses out loud to God as a prayer. 
2. Pray from this passage.
   • What do these verses bring to mind (ie. vs 3 trust in the lord and do good – God what does it look like for me right now in my job to do good? OR God, I think doing good in my situation looks like caring for my co-worker who is having a hard time, help me to be consistent at looking out for them). 
   • Tell God how you are committing yourself to Him in this season. 
   • Thank God for His trustworthiness – Tell Him how He has shown Himself faithful in your life. 
3. End your prayer time by sitting and asking God to let you experience or remember His goodness and faithfulness. Let it be a silent time to just be with God. 

TAKE A NEXT STEP

1. Sign up for a Belong Event in the coming weeks (Women’s April 27th, Singles May 3rd, Marriage May 10th). Gatewaychurch.com/events
2. If you are single take some time this week to work through these questions:
   1. How do you think about your singleness? Do you believe your singleness is good? 
   2. Even if singleness is hard for you, are you able to see your singleness as authentic and good even in the midst of hard? 
   3. Do you trust that God is working for your good in all situations? That He will be faithful to work thru your singleness for your good? 
   4. If you are single or married, do you often bring the other to the table with you? How can you do better at that? 
   5. As an unmarried person, what’s something you heard in a different way this week? As a married person, what about you?