NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — This Bible study appears in Baptist Press each week in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curriculum and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Bible Studies for Life curriculum.
Bible Passages: Ephesians 5:1-5,8-12,15-16
Discussion Questions:
— What are some ways you can discern what kinds of behaviors are pleasing to God?
— How does having a relationship with Christ make a difference in the way you treat people?
Food for Thought:
Darrell Waltrip, one of the newest members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and three-time champion driver, knows what it’s like to be hated. In 1981 and 1982 at the peak of his career, Waltrip had amassed 24 race wins and two championships in two seasons. As talented as he was behind the wheel, fans hated him. They booed him and even threw trash at him. Even his co-workers didn’t like him. Waltrip was arrogant and responsible for many of his team members getting fired because he didn’t approve of the way they did their jobs. He never took responsibility for what happened in his car; it was always someone else’s fault.
In 1983, Waltrip accepted Christ. He says that the “biggest thing that getting saved did was that I softened my heart. That selfishness, that arrogance, that rudeness, that ‘in-your-face’ attitude started to soften, and I started to feel more like a servant.” He didn’t win a lot of races, but people began to see the change in him and started to react differently to him. Waltrip says that the big reward wasn’t “getting saved to win races.” His reward was having people say that they liked him. He was voted by NASCAR fans as the most popular driver in 1989 and 1990. About his relationship with Christ, Darrell says, “It’s about Him, putting Him first. And when you learn to put Him first in everything you do, and give Him the glory and the credit and the praise, your life’s gonna be a whole lot better off.”
Bible Studies for Life is a life-stage focused family of resources that addresses key issues in the lives of adults and students. Consisting of seven curriculum lines developed for various life and generational stages plus two others designed for deeper study, all of these resources focus on the same Bible passage for each week. Information about the seven curriculum lines and more information can be found on the Internet at LifeWay.com/BibleStudiesforLife.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.
–30–
