This weekend Pastor Grant helped us see that anger reveals what we love the most. It is a window into our hearts, and can lead us to repentance and joyful alignment with God. If you haven’t had a chance to catch the online worship experience this week, you can do so here.
Personal Devotional
Let’s dig a little deeper with a personal devotional from Proverbs 15.
Read Proverbs 15
There are six themes in this proverb. Mark your Bible (or make a note on a sheet of paper) using the following symbols:
- Star every verse that talks about anger
- Draw a heart beside each verse that mentions joy, the heart, or cheerfulness
- Draw a “T” beside every verse that talks about the tongue
- Circle the reference number of every verse that talks about discipline
- Box the reference number of every verse that mentions wisdom and/or foolishness
- Put parenthesis around every verse that compares the wicked and righteous
(There will be some overlapping symbols, as some verses touch on more than one theme.)
On a clean sheet of paper, or in your journal, divide your page into six equal boxes. Label the boxes: anger, joy, the tongue, discipline, wisdom/foolishness, wickedness/righteousness. Now, go back and read each category of verses together. (For instance, verses 1, 2, 4, 7, and 28 talk about the tongue.) Jot down any insights you uncover about each theme.
Close in prayer, asking God to help you take the next steps He has brought to mind through your study of Proverbs 15.
Grace Communities: Sermon Discussion Questions
Would anyone like to share an example of either “little anger” or “big anger” in your life?
What did the big anger reveal about your heart or affections?
As we recognize the ways in which anger reveals misalignment with God, what are some practical steps we can take to align our hearts with God?
Imagine that you could write one more chapter to conclude the book of Jonah. What would happen in that chapter? Now, put yourself in Jonah’s place. Think about the anger in your life right now (or recently). How could you respond differently than Jonah?
Ultimately, Jonah refused to bow the knee to God’s sovereign providence. What prayers can we pray that surrender ourselves to God?
One of our House Rules at Grace is Biblical Maturity: We expect to grow. We teach through the Bible verse-by-verse because it is the best way to know the Bible, and the Bible is the best way to know Jesus. How has your understanding of this famous story deepened through studying the book of Jonah verse-by-verse?
GraceStudents 5th/6th Grade
Word of the Week—Alignment
As Christians, it’s important to seek “alignment” with God. This simply means we want our hearts to “line up” with His. Imagine if a teacher told her students to get in line, and one kid refused. While everyone stood in a straight line, he was slightly off to the side, with his arms crossed in anger.
Sometimes that’s how we feel toward God. He wants one thing (like for us to love our siblings) and we cross our arms in disgust. No way! We refuse to “line up” with His will. This is called “misalignment,” and it’s dangerous. If you find yourself in a season of misalignment with God, spend some time in prayer to figure out why you don’t want to obey Him. Talk with your parents or a trusted adult. Then, repent of the ways in which your heart is out of line with His. As you do this, you will be stepping back in line with His will, which is the safest, most joyful place to be!
GraceStudents (7-12 Grades)
Get discussion questions for this week’s sermon here. For the latest Student news and events, head to the calendar!
