SEARCH 198 – “GROWING GOD’S WAY. . .”

Key Verse

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
— Joshua 1:8

Success

2 Chronicles 26:1-15; Psalm 37:3-11
  1. Point out two things that Uzziah did early in his reign that brought him good success. How does Uzziah’s example apply to us today? See Matthew 7:7-8.
  2. God gave Uzziah good success in that He gave him victory over his enemies; He gave him helpful, intelligent associates; He gave him much cattle and vineyards; He gave him weapons of warfare. How can we parallel these things to success in the Christian life today? See Luke 10:19; Ephesians 6:13-17; Philippians 4:19 and 1 John 1:7.
  3. David, the author of Psalm 37, had proven God’s care in both good and bad circumstances. God gave him success over the lion, the bear, Goliath, and in many other situations because David trusted in Him. Relate an example from your own experience or knowledge of someone whose success came directly through God’s help.
  4. Later, David endured much persecution and was hunted as if he were a criminal. In what way might this difficult experience have contributed to David’s eventual success (Psalm 37:7-11)? How might dismal and disappointing circumstances contribute to our eventual spiritual success (1 Peter 4:12-13; 5:10)?
  5. Psalm 37:3-11 may be spoken of as a formula for success—spiritually and materially. Very simply stated, this formula is: Our part performed + God’s part guaranteed = success. From these verses, list the phrases which describe our part and God’s part.
  6. Arrange the following items in priority as to how you think they should be to assure success in your life: education, occupation, home and family life, recreation and social activities, individual spiritual life, church-related activities.
  7. What was the Apostle Paul’s main goal in life (Philippians 3:8-11)? What assurance did he have that he had attained this? See 2 Timothy 4:6-8

THEME THOUGHTS

Christian maturity comes as a result of taking a realistic, practical, and God-directed approach to both the opportunities and the problems of life. That is why the admonitions found in the Bible are of proven value. They apply to the everyday experiences we face. How to gain Christian maturity is the thrust of the lessons to be studied during this quarter. The basic point to remember in considering the precepts of this unit is that submitting to Christ as our Lord and Savior comes first. With this thought in mind, we begin the unit by focusing on the reality of Jesus’ presence with us and in us. The second lesson deals with the subject of Christian growth, establishing that God’s Word outlines certain ways and means of spiritual development, and that spiritual growth is necessary. With these two lessons as the foundation for the quarter, we move into a consideration of specific areas such as decision-making, resisting the devil, avoiding physical and spiritual pollution, self-discipline, and how to deal with personal problems. Our quarter concludes with a lesson on looking at the outcome, in which we will be encouraged to see the importance of measuring our daily actions by whether these actions will draw us closer to God or move us farther away. Our goal this quarter is to reach the point where we can say with Paul, “. . . in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).

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