Ask about your own thoughts: What is on your mind the most on any given day?…Are your thoughts and desires molded by the world or by God?
Read 1 John 2:15-17…
Ask about living for things that fade away: Why should we live for things that fade away?…We shouldn’t. The length of life is minuscule compared to eternity.
Ask about what we should live for: What should we live for?…In other words, what things don’t fade away when we die?…Our relationship with God is forever lasting.
Read Ecclesiastes 5:2…What is your interpretation of this/what do you think it means?…When making any decision in life, especially involved with God, think hard and pray about it. Don’t jump into anything without thorough thought about it.
Ask about faith: Is it possible to leap too fast into faith in God? (personal question)…Was your decision to follow God a quick one or did you take time to think about it before you decided to commit?
Talk about my concern about intentions: My only concern is that we may not have the right intentions when it comes to faith. We may say with our mouth that “Jesus Christ is Lord” and not with our heart. Specifically, we may choose to say we have faith only because we fear the potential existence of hell (“aka fire insurance”). My advice is Eccl 5:2..”Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.”
Talk about Ecclesiastes 5:2: At the end of verse 2, it mentions that we should let our words be few when it comes to communication with God. In this, God admires being concise, honest, and from the heart rather than long, meaningless, with intentions to look like a “good Christian”.
Talk about God’s wants: If you are truly living for God, make sure you know what God wants (hint: use the Bible).
Read Ecclesiastes 2:10-11… Don’t give in to the sinful worldly pleasures. Instead, do things for God and he will reward you.
Read Ecclesiastes 2:26…Rewards that we will receive are wisdom, knowledge, and happiness.
Ask about these rewards: Do you feel that you have all of these? If you are living for the world and its desires, you won’t have much of these.
Ask about what nonbelievers live for…What do most nonbelievers live for?…happiness through wealth, power, a purpose without God. Will these paths lead them to wisdom, knowledge and happiness?…God would say that it doesn’t.
Read the end of Ecclesiastes 2:26…”To the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind”…Indirectly, the wealth of nonbeliever eventually make its way back to someone who will use it to honor God.
Talk about what it means to live for God…If you are living for God, you must have a heart of prayer. This basically means that you should always have the Lord on your mind. Moreover, make choices as if you are Jesus. Additionally, consider your needs over your wants.
Ask about needs: What are some needs that God expects us to pray for?…Forgiveness, strength, humility, etc. If it is according to His will, He will hear it. In order for us to know what we need to pray for, we need to know and understand the will of God. To understand the will of God, pray and study the Bible.
Read Hebrews 4:14-16…Do you feel that your needs are aligned with what God wants you to desire?
Ask about God’s wants: What does God want you to desire?…If we are living for God, we must have a heart for the lost. The lost could be referred to as a non-believer or the believer that needs some redirection. As Jesus ate food with sinners, including unlawful tax-collectors and prostitutes, we must do the same. We need to be an example to others as Jesus is for us.
An example of being a good influence to others: If your friends are about to do something foolish, call them out on it and inform them that you won’t participate in it.
Read Amos 8:11…We must be the ones who share the words of God to others…A famine of God’s word may be spreading all throughout the world. Do it! Share the Word of God to others. Live for God in all you do. Have the mindset that God would want us to have. Continue to love God and others.
References:
Bible Study Tools. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.biblestudytools.com/
NIV Life Application Study Bible. (2011). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament. (2004). Colorado Springs, Colorado: International Bible Society.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament. (2004). Colorado Springs, Colorado: International Bible Society.
Unger, M. F. (1976) Unger’s bible dictionary. Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.