Discovering God's Goodness

King David encouraged us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Our heavenly Father serves up a feast of His truth, grace, peace, and freedom to us in abundance—and invites us to enjoy it! When we discover His goodness and truly “count our blessings,” it changes our entire outlook on life.

In Discovering God’s Goodness, you will explore what the Bible has to say about God’s grace and what the Lord did to rescue you from the prison of sin. You will uncover how God’s unmerited favor made it possible for you to be forgiven, redeemed, and restored so you could experience eternal life with Him. This is a blessing none of us deserves—but God gives it to us anyway if we accept Him and live our lives for His glory.

The Women of Faith® Bible Studies provide intriguing insights into topics that are relevant to women’s lives today. Each guide includes twelve weeks of study, down-to-earth illustrations, and reflections to help you move the truth from your head to your heart. A leader’s guide for use with small groups is also included.

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Discovering God's Goodness

King David encouraged us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Our heavenly Father serves up a feast of His truth, grace, peace, and freedom to us in abundance—and invites us to enjoy it! When we discover His goodness and truly “count our blessings,” it changes our entire outlook on life.

In Discovering God’s Goodness, you will explore what the Bible has to say about God’s grace and what the Lord did to rescue you from the prison of sin. You will uncover how God’s unmerited favor made it possible for you to be forgiven, redeemed, and restored so you could experience eternal life with Him. This is a blessing none of us deserves—but God gives it to us anyway if we accept Him and live our lives for His glory.

The Women of Faith® Bible Studies provide intriguing insights into topics that are relevant to women’s lives today. Each guide includes twelve weeks of study, down-to-earth illustrations, and reflections to help you move the truth from your head to your heart. A leader’s guide for use with small groups is also included.

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Discovering God's Goodness

Discovering God's Goodness

Discovering God's Goodness

Discovering God's Goodness

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Overview

King David encouraged us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Our heavenly Father serves up a feast of His truth, grace, peace, and freedom to us in abundance—and invites us to enjoy it! When we discover His goodness and truly “count our blessings,” it changes our entire outlook on life.

In Discovering God’s Goodness, you will explore what the Bible has to say about God’s grace and what the Lord did to rescue you from the prison of sin. You will uncover how God’s unmerited favor made it possible for you to be forgiven, redeemed, and restored so you could experience eternal life with Him. This is a blessing none of us deserves—but God gives it to us anyway if we accept Him and live our lives for His glory.

The Women of Faith® Bible Studies provide intriguing insights into topics that are relevant to women’s lives today. Each guide includes twelve weeks of study, down-to-earth illustrations, and reflections to help you move the truth from your head to your heart. A leader’s guide for use with small groups is also included.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780310682585
Publisher: Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date: 06/07/2016
Series: Women of Faith Study Guide Series
Sold by: THOMAS NELSON
Format: eBook
Pages: 128
File size: 865 KB

About the Author

A self-described “hot mess,” Margaret Feinberg is a popular Bible teacher and speaker at churches and leading conferences such as Catalyst, Thrive, and Women of Joy. Her books, including The Organic God, The Sacred Echo, Scouting the Divine, Wonderstruck, Fight Back With Joy, and their corresponding Bible studies, have sold nearly one million copies and received critical acclaim and extensive national media coverage from CNN, the Associated Press, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and more.

She was recently named one of 50 women most shaping culture and the church today by Christianity Today, one of the 30 Voices who will help lead the church in the next decade by Charisma magazine and one of 40 who will shape Christian publishing by Christian Retailing magazine. Margaret lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, Leif, and their superpup, Hershey. She believes some of the best days are spent in jammies, laughing and being silly.

Read an Excerpt

Discovering God's Goodness


By Christa Kinde

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2006 Thomas Nelson
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-68258-5



CHAPTER 1

Thou Shalt Not!

"The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good."

Romans 7:12 NKJV


He's makin' a list, checkin' it twice. Gonna find out who's naughty and nice!" Sure, we all know this popular song that refers to Santa Claus. But how many of us have the very same view of God? We know God loves us and all, but we can't help but picture Him with a checklist on a clipboard. He's making His lists. Good deeds in one column, bad deeds in the other, like some kind of divine scorekeeper. When were good, that counts in our favor. When we sin, there's a deduction from our score. Or perhaps we see Him as a referee, jogging along the sidelines of our life and watching our every move. If we put one toe over the line, He blows the whistle. Every time we step out of bounds, commit a foul, or break a rule, He jumps on it, bringing condemnation, shame, and guilt.

