September 30, 2018

The Preacher has set his sights on the different ways we look to create significance in our lives and he has looked through the different realities of life in a fallen world. Now, he takes a look at people in church. And what he tells us is that religious activity can also be a way we look to control the vapor of life. It often looks like a focus on ourselves that produces a flurry of words and activities. When we realize that God is in heaven and we are on earth—and that God has used that power to send his Son to die for our sins—we change our approach. Now we come before God as humble listeners, happy to speak but always looking to him as the center of our spiritual lives.

Application Questions

1. How do you approach your spiritual life (e.g. Bible, prayer, Sunday services) when you aren’t really thinking about it?
2. What are some ways you find yourself hasty with your words towards God? Are there ways you consciously or unconsciously try to influence him for your own benefit?
3. What would change about your spiritual life if you remembered that “God is in heaven and you are on earth”?
4. How does the gospel free you to have a quiet heart and listening posture before God instead of heaping up words and activities?

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