Psalm 23

• 
  "If the Lord is your shepherd, then you have a God who is for you. And if God is for you, it doesn't matter who or what is against you." Tim Keller.

• "We must not think of the Christian life as a kind of pleasure cruise. It is a pilgrimage, and it often goes through the valley of the shadow." Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

1. How is the word “shepherd” the most comprehensive and intimate metaphor for God (Ps 23:1; Gen 48:15; Isa 40:11; Jn 10:11, 14)? If God is your shepherd, how should you live (Ac 20:28; 1 Pet 5:2; Rom 8:28)?
• What is it to “lack nothing”? Is contentment complacency (Phil 4:11-12)?

Mere Christianity. C. S. Lewis.

The main themes of C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity.

1: Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe (The Moral Law). Core Theme: The universal sense of "oughtness"—the Moral Law or Law of Human Nature—points to a moral Lawgiver.

• Romans 2:14-15: What does this passage say about how God's law is known to everyone, even without special revelation? How does this correspond to Lewis's argument?

• Matthew 5:43-48 & Luke 6:31: Jesus appeals to a standard beyond custom. What is He appealing to? How does the "Golden Rule" assume a universal moral law?

• James 2:8-11: What does breaking one point of the law reveal about our relationship to the whole law? How does this illustrate Lewis's point that we all know the Law but fail to keep it?

• Discussion: Can you think of a time you appealed to a standard of "fair play" that others recognized? What does that instinct reveal?

Paul and the Power of Grace--John Barclay

In his transformative book, Paul and the Power of Grace, John Barclay's central argument is that grace (charis) in Paul is not merely a forgiving attitude but an unconditioned and incongruous gift [see below]—given without regard to the worth of the recipient, which fundamentally reorders the recipient's life and creates a new community. Each section starts with a key concept from Barclay, followed by questions and key passages to study.

Part 1: The Nature of Grace as an Incongruous Gift

Concept: Grace is unconditioned (given freely by God) and incongruous (given without matching the worth, status, or ethnicity of the recipient). It shatters all systems of worth.

Wonderful (Isaiah 9:1-7)

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful..." (Isa 9:6).

1. What judgment is announced in Isaiah 8 (Isa 8:7-8)?
• How does this transition to hope (Isa 9:1) shape your understanding of God?
2. Why were Zebulun and Naphtali (Galilee) the first to suffer invasion and conquest (Isa 9:1; 2 Ki 15:29)? Why is this area called "Galilee of the nations"?

Has God Chosen You? (Genesis 28:11-22)

"He had a dream in which he saw a stairway...to heaven" (Gen 28:12). “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.’” (Gen 28:17).

• Have you seen a "stairway to heaven"?
• Have you definitively experienced God's presence?
• Have you met God?

1. What do Jacob and Esau's struggle in the womb suggest about them and their future (Gen 25:22)?
• How does Jacob’s action during birth live up to his name (Gen 25:25-26)? See footnote.
  
2. What does Jacob’s behavior toward his famished brother show about him (Gen 25:29, 31, 33)? Is he a good fun guy to hang out with?

Day 2. The Imitation of Christ. Bk 1, Ch. 8-14. Facing Temptations and Adversity.

A little more in depth in reading TKIC a second time. His words are timeless and priceless gems, and always relevant.

• Are temptations and adversity unavoidable in this life?
• How do you face them courageously? Do you:
• Obey God?
• Watch your words?
• Resist temptation?
• Embrace God’s fiery love?

Day 1. The Imitation of Christ. Bk 1. Ch. 1-7. The Ultimate Good. 11/29/25.

Since going through TKIC (Thomas Kempis, Imitation of Christ) from a month ago, it seemed good to go through it again.

• What takes priority in your life?
• Is your heart tempted to treat good things—like knowledge, beauty, or success—as ultimate things?
• Is your peace coming only from imitating Christ?
• There is much good in the world. But is there a greater good?

The Messianic Branch of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1-10)

Key Verse: "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious" (Isaiah 11:10).

• 
  On the Messiah and his lineage (Isaiah 11:1)

1. Read Isa 11:1. What does the imagery of a "shoot from the stump of Jesse" represent, and how does it relate to the state of the Davidic line at the time of the prophecy (Isa 6:12-13; 9:13-15)?

Day 30: Deep Trust in God (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 4. Ch. 15-18)

• 
  Is TKIC (Thomas Kempis, Imitation of Christ) "basic stuff" or "penetrating profound stuff"?
• If you finished TKIC, is every single page worth going back over again?
• Can I read TKIC every day and get something new every time?
• Do you have a prideful need to understand?

