31 Jan Discussion Guide: Where Can Wisdom Be Found? Week 3
Prayer
Take the first 10 minutes of your time together to listen to what God is doing in one another’s lives and pray for any specific needs people in your group may have.
This week we continue our series Where Can Wisdom Be Found. We will be taking a look at the Wisdom Literature of Scripture and asking the question, “How can we not just obtain the wisdom of God in our lives, but actually live out that wisdom for the world to see?” We will see that God’s wisdom isn’t just a concept to be learned, but is actually a person to be known.
Discussion Questions
Rudyard Kipling, The Glory of the Garden
OUR England is a garden that is full of stately views,
Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues,
With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by;
But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye.
For where the old thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall,
You’ll find the tool- and potting-sheds which are the heart of all
The cold-frames and the hot-houses, the dung-pits and the tanks,
The rollers, carts, and drain-pipes, with the barrows and the planks.
And there you’ll see the gardeners, the men and ‘prentice boys
Told off to do as they are bid and do it without noise;
For, except when seeds are planted and we shout to scare the birds,
The Glory of the Garden it abideth not in words.
And some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose,
And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows;
But they can roll and trim the lawns and sift the sand and loam,
For the Glory of the Garden occupieth all who come.
Have you ever seen a beautiful garden or lawn? If so, where and when?
What do you suppose it takes to accomplish that kind of beauty?
How does that picture of tending a garden/lawn give us a picture of tending our soul?
Tending a garden is a great parallel to tending our own soul. To have a healthy garden you have to till the soil, you have to plant the right seed, you are dependent on powers out of your control like sun and rain, and you have to constantly clear away the weeds and thorns that threaten the healthy growth of the garden. And, even when the garden is growing well, you still have to be intentional about the direction of the growth by pruning and shearing parts of the garden that might be good, but are still a distraction from the growth you’re really looking for. So it is with our souls or hearts. We have to till the soil of our hearts by pursuing humility rather than pride or self reliance. We have to plant the seed of God’s Word in our hearts rather than the opinions of others or pop-culture. We are desperately dependent on the power of God’s Spirit to bring growth in our souls, and we have to guard against fear, rejection, envy, lust, etc. And even when life is going well and there are many good things happening, we may need to yet cut away some of those good things for the purpose of seeing God grow us in the ways and areas He is calling us to grow.
Matthew 13:3-9
And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears,let him hear.”
What are some spiritual “thorns” or “weeds” that try to spring up in our lives?
Envy. Jealousy. Bitterness and unforgiveness. Lust and perversion. Materialism. Consumerism. Individualism. Pride and arrogance. Selfishness.
What does it take to continually tend and cultivate the soil of our hearts?
Like a garden, it takes constant supervision and attention. As it’s been said, “Garden’s don’t grow whil you sit in the shade.” To cultivate our hearts we must constantly be aware of the thoughts we are giving room to grow in our minds. We must be aware of those things that our attention is being drawn to. We must discipline ourselves to feed on God’s Word and water our soul with prayer. In short, it takes intentinality to cultivate the soil of our hearts.
What would you say is the difference between being busy and being diligent in life? How do those two things affect the condition of our hearts?
Busyness means you are doing a lot of stuff in a short period of time. Diligence means you are doing the right stuff in the time you have been given. You can be extremely busy in life and not be doing anything that you ought to be doing. And our culture does a real good job at shaming us and convincing us that we should be doing more stuff. And, if we are not intentional about life then we can get caught up in the cultural rat-race. Diligence requires thoughtfulness and focus to keep ourselves aimed at the things we ought to be doing and not get distracted by all the things our culture tells us we should be doing.
Richard Foster, Life With God
“A Spiritual Discipline is an intentionally directed action which places us in a position to receive from God the power to do what we cannot accomplish on our own.”
Why would a person build a wall around their garden?
How can we put the right kind of walls in our lives to guard against the “intruders” or “pests” that threaten to destroy the condition of our soul?
Reading Scripture. Spending time in prayer. Walking in Gospel Community with other believers. Serving those in need. Submitting ourselves to the Godly authority He has placed in our lives. Fasting.
Matthew 5:13-16
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
How does a healthy garden affect the lives of others? How does an unkept garden affect the lives of others?
How does the condition of our soul affect the lives of those around us?
A healthy garden is going to be able to provide food, enjoyment and beauty to those who surround it. People can find sustenance and refreshment from a healthy garden. But, a garden that is unkept and not producing produce is going to fail at serving the people looking to benefit from it. Likewise, if our soul is tended then we too will produce the fruit of the Spirit and live lives that reflect the glory of God so that the people around us can find sustenance and refreshing in our presence. As we love them, walk in humility and repentance with them, as we speak life and Truth over them, they too will find joy.
Why do you think it takes discipline and work to keep our souls in a place that brings life and benefit to the lives of others?
Closing Thought
Matthew 26:36-42
Then Jesus went with them to a place called [the Garden of] Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
How does Jesus’ moment in the garden empower us to better tend the garden of our soul?
What would it look like to invite the people around us to enjoy the glory of God as seen through the beauty of what He has done in our lives?