When we think about our heavenly Father in this way, our thinking is decidedly askew. It puts all the emphasis on our being good, on behaving ourselves, on winning God's approval. The Christian walk is not a matter of dos and don'ts, rules and regulations. Many people think that if the good we do in our lives outweighs the bad, then we've earned the right to enter heaven. But that's just not the case. Salvation isn't a matter of being good enough. It's a matter of God's goodness!


1. It's easy to see where all the emphasis on dos and don'ts comes from. After all, God started it! He gave commandments to His people and expected them to obey them. It was called "the Law."


• What was Joshua told to do with the Law in Joshua 1:8?


• What did Joshua tell the people to do with the Law in Joshua 22:5?


• What encouragement did Joshua offer in Joshua 23:6?


2. Paul assures us that the Law is a good thing. What does he say about it in Romans 7:12?


3. But while the Law is good, it does something surprising. What does Romans 4:15 tell us goes hand in hand with the Law?


4. How does Romans 5:15 describe the unique relationship between the Law and sin?


5. How does Paul describe this interaction further in Romans 7:7–9?


Those that focus on the finer points of the law put the discipline in spiritual discipline. Their teachings center on good moral behavior, clean living, and keeping all the commandments. But the best intentions in the world cannot boost us into sinless living. What's the point of setting up rules that no one can keep? To prove that we can't keep them. We're sinners, and we cannot save ourselves. One of the reasons the Law was given was to show us how far short we fall.


6. What's the point of all these "Thou shalt's" and "Thou shalt not's"? What did God tell His people in Leviticus 11:45?


7. And what did Jesus tell us in Matthew 5:48?


8. The standard is perfection, and it's beyond our reach. Do you find it a little discouraging that you can't keep the Law, even if you try? What did Paul admit in Romans 7:18?


9. If we could keep all the Law and live righteously on our own, what does Galatians 2:21 say becomes obsolete?


Digging Deeper

God's standard is perfection, and there's no getting around that. But, praise the Lord, we're not the ones who have to be perfect. We're being made perfect!

• John 17:23

• Philippians 3:12

• 2 Corinthians 12:9

• Hebrews 10:14


Ponder & Pray

Nobody likes to have his shortcomings pointed out to him, but the Law forces us to face the facts. We're not perfect. We're not holy. We sin. Have you ever thanked God for His commandments? Have you ever thanked Him for all the Law? This week consider what your life might be like if there were no commandments — no Law. Would you admit to your sin? Would you try to live a good life in your own strength? Would you need God at all?


Trinkets to Treasure

At the close of each lesson, you will be presented with a small gift. Though imaginary, it will serve to remind you of the things you have learned. Think of it as a souvenir. Souvenirs are little trinkets we pick up on our journeys to remind us of where we have been. They keep us from forgetting the path we have traveled. Hide these little treasures in your heart, for as you ponder them, they will draw you closer to God.

Your trinket this week is a reverse reminder of today's lesson — a whistle. Though the Law of God demands perfection, points out our sin, and confirms our unworthy state, we need not be discouraged. God is not a referee on the sidelines, ready to blow the whistle on us whenever we fumble or fail. God is a God of patience, forgiveness, and grace.


Notes & Prayer Requests

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CHAPTER 2

Hedging

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith."

Matthew 23:23 NKJV


Formal gardens are intriguing. Neatly laid out garden plots, beds of fragrant herbs, mossy statues, rose-covered bowers, trickling fountains, espaliered fruit trees, stone benches tucked into quiet corners. And hedges. Yards and yards of closely clipped hedges. Painstakingly pruned shrubs winding along the edges of each path. Low boxwood hedges around the herb garden. Pretty topiaries in geometric shapes. High privet hedges ensuring seclusion.

The Pharisees of ancient Israel were into hedging, but not the kind that needed constant clipping. They put up hedges around the Law of God. In order to prevent the breaking of one of God's commandments, traditions were established as a kind of buffer zone. For instance, if God's law forbade the coveting of another man's wife, then the men shrouded their women so that no man could look on them at all. They reasoned that you couldn't lust after something you couldn't see. This was the hedge they set up around God's command. In this way, the Pharisees established a vast compendium of rules and regulations, and they prided themselves in knowing and keeping them all.


1. The Pharisees went nose to nose with Jesus on several occasions over the keeping of the Law. Inevitably, Jesus got the better of the hypocrites. What did He accuse them of in Mark 7:13?


2. What hypocrisy were the Pharisees guilty of in Matthew 23:23?


3. The Pharisees confronted Jesus, thinking they could put Him on the spot. What transgression did they accuse His disciples of in Matthew 15:2?