Day 29: Strengthening Devotion (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 4. Ch. 11-14)

• 
  Do you only need 2 things in life: food (Eucharist) and light (Scripture)?
• Do you fill yourself fully with Christ and with Scripture?
• Does Christ save you from being unChristlike?
• Do you love God fully and completely?
• Do you ALLOW God to love YOU fully and completely?
• How do I love God back, who has unconditionally loved me?

Come (Matthew 11:28)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28).

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” Augustine, Confessions.

1. What does Jesus' invitation mean to you (Mt 11:28)? If you are not invited, can you freely come to God (Isa 59:2)? 
• Why does Thomas Kempis say, "You are the Holy of Holies and I am sinful trash"?
• Why might you become "weary and burdened" (Isa 40:31; Eph 4:18, 19; Col 1:21)?
• What does it mean that Jesus "will give you rest" (Jn 14:27; Phil 4:7; Rom 5:1; Isa 26:3)?
• Why are people who seek rest still restless (Gen 4:7, 14; Job 3:26; Isa 59:8)?

Day 28: Offering All To God (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 4. Ch. 8-10)

• 
  What does God want from you? From me?
• Jesus gave all of Himself to me, how shall I respond?
• Do I do a thousand other things to avoid giving God my whole self? 

Ch. 8: Christ's offering on the cross and self-resignation. Christ offered all of Himself on the cross to God as a total sacrifice for our sins until there was nothing left of Himself. Nothing of ourselves interests God unless we resign ourselves wholly to God. You cannot please God no matter what you give to God if you do not offer yourself. [What is the main thing? It is our problem. What is our problem? We give God everything ezcept the one thing he wants: ourselves--our hearts, our complete selves.]

Day 27: Receiving the Lord Worthily (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 4. Ch. 4-7)

• 
  Should you go to church, to communion when you know you have committed a sin?
• Do you devoutly approach God?
• With awe, fear and trembling? How?
• Do you have a sense of how good, holy and just God is? How do I compare with God?
• Do I know who I am in approaching God? 
• Do I go over my life regularly? Daily? 
• Do I examine my conscience against the Commandments, the Beatitudes and the godly virtues? 
• Have I violated any of them? Where am I failing? 
• Does God prompt me to think, speak and act in big ways only? In small ways also?
• Am I the person I should be? That I want to be?

Day 26: The Miracle of the Eucharist (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 4. Ch. 1-3)

• 
  You are the Holy of Holies and I am sinful trash.
• How shall I bring You into my house when I have so often offended Your most kindly countenance? 
• How can I, a wretch and the poorest of men bring You into my house when I barely know how to spend a ½ hour in devotion (devout prayer)?

Day 25: The Hidden Wisdom of God (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 58-59)

• 
  Why is one soul flooded with grace while another is left in difficulty?

• Why is one person greatly afflicted and another greatly exalted?

• Is it productive for you to figure out God’s hidden judgments?

• Are you humble enough to trust God’s heart even when you can’t trace His hand?

• What confidence do I have in this life or what greater solace is there?

• Could things ever go badly with you present? 

Day 24: Persevere With Courage (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 56-57)

• 
  To resist discouragement is to resist pride.
• Notice your great frailty, which you very often experience in trivial matters.
• I'm nowhere near the man I want to be or hope to be.

Ch. 56: The Cross is how we must deny ourselves and imitate Christ. Without the Way, there is no going; without the Truth, there is no knowing; without the Life, there is no living (Jn 14:6). Christ is the Way to follow, the Truth to believe, the Life to hope for. If you would possess (enjoy) the blessed life, despise the present life (Jn 12:25). 

Day 23: Nature and Grace (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 54-55)

• 
  Why does it often feel like you’re torn between what you want and what you know is right?
• What is the contrast between nature and grace?
• Why does our fallen nature seek comfort, recognition, and self-gain?
• Does grace call you higher, toward humility, sacrifice, and love?

Day 22: The Necessity of Purification (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 50-53)

• 
  Nothing happens without God allowing it or without a reason.
• What am I attached to? If I have a taste for earthly things I will not be open to God.

Ch. 50: How a person in desolation should give himself over to the hands of God. Nothing happens on earth without your plan (wisdom) and providence or without a reason. It benefits me that shame has covered my face (Ps 69:7), that I may rely on you rather than human beings for my consolation. 

The River of Life from the Temple (Ezekiel 47:1-12)

"Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing” (Eze 47:12).

This passage is Ezekiel's vision of water flowing from the temple, growing deeper as it flows, bringing life and healing wherever it goes. It depicts a miraculous river flowing from the throne of God in the temple, bringing healing, sustenance, and abundant life to everything in its path. It is a powerful vision of spiritual renewal, ultimate salvation, and the restoration of all creation, showing the transformative and life-giving power of God's presence.

Day 21: The Longing for Heaven (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 47-49)

• 
  Do you ever imagine what heaven is like? What will it look like? 
• Are you excited about heaven? What will it be like to be there?
• Do you desire heaven enough to fight for it? What will God's presence be like?

