“When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” – Genesis 32:25-26.

The Bible is the most important book and the ultimate guide to Christianity. God, holiness, the gospel, ancient culture, and the goodness of man are a few of the things that come to mind when people discuss the Bible. It is all that and so much more. There are countless fascinating stories about everyday people and their lives. There are many characters with interesting stories, from the kings to the priests to the warriors to the disciples.

One of them is Jacob. In a strange story in Genesis 32:24-28, we find Jacob alone in a desert where he ends up wrestling with some shadowy figure all night until daybreak—first, the back story.

Jacob was in a difficult position, and it was mostly his fault. After deceiving his brother, Esau, Jacob had fled for his life. Now, many years later, Jacob was on his way back home and sent messengers to Esau. They return to tell him that Esau is approaching them with 400 men. Jacob is trying to figure out how to smooth things with Esau. Finally, in desperation and fear, he cried out to God, “O LORD, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children.” (Genesis 32:11).

The next night—as Jacob ­waited alone—a stranger came to wrestle with him till dawn. At some point during this weird contest, Jacob realizes that he is wrestling with God. And when God decides it’s time to end the match, He dislocates Jacob’s hip and demands to be released. And Jacob, in significant pain, replies, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26).

This response pleases God, who pronounces this blessing on Jacob. Genesis 32:28 says, “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” Jacob then limps toward his tense reunion with Esau with a weakened body and a strengthened faith. Having wrestled with God, he knows his prayers regarding Esau will be answered.

Are you wrestling with God? God will meet you in your struggles, fear, and uncertainty. When that happens, remember Jacob. Grab onto God, don’t let go, and let those all-night battles with God be an indicator that your faith is alive and God is with you in the darkest desert.

Discussion Questions:

1. How did Jacob’s wrestling with God prepare him for meeting with Esau?
2. Is there an area in your life where you are wrestling against God? How does this lesson help you deal with your struggle?Why did Jacob wrestle with God?

“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” – Colossians 3:15

Colossians 3:15 is one of those verses in the Bible that is well-known and often quoted but can be misunderstood. When we read, “Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts,” our initial inclination is to equate this verse with an experience of inner calm and well-being. After all, that’s the sort of peace that we want as Christians, right?

Though “peace” in the Bible can mean “inner peace,” it also represents a relational condition in which people live together well. Peace in the Bible is far more than the absence of conflict.

We get a clue to the meaning of peace in this verse from the following clause, “For as members of one body you are called to live in peace…” “The one body” is quite clearly the church, the body of Christ. Colossians 1:18 says, “Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.” So, the peace to which we are called “in the one body” is shared, corporate, and relational.

The peace of God starts when you are born again. When you are saved, the Bible says in Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” When you trust God and learn to live by faith, you have the peace of God.

The peace of God starts with our salvation. The little white flag goes up in your heart; you surrender. If you want peace, you have to surrender. The “peace of God” should function in our minds and hearts and hold sway there. It should protect and guard the mind and heart from forces that would ruin the mind and heart’s ability to trust God and think rightly about His character and will.

In Philippians, Paul says, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (4:17).

Permitting the peace of Christ to rule in our hearts is a daily and often moment-by-moment choice. He promised us His peace, and it is already ours. His inner peace is something to which all believers are called, both individually and corporately, and it should become a reality in the lives of all who are called by His name.

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Discussion Questions:

1. What kind of peace do you think this world is seeking most?
2. What does it mean to have peace with God (see Romans 5:1)?
3. How would we, as a community of believers walking in the Peace of God, demonstrate the Kingdom of God to the world around us?

“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:42-47.

There are so many benefits to being in a loving, Christian community. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

There is a lot in the Bible about the church community, including the Acts 2 passage above. The early church’s fellowship was selfless, Christ-centered, and dynamic. Wouldn’t it have been great to participate in those joyful interactions and conversations? The number of Christ followers was increasing daily, which means there would have been people of all ages and walks of life joining the church; it is an example of how the church community can come beside us, lift us, love us, and care for us.

The united community of believers brings strength into every battle. When we stand together, we are strongest. God designed us to need others. Sometimes, we need others, and other times, we are the ones who are needed. We are equipped to comfort others with the comfort God shows us. It’s such a great way to serve God’s kingdom.

Our church community is the people we look to when the world gets stormy, and these are the people who look to us when their world gets stormy. The Bible encourages us to gather together for worship and instruction, to encourage each other to love.

