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 Passage: Genesis 22:1-5
Discussion Questions: What does the expression “caught between a rock and a hard place” mean? What indicates to you that a person has faith in God when they’re caught between a rock and a hard place?
Food for Thought:
We often confuse the essence of faith. Faith is not about how much you believe. In fact, you can have all the faith in the world that your SUV is going to take off and fly you to Canada cruising at 12,000 feet in the air. But that won’t change the fact that you’re still going to be stuck in traffic somewhere with all four wheels firmly on the ground.
Faith is about believing that the One you believe in is believable. The way you find out if the One you believe in is believable is by knowing and experiencing Him.
It’s like when a child climbs up on the back of her daddy for a piggyback ride. She immediately starts asking him, “Do you have me? Do you have me?” as she wiggles and adjusts her legs into place.
By asking her daddy, “Do you have me?” she is affirming in her mind that the one she is putting her faith in is faithful. Because if he says, “Yes, I have you,” and she rests up there and discovers that he really does have her, then the next time she climbs on for a piggyback ride, the questions become fewer. Enough piggyback rides later, and she doesn’t even ask anymore. She has faith that the one she believes in is believable.
Yet, even before she first climbs up onto the back of her daddy, she can say all day long that she believes that he can hold her. Faith experienced is faith that is real. Faith cannot be experienced without our feet doing what we say we believe. Faith is not situated in our feelings. Faith is situated in our feet. That’s why the Bible says, “we walk by faith” (2 Cor. 5:7) rather than “feel by faith.”
Sometimes it takes getting caught between a rock and a hard place to give us an opportunity to put feet on our faith. Abraham found himself in exactly that position.
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 www.lifeway.com/masterwork.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at www.LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.
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