Ch. 47: One must endure all burdens for the sake of eternal life. Do not let the tasks you have undertaken for my sake break you, nor trials totally get you down. Lower yourself to the ground and desire to be beneath everyone rather than be over even one single person. God is enough to give back to you beyond all measure. 

Day 20: Learn What Truly Matters (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 43-46)

We are called to something deeper than human learning or worldly approval.

• What is the difference between worldly knowledge and supernatural wisdom?
• Are you overly attached to the opinions of others?
• How do you react to criticism or insult?
• Does your “old self” within you still cling to vanity and pride?

Day 19: Everything is Gift (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 38-42)

• 
  Do you own your possessions or do your possessions own you?
• Who controls your life and future? You or God?
• How truly free are you?
• You should diligently aim at being free within and having self-control in every place and in all your outward actions or activities. Everything should be under you, not you under them. 

Day 18: Vulnerability Before God (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 34-37)

• 
  If you seek rest in this life, how will you reach eternal rest in the next? Set yourself, not on much rest, but on great patience. Seek true peace, not on earth but in heaven, not in men or any other creature, but in God alone. (Ch. 35)
• [On the cross Jesus did not have a full suit of armor, nor any clothes, i.e., no protection--but was stripped naked. So should we be on the cross with a suit of armor? Embrace our cross when all that we sought for--comfort and consolation, safety and security--is stripped away from us. God leaves us stripped because that is exactly where you and I need to be, so that the only thing we need is God's grace.]

Day 17: Fixing Your Heart on God (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 31-33)

• 
  How do you fix your heart on God and conform your life to Christ?
• Have you reached the point where no person or creature obstructs your way to God?

• What/Who are the rivals in your heart that keep you from loving God first?

• How do you fix your heart firmly on God, rather than on fleeting emotions or excess desires?

Day 16: Detachment to Finite Things (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 26-30)

• Someone who does not yearn to please people and is not afraid to displease them will enjoy much peace. [If you put God first, you'll never worry about what people think of you, while vanity is the inordinate preoccupation of what other people think of you.]

• Love of yourself is more harmful to you than anything in this world.

• I am in trial now and things are not well with my heart, for I am greatly afflicted by the present suffering.

• What blocks heavenly consolation most of all is that you are slow to turn to prayer.

Day 15: The Path to Peace (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 22-25)

1. 
   Explain the 4 things that Thomas Kempis states will bring you peace: Mt 26:39; 10:10; 6:10; Lk 14:10.
2. What else will bring you peace (1 Th 5:18; Gen 32:10)? What will not (1 Jn 2:15-17)? Explain why:
• "There is no peace in the carnal man...but there is peace in the fervent and spiritual man."
• "True peace of heart is to be found in resisting passion, not in yielding to it."
3. How should you think about yourself (Gen 18:27; Job 42:6; Lk 5:8)? How should you not (Rom 12:3)? Consider:

Day 14: Patience in Suffering (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 18-21)

• How do you bear the daily sufferings of life?
• How do you follow Jesus in bearing life’s miseries with patience and love?
• What does it mean to embrace both chosen and unchosen sufferings as a share in Christ’s own Cross?

Ch. 18: Temporal miseries (sufferings) must be borne calmly after the example of Christ. [Jesus left the joy heaven to become a man of sorrows to suffer miseries on earth for us. So if we are going to be like Jesus we have to have miseries like Him. Acknowledge and embrace your miseries with patience and unite them to Jesus, for those miseries are meanigful and those sufferings are salvific.]

Day 13: Solace in God Alone (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 14-17)

• How do you find solace in life? 
• How do you surrender every desire, plan and anxiety into God's hands? 
• How do you find solace not in human praise or comfort but in the steadfast love of God?

• I am nothing other than nothing and nothing more. There is no holiness if God draws back his hand.

• Not every desire proceeds from the Holy Spirit.

• All human solace (consolation) is vain and fleeting.

Day 12: Examine the Heart's Desires (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 11-13)

Day 12: Examine the Heart's Desires (Imitation of Christ. Bk. 3. Ch. 11-13). Our hearts’ desires need to be purified. Examine your desires and align them with God’s will. Practice patience and obedience in your vocations. [I am nothing, yet God continues to choose me.]

• Your desire is often inflamed and drives you strongly.
• Not every affection that seems good should be followed right away.
• You must sometimes use violence and manfully oppose the appetites of the senses.
• True peace of heart is discovered by resisting passions rather than indulging them.

Day 11: The Way of Humility (Imitation of Christ. Book 3. Chapter 7-10)

Day 11: The Way of Humility (Imitation of Christ. Book 3. Chapter 7-10). Humility is keeping God’s grace quietly hidden, trusting His timing, and placing Him above all else.

