from Rachel: Broken Pottery

Based on our previous lesson, how can God’s Word become our glorious liberation? [by] “obeying it”

Complete the following sentences with the first four characteristics.
1. A rebellious child of God doesn’t “act like a child of God.”
2. A rebellious child of God isn’t willing to “listen to the Lord’s instruction.”
3. A rebellious child of God prefers “pleasant illusions over truth.”
4. A rebellious child of God relies “on oppression.”

Draw a star beside the characteristic of rebellion that most stirred your thinking. Why?

2. “I like to think I listen to God and obey, but when Beth breaks it down as not wanting to be corrected, redirected or challenged, it suddenly sounds like me.”

Describe how these verses apply to depending on deceit:

Jeremiah 8:5-6 – “The people were clinging to deceit rather than repenting of their wickedness.”
Proverbs 15:4 – “A deceitful tongue crushes the spirit rather than bringing healing.”

Describe why you think we are sometimes resitant to what is best for us.

“Maybe we don’t exactly trust God to be working completely for what is best for us. Wouldn’t He also be working things out to be the best for everybody around us. In many situations, this involves some compromise, some give-and-take. We can’t all get the corner piece of cake or win the lottery or our team win the ball game.”

Fill in the following equation according to Isaiah 30:15:
In “repentance” + “rest” = your salvation.

Fill in the blanks:
In “quietness” + “trust” = your strength.

Have you sometimes experienced defeat because you refused to calm yourself in the presence of God and trust Him? “Yes” If so… share an example.

“Sometimes the day ahead seems so full that I don’t feel there is time to meet Him in the morning, but those days tend to feel out of sync, and like they might’ve gone better if I had.”

As we approach, our conclusion, please write all six characteristics of rebellion: a rebellious child of God…

1. “doesn’t act like a child of God.”
2. “isn’t willing to listen to the Lord’s instruction.”
3. “prefers pleasant illusions over truth.”
4. “relies on oppression.”
5. “depends on deceit.”
6. “runs from the real answers.”

Place a star by any of the characteristics that have been your tendencies in your history with God (1, 2, 4 and 6). Then draw an unhappy face by any of the characteristics that are present struggles for you (2, 4 and 6, but all with question marks – were you not sure, honey?)

Write a brief prayer confessing any tendencies toward rebellion or areas of rebellion based on the six characteristics.

“I’m sorry Lord that I don’t like correction and redirection and don’t want to give up my games, TV shows, and excess stuff, even if that is the real answer.”

As we end, today’s lesson, read Isaiah 30:12-14. What happens if we continue in rebellion, rejecting God‘s word, relying on oppression, and depending on deceit? Explain the outcome in your own words.

“He will cause this buildup of defiance to explode into tiny little unsalvageable fragments, leaving us with without any of it to keep.”

Dearest Rachel –

You probably saw my question mixed in with your answers; normally, I keep my comments until your study is completely transcribed, but the fact that you didn’t seem to be sure about your answers prompted me to ask why right there and then. Of course, it’s a rather futile exercise, as you’re not able to confirm or deny my assessment. Even if you were here, you might not recall the frame of mind you were in at the time; it was, after all, approximately a decade ago. A lot of things have happened since then.

Then again, there are a few conclusions you arrived at that seem universally applicable, even if they aren’t necessarily evident when one is in a situation. Most of us tend to forget that certain things in life are a zero-sum game; for one person to win, another must lose. It’s not always the case, by any means, but if we think of “what’s best” for ourselves in terms of winning and losing, we will find ourselves disappointed (and possibly as a result, less willing to trust) in God, who supposedly gives us “what’s best” for us. Why, we ask ourselves, is He not giving it to us in this situation?

But of course, what we think is best for ourselves isn’t always what truly is best for us – and God, being all-knowing, is well aware of that, while we are decidedly not. We don’t see hardship, pain, and just less than what we had in mind for ourselves as being even good, let alone best – and we find it hard to trust a God who would do this to us. Then again, it’s not as if we get the opportunity to see things if we had gotten what we wanted, to show us why we didn’t; we only get one timeline in this life.

There may be a bit of my own feelings showing through here; whenever I read Proverbs 18:22, I tend to wonder if God is now displeased with me, and taking you away was Him taking His favor away from me, leaving me to wonder what I did to cause this. Wiser minds that myself have told me otherwise, but I find myself still unsure.

At the same time, I still recall Nightelf suggesting that I might be running away from things – like the sixth characteristic of a rebellious child of God. That was nearly a year and a half ago, though – I don’t know if that’s changed.

So many questions, honey, and no real answers at the moment. I guess all there is to do for now is to move forward; it’s the only direction available to me. Talk to you later; until then, keep an eye on me, and wish me luck. I’m going to need it.