Life Group

BLESSED* with a Burden

Posted PD

KEY POINT:

God blesses us with divine burdens that can be opportunities to be used to transform our communities.

OPEN:

What breaks your heart?

What makes you angry?

What do you care about that others don’t?

REFLECT:

  • Share an unmet need you see in our community or within the church that concerns you deeply.
  • Name some modern day examples of people who felt a burden, took action and made (or are making) a difference.

CONNECT:

  1. Describe a time when you felt a burden to act on something and did.  What was the result?  How did you respond?  Did you complain?  Ignore? Appease?  How can we be sure that the burden we feel is from the Lord?
  2. Complete the sentence: My Divine Burden is _________________. How can you expose yourself more to this burden?  As God increases your burden, what are you going to do about it?  What does God want to do through you?
  3. How is God using your burden to ruin you?  What does it mean to be ruined?  Why is this a good thing?  Name some examples of people in the Bible who were given a divine burden.  In what way were they ruined by it and how did God use them to make a difference?
  4. Discuss what your LifeGroup can do together to make a difference in your community.  Prayerfully decide on a mini-project that your group can do to help people in need.

APPLY:

  • Identify your divine burden.  What makes your heart ache?  What are you passionate about concerning God’s will and kingdom.  Is your burden regarding self, others or God’s glory?  Consider how God would be most glorified and pray for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
  • Embrace your burden.  Feel what God feels and allow it to ruin you.  Cast your burden on the Lord; be still and listen.  Write down any thoughts that come to mind.   Seek His direction on the next steps.
  • If you are having trouble identifying a burden, ask the Lord to show you what He loves and what makes Him angry.  As you make delighting with the Lord your focus, He will give you His desires (Psalm 37:5)  Ask God to burden you with something which is important to Him.

DEEPER INTO THE WORD:

As you read the passages below, identify each person’s burden.  Observe how they responded to it and what actions they took.  Also, note how they were ruined by it (broken, molded and depending on God).

  • Moses – (Ex. 2:11-12, 3:1-12)
  • Nehemiah – (Neh. 1-2, 4, 6:15)
  • Esther – (Esther 4:1-17)