Saturday, March 29, 2008

Renewal Time

What are things in our everyday lives that need renewed or refilled?

How are these like our spiritual lives?

Background Genesis 34:1-29
Jacob’s daughter Dinah was “defiled” by Shechem, son of Hamor, the Hivite ruler of the area. Shechem really wanted to marry Dinah. Jacob’s sons, Levi and Simeon overhead what had happened when Hamor, Shechem’s father informed Jacob what had happened. They were filled with “grief and fury..” Shechem offered to pay for Dinah so he could marry her. The brother’s came up with an idea that as long as the men of Shechem’s tribe got circumcised then all would be good and the 2 tribes could intermarry. 3 days after the circumcisms of all the men, Levi and Simeon killed all the men of the tribe and took all that they had.

Genesis 34:30-31 Evaluate Your Actions
What is Jacob saying in verse 30? What did he fear?

What were the son’s response in verse 31?


Have you ever been in a situation were your desire for revenge got in the way of your relationship with God?

When do we need to renew our relationship or commitment to God?

Genesis 35:1-4 Purify Yourself
Who took the initiative to redirect Jacob’s life?

v1 GO to Bethel
v2 Get RID of

Earring significance?

Can you think about the time in your life where you felt you closest to God?


Closing thoughts:
1. Do you need to renew your relationship with God?
2. Where should you GO to get to the place you were closest to God?
3. What do you need to get RID of in your life?

Comments?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Good to see you back at it again! Just ta;lked to Dave and Becky Crowell. On their way to Ireland.
Bill A.

Anonymous said...

You have posed some good questions. I am feeling very "full" tonight. Full of joy, full of love and appreciation, full of memories. My life has been on a roller coaster the last several years. With an out of control teenager who terrorized my home and a depressed spouse, I was so drawn to God. I don't think I would have made it without God's strength and help. He kept me going when I thought I wouldn't make it another day. He brought the right people into my life to help me through the rough times. It brought me very close to God. There were times when I just wanted to die but I knew I had to keep going. It's never easy to have your child arrested. It's never easy to hear how your spouse wishes your child would disappear (or worse). There are many things that went on that only my counselor and best friend knows about that made life a painful choice each day. But through God's mercy, he led my family out of that hell. I cannot tell you how in love I am with him. He saved me both spiritually and emotionally. God gave me back life. My son is on the right track, my spouse and I are in the best place ever, and I finally understand peace and joy. I am overwhelmed with how good God is. He used this situation to renew my relationship with him. I had grown distant from him but this brought us together more than ever before. I just wanted to tell you how God has reached out to me and freed me from bondage.

Where do I go to feel closest to God? Several places. My porch swing, my car, my room, out in nature. My favorite is out in nature but that doesn't happen regularly.

What do I need to get rid of in my life? I need to purge stuff. Stuff gets in my way with my time, creativity, and space. It is distracting. I want to simplify my life for one reason, I think it will cause me less distractions from God. I also need to get rid of gossip and prejudice.