The Grinch Who Stole Christmas-pt. 2
December 9, 2012
DAY 1: Our critical hearts…
What was wrong with the Grinch? It wasn’t that his shoes were too tight or that his head wasn’t screwed on quite right. It was that his heart was two sizes too small. This Christmas season we’ve been looking at how it is that God enlarges our hearts. A big heart is part of the Christmas season. It’s stylish to enlarge our hearts for people at Christmastime, to be more generous, patient and forgiving than we might be the rest of the year. However, the message of Christmas and having big heart is not seasonal.
One of the ways we can see our stony, hard heart is through being critical of others. Instead of being patient, we can rip people apart, either verbally or in our own mind. Over time, our critical thinking “seeps out” and is felt in our relationships. The effect is to hurt others and ourselves.
Psalms 119:32 I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!
1. What are the relationships between each of the following phrases: “I will run,” “your commandments,” “you,” and “enlarge my heart?”
2. God’s plan from long ages ago was to invade planet Earth and do something decisive about our sin problem. (We first heard His plan in Genesis 3!).
The invasion culminated in the day we celebrate as Christmas.
Matthew 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”
3. Reread verse 21. Personalize this verse. When you get to “his people” substitute in your full name!
4. Reread verse 23. Personalize this verse, as well. When you get to, “God with us,” substitute in your full name, as in “God with Seth.”
5. God invaded our world, and He invades our hearts, to save us from ourselves and our sin. Express some gratitude to God for His amazing love for you and amazing sacrifice in your behalf!
DAY 2: God’s word grows our heart.
2 Corinthians 6:11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.
God’s plan to enlarge your heart is to move in. He sends His Holy Spirit to live in your heart. This means that the things He loves and hates begin to change the things you love and hate. Your passions begin to be rewired. Where before your heart was like stone when it came to the things of God, now you actually feel increasing passion.
Today the next part of God’s plan to enlarge your heart: Patience. Read our theme verse…
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
1. When you think of guarding a castle, what things or people come to mind?
2. What “guards” (people and machines) are in place when you want to fly on a commercial airplane? List as many as you can think of.
3. What do you think guarding your heart would look like?
Hebrews 5:12-14 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
4. One of the ways we guard our hearts is with the bible. Every new Christian starts out on bible “milk.” Eventually, we need more, “meat.” In verse 14, “solid food” is necessary for what?
5. If you’re drinking only milk, you can do that within a minute. If you’re going to eat a meal that will take some time. Do you need more time for your bible reading? Lasting adjustments are ones that are made little-by-little. If you’re used to spending 5 minutes/day, bump it up to 7-8 minutes, not 30.
6. Remember yesterday’s verse: Psalms 119:32 I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!
7. The challenge is to “run in the way” of His commandments. How can you “run”, today?
DAY 3: “Difficult people” grow our heart.
Another way God grows our hearts is through “difficult people.” One study found that people consider, on average, 1 of every 3 people to be difficult! Think about that! When you sit in church, it is likely that the person sitting on your right or left is difficult. If they’re not, guess who the difficult person is!!!
1. List, by first names, some of the “difficult people in your life.” If you think someone might read this page, use some other means than recording names.
2. Pick one of the people you listed. What is it that makes them a “difficult person” to you?
Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
3. What strikes you about this story?
4. In reality every one of us is a “difficult person.” In what way is that true?
5. Is there something you need to do as a result of this story? Is there something for which you need to pray?
DAY 4: Suffering loss grows our hearts.
When we suffer loss, our hearts will “naturally” turn inward, shrink, and harden. They “naturally” harden because we “secretly” demand that life go a certain way. When it doesn’t we get mad or despondent.
Is there a silver lining when we suffer loss? You bet!
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
1. What does Jesus promise will happen in this world?
2. His very next sentence is what?
3. What do you think he mean by “take heart?”
4. He tells us, at the beginning of this verse that we may experience peace! Does that sound possible, to experience peace when life hits us hard?
5. The end of this verse gives partial reason why we can have peace in the midst of loss. What does he say?
6. What connections can you see between Jesus promising to “overcome the world” and you experiencing peace?
7. Below is a list of reasons or items where we can find peace in the midst of loss. Read through the list and put a checkmark by the ones that you need to remember.
___ God is a redemptive God. He can take anything and will bring good from it. Anything.
___ God is a God of judgment. Where someone has done wrong to me, they will pay when it’s all said and done.
___ God loves me. He will draw me to Himself in deeper ways. I will discover, again, that my greatest treasure is not blessings but Himself.
___ Other: ____________________________________________________________________________
Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
DAY 5: A Patient Heart: A lifelong journey…
1. It takes a lifetime to build patience into us, and even then, the work is not done until we walk into heaven!
2. Below is a list of verses on patience. Read through them. Mark up the ones you find pertinent to you!
Ne 9:30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples.
Pr 14:29 A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.
Pr 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.
Pr 16:32 Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.
Mt 18:26 The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant 26 “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
Mt 18:29 The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
Ro 12:12
Love 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
1Co 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
2Co 1:6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
Eph 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
1Th 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Jas 5:7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.
Jas 5:8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Rev 1:9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Rev 13:10 If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.
Rev 14:12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
2. Which verse(s) struck you the most? _____________________________________________________
3. Why? ______________________________________________________________________________
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4. Take a few minutes to verbalize your prayer to God for patience.