Getting the message across

Situation: Bible study this morning. There were things in the passage (1 Samuel 15-19) that I needed to hear.

Problem: I’ve been pretty disengaged from bible study this term:

• we’re not in a part of the bible that I know really well
• I haven’t often been in church to hear the sermons, and haven’t made the effort to read or listen to them later. 
• I haven’t been reading the passages in my own time or making any real effort to process them after bible study 

… all of which means that, while I have some understanding of the bare bones plot, because I’ve still been turning up each week, I’ve been taking very little away in terms of broader themes and application. 

God’s Solution: My turn to lead the group this week! Which meant...

• I had to read the passage beforehand 
• when I got confused with the plot and characters, I couldn’t just zone out 
• when I felt young and inexperienced, ill-equipped to deal with the deeper themes on the same level as others in the group, I had to keep grappling 

Outcome: I learnt that:

• sin makes life messy. I’m been feeling annoyed with the after-effects of sin in my own family, but I need to accept the situation, trust that God knows the way forward even when I don’t, and work on loving people anyway. 
• sin is serious. I need to stop ignoring, stop making excuses and fight temptation. 

As it turned out, I did a shocking job of leading the study (and no, I’m not looking for warm fuzzies from those who were there), but I suspect I learnt a lot more than I would have otherwise.

God is good.