• Purify your affection, which is so often badly bent back on itself and toward creatures.

• Those who cast aside all fleshly (bodily) pleasure for love of you will discover (enjoy) the most tender (sweet) consolation of the Holy Spirit. 
• [I easily find comfort and consolation in my work, my family, my favorite food--which comes 1st and God 2nd. Lord, have mercy!]

• Left to myself I am nothing (but a zero) and totally weak (abound with frailties). [Hold on to this.]

The Imitation of Christ. Day 10: Walking in Truth. Book 3. Chapter 4-6.

Day 10: Walking in Truth (Book 3. Chapter 4-6 emphasize humility, the vanity of worldly knowledge and possessions, and the importance of a pure conscience and a virtuous life over intellectualism.) Walking in the truth is to see reality clearly: who God is, who we are, and how deeply we need His grace. [The sad truth is I want God, but I also don't want God.]

Ch. 4: We must live before God in humility and truth. The one who walks in truth will be safe from the assaults of the wicked. Think of your sins with great displeasure and grief. Never consider yourself to be something because of good works. Let what you most dislike be your own great baseness. Fear and flee nothing like you do your own vices and sins. [There is good in me and brokenness in me. Both good works alone {leads to pride} and brokenness alone {leads to despair, discouragement, despondency, dejection, depression, defeat} are lies.]

The Imitation of Christ. Day 9: Listening to God's Voice. Book 3. Chapter 1-3

Day 9: Listening to God's Voice (Book 3, Chapter 1-5). God is always speaking—but we're too distracted to listen by noise, vanity, or even good things. Quiet your hearts so we can truly hear and act on God’s voice.

Ch. 1: Christ speaks within to the faithful soul. Truly blessed are the ears that listen, not to a voice making noise outside, but to one that teaches the truth within.

The Imitation of Christ. Book 1, Chapter 1-25. Day 1-5.

Day 1. The Ultimate Good (Chapter 1-7).

• Ch. 1. Because there is so much good in the world God made, we are always tempted to make good things ultimate things (Exo 20:3-4). Even knowledge of the Trinity without humility displeases God; only a virtuous life makes you dear to God.

The Imitation of Christ. Day 8: When the Cross Finds You. Book 2. Chapter 10-12.

Day 7. When the Cross Finds You (Book 2. Chapter 10-12). The only way God makes us more like His Son is through the Cross. It is through both active and passive mortification that the Cross finds you.

• Ch. 10: Gratitude for God's grace. Grace is always offered to one who gives proper thanks. It is given to the humble and taken away from the proud.

• Seek patience more than consolation and carrying the cross more than enjoyment. Spiritual consolation surpasses all wordly delights and the bodily pleasures. I do not want any consolation that would take away my repentance/compunction.

• Be grateful even for punishment and chastisement.

The Imitation of Christ. Book 2. Chapter 6-9: The Joy of a Clean Conscience. Day 7.

Day 7. Book 2. Chapter 6-9: The Joy of a Clean Conscience. A clean conscience always brings peace. Profound freedom is found in detachment from praise and criticism. Accept the truth of who you are before God.

• Love God more than yourself, more than what you desire. (Dt 6:5)

• God wants you for Himself and will tolerate no rivals. (Exo 20:3-4)

• With Jesus everything is good; without Him everything is hard. (Rom 8:28)

• Blessed are you to disregard yourself for Jesus' sake. (Lk 9:23)

• A clean conscience is a good man's pillow.  If you have a good conscience you will always have joy, even in adversity (Ac 24:16; 1 Pet 3:16; 1 Tim 1:5; 2 Cor 7:4)

• Don't rejoice when you're praised or be depressed when you're criticized or rejected. (1 Cor 4:3-5)

• Who you are right now is who you actually are. You are not greater than what God knows you to be. (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 2:20; Eph 2:10; Col 3:3)

• If God gives you consolation, know that it's a gift and not what you deserve. (Eph 2:8-9)

The Imitation of Christ. Book 2. Chapter 1-5: Distrust of Self.

Book 2. Day 6. Chapter 1-5 (Distrust of Self) focus on the vanity of worldly things, the importance of humility, and the pursuit of inner peace through God. The 2 movements of conversion are distrust of oneself and trust in God.

• Ch. 1. Learn to disregard externals and give yourself to what is within, for the kingdom of God is within you (Lk 17:21).
• When Christ is within you He is enough for you...and you will have no need of hoping in human beings. Do not have much confidence in human beings, who are frail and mortal and soon change (Jn 2:24-25).
• If you love Jesus you will disregard your very self, and totally disregard personal convenience or inconvenience.
• Nothing stains and binds the human heart quite like an impure love for creatures (Exo 20:3-4, 17; Rom 7:8, 24).