Our Intentionality & God's Power and Presence
Sunday, January 3, 2021
Sermon Notes | Genesis 24:1-32
I. The Planning (vv. 1-11)
II. The Praying (vv. 12-21)
III. The Providing (vv. 22-32)
II. The Praying (vv. 12-21)
III. The Providing (vv. 22-32)
Reflection & Response
CONTENT
Contemplate
In your own words, describe the relationship between living intentional and relying on God’s power and presence to work in and through your life?
What are some current situations you are experiencing that require both intentional action on your part and reliance on God’s power and presence? In light of this situation, do you tend to emphasize one over the other? Why? Prayerfully consider what might need to change about your current approach to this or other situations? Write them down and commit to intentionally putting these changes into action.
Connect
Abraham recruited the help of someone he trusted. Invite someone from the Grace community to help you with something. Maybe you need to make a decision and you want to process the decision with someone. Maybe you need prayer. Maybe you need to accomplish some sort of everyday task that would be easier and more enjoyable to do with someone else. Whatever it might be, invite someone from the church family to help and use the opportunity to grow in your relationship with them.
Community
“God is real. God is with me. And that makes all the difference.”
This week set a reminder on your phone or watch for every hour that you are awake. When the alarm goes off, silently say the above prayer. At the end of the day, before you go to bed, jot down one or two ways that you experienced the power and presence of God during the day. Also, consider how you intentionally responded to His power and presence at work in your life. How was God calling you into mission throughout the day?
Optional next step: Pick someone from Grace Church with whom you can update each other on your experience. Do this at some point midweek and again at the end of the week on Sunday.
- List some examples where Abraham and his servant were intentionally proactive in pursuing God’s provision of a bride for Isaac?
- List examples where Abraham and his servant displayed trust in God’s ability to ultimately provide a wife for Isaac?
- Read through verses 1-32. Note all the occurrences that either directly or indirectly refer to God’s covenant faithfulness to Abraham. Why do you think this theme plays such a central role in this chapter?
- How did the servant’s prayerfulness at the well display what Pastor Austin called “being a contemplative in action”? How would you describe the difference between praying and living out prayerfulness? How is the servant’s prayer and prayerfulness a model for us to apply to our own prayer lives?
- What stands out concerning Rebekah’s treatment of Abraham’s servant? Consider how she treats him before she realizes who he is.
- What stands out concerning the hospitality of Laban to Abraham’s servant? How might this be a foreshadowing of things to come?
Contemplate
In your own words, describe the relationship between living intentional and relying on God’s power and presence to work in and through your life?
What are some current situations you are experiencing that require both intentional action on your part and reliance on God’s power and presence? In light of this situation, do you tend to emphasize one over the other? Why? Prayerfully consider what might need to change about your current approach to this or other situations? Write them down and commit to intentionally putting these changes into action.
Connect
Abraham recruited the help of someone he trusted. Invite someone from the Grace community to help you with something. Maybe you need to make a decision and you want to process the decision with someone. Maybe you need prayer. Maybe you need to accomplish some sort of everyday task that would be easier and more enjoyable to do with someone else. Whatever it might be, invite someone from the church family to help and use the opportunity to grow in your relationship with them.
Community
“God is real. God is with me. And that makes all the difference.”
This week set a reminder on your phone or watch for every hour that you are awake. When the alarm goes off, silently say the above prayer. At the end of the day, before you go to bed, jot down one or two ways that you experienced the power and presence of God during the day. Also, consider how you intentionally responded to His power and presence at work in your life. How was God calling you into mission throughout the day?
Optional next step: Pick someone from Grace Church with whom you can update each other on your experience. Do this at some point midweek and again at the end of the week on Sunday.