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Bible Study: December 21, 2014

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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 Bible Studies For Life curriculum.

Bible Passage: Matthew 1:18-25

Discussion questions: When have you experienced a surprising change of plans? How do you respond when people let you down? What does the focal passage teach us about Joseph?

Food for thought:

“What are you doing for Christmas?” We hear this question a lot this time of year. Assumed in that question is that we certainly are planning something around the holiday, whether it is traveling to celebrate with family or friends, buying gifts for everybody we know, hosting or going to parties, preparing special kinds of food, or any number of other things.

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How would you handle your Christmas plans being changed? Some of us could “go with the flow,” but some of us would let the disappointment get to us, especially since we often anticipate this season of the year with excitement.

It’s interesting that the coming of Christ into the world brought about a huge change in the plans for two people: Mary and Joseph. The first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel tells us the story of Joseph’s response to this drastic change of plans God brought into his life.

How has God’s plan to send His Son into the world changed your life? How will your celebration of His coming affect your life this year? When Joseph accepted God’s plan, his life changed forever. As we accept His plan for our lives, we can rest assured that it will change what we had intended, but for the better.

Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life is a family of resources that addresses key issues in the lives of adults, students and kids. Bible Studies for Life has been updated for fall 2013. Visit www.biblestudiesforlife.com [3] and use it to help you “Connect the Unconnected, Strengthen Families, and Disciple People With Wisdom.” Free session downloads are available, plus PDFs and videos that explain the improvements made to this Bible study resource.

Other ongoing Bible study options offered by LifeWay for all ages can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool [4].