NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.
Bible Passages: Luke 12:15
Discussion Questions:
- When you were a teen, what were some ideals you fixated on? How did those ideals change as you got older?
- What ideal is causing you to fixate on something that does not exist outside imagination? What unreal ideals are stealing your joy?
- How can you know if you’ve given your hope and faith to wordly things? For example, if you inherited a large sum of money, what would you do with it?
Food for thought:
The world presents us with its version of the good life at every turn, through any medium with the power to influence the masses. Advertisements sell us an idea of ourselves as successful, attractive or powerful. Movies and TV shows define ideal relationships, selling us versions of romance, friendship and family that are either unattainable or ungodly. Even our own friends are selling a version of the good life via their curated social media accounts: tablescapes, vacations and dieting successes all handpicked for the flattering lens they offer.
How can we battle the false expectations raised by an ideal? One key skill on the road to learning contentment is to limit our exposure to desire-enhancing sources.
Jesus warned, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for oneís life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15, ESV).
Perhaps the most sinister aspect of covetousness is the way that it keeps our eyes fixed on the horizontal plane. Rather than desire the well-being of my neighbor, I desire his stuff, relationships and circumstances. It is impossible to want the best for another while wanting these things.
The great loss of a covetous life is that it keeps love of self as our primary concern. Jesus did not love the world or anything in it. The love of the Father was in Him, and His desires were turned wholly toward securing the good of His “neighbor.” Yes, evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death. But His was holy desire.
Holy desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to righteousness, and righteousness, when it is fully grown, brings forth life. In the new heavens and earth, we will cease our coveting. We will not be tied to comparison, at last gazing unhindered on the one without compare. We will enjoy in full the great gain of godliness with contentment.
Masterwork
MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors and offers pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at Lifeway.com/masterwork.
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