4. In the next verse, Jesus turns the tables by putting a pointed question to them. What does He ask in Matthew 15:3?


5. There was the Law. — God's commandments found in Scripture. — and then there were the traditions. — a way of life handed down for generations. One pointed the way to righteous living. The other ensured the appearance of righteousness. Which did the Pharisees think was more important, according to Mark 7:8–9?


Let's say God charged you to tend a small garden for Him. You accept the task with pleasure and begin puttering among the fruit trees, rose bushes, and vines. But then, you worry over whether the garden is safe from foraging animals, so you plant a hedge around it and work diligently at keeping it clipped. But the hedge doesn't seem secure enough, so around that you build a fence. Then you have the brilliant idea of building a castle around the garden plot, making it a sheltered courtyard. Around the castle, a great wall is erected, with an iron gate to keep all away. Then you install a drawbridge and a moat, and ship in a bunch of crocodiles. You've made an impressive show of fulfilling Gods charge. Meanwhile, the fruit drops rotting from the trees, the roses are cankered, and the weeds are choking out the vines. The whole time you were busy protecting your garden plot, you were neglecting it. Do you think this is what God intended?


6. In Philippians 3:4–9, Paul lists all the earthly reasons he had to be confident in his own righteous living. What did he have to boast about?


7. What other tidbits about his former life does Paul tell us in Galatians 1:14?


8. Paul, as Saul the Pharisee, had it all together. He was a rising star on the religious scene. He had a promising career ahead of him. But what did he think of all of that, according to Philippians 3:7–8?


9. No amount of hedging can ensure a righteous life. What does 1 Peter 1:18–19 say does and does not redeem us?


Digging Deeper

My junior high teacher was fond of the saying "I don't drink and I don't chew and I don't go with girls that do." He felt this quip was the epitome of pharisaical self-righteousness. Not one of us can ever be improved in God's eyes by what we do or don't do. In order to dig a little deeper today, read Galatians 3:10–24. What does Paul say in these verses about the law, justification, and Christ?


Ponder & Pray

This would be a good time for some self-examination. Search your heart. Have you been trying to do the work that only grace can do? Have you been so busy protecting your image that you've neglected more important matters of the heart? It is the hidden person of the heart that God sees. No amount of hedging can change that.


Trinkets to Treasure

Your trinket for this week could only be a pair of clippers. — hedge clippers! It's too easy to live in a way that keeps up the appearance of a godly life. We know how to do and say all the right things. But God isn't impressed by our tidy hedges. He sees right into our hearts and knows what lies there. The Pharisees tried to bolster their own reputations and images but were denounced as hypocrites. We should not try to do what can only be done by God's grace!


Notes & Prayer Requests

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CHAPTER 3

Just Desserts

"The wages of sin is death."

Romans 6:23 NKJV

The Wednesday night children's program at our church focuses on Scripture memorization. The kids are assigned rather lengthy passages from the Bible and given incentives to study them and commit them to memory. In my fifth-grade class, the children earn chocolate bars if they're able to say their week's verses. Quarterly, kids who are able to say all their verses from memory earn the chance to choose a prize from a treasure chest full of toys. If at the end of the year they've memorized every one of their passages, they earn the ultimate reward. — a trip to Six Flags with a pocketful of spending money. Those children who have dedicated themselves to memorizing their verses get exactly what they deserve. They've earned their prizes and fun. They're getting their just desserts.

As sinners, we have nothing so pleasant to look forward to. In fact, the only thing we are deserving of is death. Thankfully, as believers, we don't get our just desserts. God, in His goodness, extends grace to us, undeserving as we are.


1. There's no question that we're sinners. God can't pour out His grace and goodness in our lives until we recognize that fact and admit it.


• When does Numbers 5:6 say that we become guilty of sin?


• Are there degrees of bad — some sins being more acceptable than others? What does James 2:10 say?


• What does Isaiah 59:2 say our iniquities do?


2. When it comes to our sinful hearts, one thing leads to another. How does James 1:14–15 describe this process?


3. Sin has its inevitable end. What does Paul say sin earns us in Romans 6:23?


4. According to Scripture, sinners are worthy of death. Who, then, should we trust, according to 2 Corinthians 1:9?


When I was little, my mother made me eat my vegetables. Or at least she tried. I had to at least taste those beets and squash and asparagus and peas. About the only thing that helped me choke them down was the knowledge that Mom had been baking that day. No veggies meant no dessert. Zucchini had slightly more appeal if I knew an apple pie was waiting. A clean plate meant I'd get my just desserts! As believers, Jesus traded places with us. He gives us a clean slate, and a clean slate means we'll get His just desserts.