 Discussion Questions:

1. In what way has church been just a place you “go to” instead of a place you “belong to?
2. Who are the people in your life that you can walk alongside? How will you show them today that they are not alone?

“Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.” – Romans 12:15.

God created us as complex creatures, capable of feeling and sensing a whole garden of emotions. Made in the image of our Creator, we can both grieve the wrongs of this world and celebrate the sweetness of this life.

Joy and sorrow often travel together as a pair. We can’t have one without the other. We are to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn, which could happen the same day.

 In Ecclesiastes 3:4, we are told there’s a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance. In Romans 12:15, we are told to celebrate with those who are celebrating and to weep with those who are grieving. The tension is there—wondering when to celebrate and when to cry.

It becomes difficult when we are the ones grieving and the people around us are all doing a happy dance because things are going so well. It is hard to muster up the ability to celebrate with others when you yourself may be going through a sorrowful time. The flip side applies as well. Maybe we are the ones doing the happy dance, and those around us are struggling with grief. It doesn’t seem possible to truly rejoice to the full extent when sorrow lurks around the corner.

The question becomes how do we do both because we are called to celebrate with others when they are celebrating and to mourn with others when they are mourning. We can do both with God’s help. It starts with prayer. 

We need to pray, asking the Lord to fill our hearts with His compassion for others. Compassion is the ability to sympathize with others. God will help you see and feel things more than you have before. God wants us to know how and when to sympathize with others so we can mourn when they need us to. But we also want to pray and ask God to joyfully fill our hearts and minds. 

God is the inventor of joy, delight, laughter, goodness, and celebration. When we have the joy of the Lord, we can rejoice with others even when we may be experiencing something difficult. His joy gives us strength to get through each day, even when grieving. Jesus is both joyful and full of compassion. When we pray for more compassion and joy, He is happy to fill us up and open our eyes.

Someone needs you to celebrate with them today. Someone else needs you to weep with them today. Today, let us choose to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and to mourn with those who are grieving.  

  Discussion Questions:

1. Is it possible to rejoice and mourn at the same time? 
2. How do we get better at celebrating with those who are celebrating and mourning with those who mourn?  

“So encourage each other with these words.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:18.

When you go to bed at night, are you excited about the coming new day? Is there something you can’t wait for that gives you a sense of encouragement to face what lies ahead? But then the next day is anything but encouraging. We live in a day where discouragement is all around us. It is hard to go through a day without running into someone who is complaining, being negative, or being very discouraged. Sometimes, that person is me. So, how does a Christian respond?

Encouragement is written about so much in the Bible for a good reason: we tend to be easily discouraged. Discouragement has to come from somewhere. God is not a God who has designed us to live a life of discouragement or to lose hope. That is not who we are, and you can be assured that if you live this way, that’s not who you are. Your life has tremendous value. But when you need some encouragement, there is no better place than your local community of believers.

Over and over, the Bible emphasizes the importance of spending time with other Christians as a source of encouragement. But encouraging one another isn’t about lifting each other’s spirits. Believers are to help one another develop Christ-like character and grow in our relationship with Him. We do this intentionally by participating in a small group Bible study, praying together, mentoring a younger believer, etc.

But we also encourage one another by example. How we live and respond in everyday life should point to the Lord and reflect what the Bible teaches. That means we must study God’s Word, allowing His Spirit to instruct and edify us directly. The Bible draws attention to a few specific truths that are especially encouraging.

Pray for God to make you an encourager. Ask Him to give you a heart that loves others and creativity to know how to show it. Ask Him to help you die to self and grow in a desire to build others up. Because God delights in helping His people obey His commands, we can trust that His Spirit will teach us how to bless others for their spiritual good.

Study Barnabas and ask God to make you like him. Barnabas was nicknamed the “son of encouragement” by the early church (Acts 4:36). He was the kind of guy you wanted to have around as you were serving the Lord. He wasn’t just a spiritual cheerleader but a man of great conviction who wanted to see the church flourish and did all he could to make it happen. Ask God to give you and your church a heart like Barnabas.

Make encouragement a daily discipline. Get started. Who can you encourage right now? Who has blessed you recently that you can thank? What verse can you share with them? How might God use it?