5. According to Hebrews 2:9, what extraordinary provision did God make for the undeserving?


6. What does 2 Timothy 1:10 say Jesus did to death?


7. What will happen to death, according to 1 Corinthians 15:54?


8. What picture do we get of our future in Revelation 21:4?


9. What a change. We started this lesson acknowledging that we deserve to be separated from God forever. But because of Gods goodness and grace, we need never be separated from Him again. Paul asks, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Rom. 8:35 NKJV). What is the answer to his question, according to Romans 8:38–39?


Digging Deeper

Though we shudder to look back at our graceless fate, we would do well not to forget the death sentence that once hung over our heads. When we remember what might have been, had Jesus not come to our rescue, we are all the more grateful for the grace in which we stand!

• Romans 7:5

• Romans 8:6

• 1 Corinthians 15:56


Ponder & Pray

Mercy means not giving someone what he or she deserves. Grace is unmerited (unearned, undeserved) favor. This week, give all your thanks and praise to God for the evidence of mercy and grace in your own life. Consider all the ways in which the Lord has been good to you, and count each one of them as a blessing.


Trinkets to Treasure

Those who want their just desserts learn how to clean their plates! And so our little treasure this week is a clean plate. This little doodad can help remind us that we should be grateful that we won't be receiving our just desserts. Jesus took our place and got what we had coming. He traded places with us, allowing us to receive His just desserts instead!

CHAPTER 4

Amazing, but True

"Through Him we have received grace."

Romans 1:5 NKJV

Little boys love dinosaurs. Sharp teeth, sharp horns, sharp claws. They're the ultimate monsters. — real enough to be scary, but extinct enough to be safe. All the dinosaurs are reduced to fossils by now. Or have they? Have you heard the amazing but true fish story of the coelacanth (pronounced see-la-canth)?

Fishermen off the coast of South Africa were pulling in their nets one December day back in 1938, and pulled in something unexpected. It was big. — more than five feet long. — and ugly, and nobody on board knew what kind of fish it was. The captain, who was an enterprising fellow, thought this bizarre fish was unusual enough to bring it over to the lady who ran the local museum. She often paid good money for nice specimens. Ms. Latimer, the museum lady, couldn't find the strange fish in any of her books, so she wrote to one of the premier ichthyologists of the day, describing it. Dr. Smith recognized Ms. Latimer's description immediately, and the discovery rocked the scientific community. The coelacanth was thought to be extinct — gone the way of the dinosaur. But soon everyone had heard that the "dinosaur fish" was alive and well. Astonishing. Unforeseen. Unprecedented. Amazing. But true!

As sinners, we were doomed to extinction. Sentenced to death, worthy of wrath, separated from God. Nothing stood between us and the abyss. But then something unprecedented happened! Unforeseen mercy. Unmerited favor. Astonishing grace. And the sinner who had long been lost was found and given new life! Amazing, but true!


1. What's so amazing about grace? What does 2 Corinthians 8:9 have to say about it?


2. Jesus had all the riches of heaven, and yet He gave it up for us. What does Philippians 2:5–8 say that Jesus willingly did on our behalf?


3. What did Jesus do that the law could not, according to Acts 13:39?


4. Sin had reigned over us all, but all of that changed with Christ. What does Romans 5:20 say upset sin's dominance?


5. And in Romans 5:21, this amazing turnaround is described in triumphant terms:

"As sin ______ in ______, even so might ______ through ______ to ______ ______ through Jesus Christ our Lord." (NKJV)


It's the most famous, best-loved hymn of all time — "Amazing Grace." Its lyrics tell of the amazing transformation that grace works in our lives. "I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see." Just when things were at their bleakest, everything was changed. A turning point was reached. In a moment, everything was new. By grace, we went from death row to divine adoption. From wretched to radiant. From unbelievable to undeniable. From lost to found.


6. Paul compares the actions of two different men in Romans 5:15. What were the consequences of their actions?


(Continues...)

Excerpted from Discovering God's Goodness by Christa Kinde. Copyright © 2006 Thomas Nelson. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Table of Contents

Contents

Foreword, vii,
Introduction, ix,
Theme Verse, x,
Chapter 1 Thou Shalt Not!, 1,
Chapter 2 Hedging, 9,
Chapter 3 Just Desserts, 17,
Chapter 4 Amazing, but True, 23,
Chapter 5 The Price of Freedom, 31,
Chapter 6 Free for All, 37,
Chapter 7 Carte Blanche?, 45,
Chapter 8 Extra Credit, 51,
Chapter 9 No Strings Attached, 59,
Chapter 10 One of the Family, 67,
Chapter 11 Friends of God, 75,
Chapter 12 Extending Grace, 81,
Shall We Review?, 87,
Leader's Guide, 90,

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