Discussion Questions:

1. How would you rate the encouragement you give to others?   
2. Who needs encouragement this week?

“What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God. What is the eternal life that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God. “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. (John 17:3). What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight, and contentment than anything else?  – Knowledge of God, J.I. Packer.

What can we know about someone? What, exactly, does it even mean to know someone? It doesn’t matter how long or how intimately you know someone. It could be your best friend, colleagues, siblings, parents, a member of your small group, or your spouse. You can never truly know them, not entirely. Something will always go unsaid: a hidden desire, a private shame, an unfulfilled dream, or an incomplete story. All these unsaid things make it difficult for somebody to know you in total because rather than get the whole picture, we see bits and pieces.

Take that same line of thinking and apply it to God. How well do you know God? Is it impossible to know God too well? He is the most important person who exists. Any strength or intelligence, skill, or beauty that other beings have comes from Him. On every scale of excellence, He is infinitely greater than the best person you ever knew or heard of. So, given that, knowing God is not a laid-back spectator sport. It will require everything in our being, hearts, and emotions.

One of the greatest challenges we face today is a lack of understanding about who God is. You may know about God, but do you truly understand what He says about Himself—and what He wants from you? Job 36:26 seems to suggest an answer: “Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.” (Job 36:26) Hosea grabs this idea in Hosea 4:1-2: “Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel! The LORD has brought charges against you, saying”: “There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land…”

We may even be tempted to think, well, I already know God. I think I already know the Lord, yet there are more things I can learn from the Bible. But all in all, I think I got a pretty good handle on the Lord. Knowing Him even better should be our goal regardless of where we are in our walk with God.

Scripture teaches that we can have a genuine and personal knowledge of God, but this does not mean we will ever understand Him exhaustively. The Bible is clear that God is ultimately incomprehensible to us; we can never fully comprehend His whole being. The following passage shows this: “No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket. They are nothing more than dust on the scales. He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand” (Isaiah 40:15).

How well we know Him depends on our relationship with Him. From the beginning of creation, God has desired a relationship with us. To know God, we must begin a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. God loved us first and removed every obstacle between Him and us through Jesus. So, it all starts with getting to know Jesus and building the relationship from there.

Discussion Questions:

1. Would you say that the purpose of life has to do with knowing God? Why or why not?
2. Why is sincerely following a religion different from knowing and loving God?
3. What areas of your life should see greater change because you know God?

The main thing is that the main thing is always the main thing.” – Old German Proverb.

Have you ever sat down and decided what matters most to you? And whatever it is, does your life and values prove that is what is most important in your life? And does it correspond to what matters most to God?  In the past, you could tell what was most important to people by looking at their checkbooks.

Today, people rarely use checkbooks, but the principle still applies: our bank accounts, auto-pays, or debit card trails reveal whether we are living in a way that reflects what matters most to us.

Too many of us focus our lives on unimportant causes. Trivial Pursuit isn’t just a game; it’s a description of our culture. Most of what’s happening in our world today won’t matter in a week—much less for eternity. It is hard to see the difference between “urgent” and “important.” What seems urgent is seldom what is important. ­­We put aside our family time, our time with God, and our time with friends for urgent matters that rarely matter for long.

Reading through scriptures will reveal stories of individuals who showcased an extraordinary focus on doing what matters most. Despite their flaws and missteps, these individuals are powerful examples for us today. And there is certainly no better example than Jesus. The night before Jesus’ death, He washed His disciples’ feet and shared the Passover meal with them. During this time, Judas is revealed as the one who would betray Him. You have to wonder if time stood still for Jesus that night. Instead of rushing around to heal more sick people or giving a last-minute sermon, we find Jesus sharing a meal with His disciples. He set His ministry aside for the most important thing. “When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the Twelve.” (Matthew 26:20).

Jesus spent His last hours of freedom with His best friends, teaching them how to remember Him and sharing the foundations of the gospel with them. He prayed for them (John 17) and then prayed for the strength to walk the difficult journey to the cross (Mark 14:32-36). When it came down to it, the most important thing to Jesus on His last night was doing the will of the Father and serving His closest friends.

Jesus spent His whole life choosing to do the most important thing at any given moment. He stopped to heal the sick when they crossed His path. He sat on a mountainside to speak life to a waiting crowd. He prayed for children, even as His disciples scolded the people for bringing them to Him. He gave a bleeding woman, a blind man, and a beggar hope.

Jesus knew His purpose and relentlessly pursued it. He focused on reconciling humanity with God. His life serves as a reminder for all of us tempted to prioritize the seemingly urgent over the important. It also serves as an example of how to spend our time doing God’s will.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the most important thing in your life?
2. How can we prioritize the important over the urgent?

“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.” – 1 Corinthians 9:24-25.

Do you ever do a post-day evaluation? “Okay, I went through the day but could not put that day in the ‘win’ column. I lost my mind, I lost my money, I lost my temper.” If we are honest, there are probably a few days we could not put in the “win” column.

The Olympics games are the apex of the sporting world. Millions of people aspire to be on that medal podium, but only a few make it. The sad reality is that if they aren’t winning, then they are just another in a crowd of faceless losers. The expression in the sports world that sums up this perspective says, “Second place is first loser.” Unless these athletes reach the top, their dreams of success will turn to disappointment.

The gold, silver, and bronze medals are given out at the end of every event. The happiest person on the podium is the one with the gold, the one who won. Years of work and sacrifice have paid off, and a dream has come true. The person with the bronze is probably happy. Only three medals are given out, and there is a sense of relief in receiving something for their work. The saddest person is the one in second. They look up to the winner and reflect on how close they came to their dream, yet still lost. They are the first loser among a host of losers.

We must train ourselves to think differently because the kingdom of God doesn’t work that way. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul writes about his experiences and motivations in working out the calling the Lord had given him; “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25). Notice it says “we” do it for an eternal prize. We can all go to heaven because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross.

We may be in the race to heaven, but we are all running our own course. The Lord has a special, individualized track for each of us. The Lord doesn’t measure us against others. Winning does not only mean making it to heaven; it means walking out our faith daily. Winning has nothing to do with how we measure up against others; it means how well we measure up against God’s plan for us.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches His disciples about where their focus should be as they deal with day-to-day things: “Seek the Kingdom of God about all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33). The more and more we read scripture, we notice an ongoing theme, keep the main thing the main thing. We are encouraged not to worry, be anxious, or boast about things beyond what God has given us to deal with in the present. In the present, we are to seek Him and be faithful in the little things. In other words, win the race daily by keeping your eyes on the prize.

  Discussion Questions:

1. What is the role of reading, memorizing, and obeying God’s word in winning the race?
2. Is winning those far from the heart of God the most important win?

“Winning is better that not winning.” – Andy Stanley.

As Christians, what’s the win? If you don’t know what the win is, it’s hard to tell if you’re winning. And let me ask it this way. What’s the win in this season because in every season of life, there are different wins.

Wouldn’t that be a win to decide ahead of time and to order your life and to order your conduct and character in such a way that you define the win for who you are and who people perceive you to be? If you don’t know what you’re aiming for, right, you’ve heard it, you’ll hit it every time. You don’t want to draw a target on the barn because you shot first and then drew the target later, right?

The Apostle Paul, who directly or indirectly influenced our lives, had a mission statement.  He did shape all of our lives because of his words and because of his letters. Paul showed up in history as Saul of Tarsus and then he became a Jesus follower a pretty drastic conversion.

Paul’s win is found in his statement in 1 Corinthians. His win—and maybe you can relate to this, and this should be encouraging—what he decided the win was for his life was actually a response to a failure. It was a response to a loss in his life because he steps into history as someone who has decided to put out of business a Nazarene sect or a Nazarene cult that revolved around this Nazarene rabbi named Jesus.

So he started rounding up all the Christians and having them arrested. He had some of them tortured. Then, he meets the resurrected Jesus and realizes that he is working against God.

Here’s his win: He says he doesn’t deserve to be an apostle. I am who I am with all that baggage and with that stuff. I am what I am, and God’s grace to me was not without effect. In other words, God did not waste His time coming after me. God did not waste His time revealing Himself to me. And in 1 Corinthians, he explains what the win for his life is: “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

It means that Paul determined, in his freedom in Christ, to serve others. Why did he do it? To win or save as many as possible. Paul’s priorities in life were to win others for Jesus. Not everyone you witness will become a believer. So, we don’t have an unrealistic goal of winning every one. Our goal is to win as many as possible. To bring as many people to heaven with us as we can. It is essential to run the race for every believer.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is a “win” in your life? 
2. Is winning those far from the heart of God the most important win?