Lead Your Heart--Lesson 4--It Is Time to Choose--Malachi 3:13-4:6

Discussion Questions:

1.  Why is it dangerous to let our circumstances determine our understanding of God?  What struggles do you have looking at your circumstances before looking at God to determine the truth of them?    

2.  What disappointments have you had concerning God and His justice?  What, if any, issues has this caused with trusting Him and believing in is goodness?

3.  What is better in your life because you follow God?  What is wrong with seeking a profit from our service to God?  How did Jesus provide a different model?  What motivates you or hinders you from surrendering all and seeking profit for the Kingdom of God instead of personal profit?

4.  What kind of story ending do you believe God is writing for your future?  How do His promises help you to interpret your circumstances with peace and hope?

5.  Why are the references to Moses and Elijah important at the end of Malachi’s message?  How do their ministries and their presence in the past and the future provide insight into God’s desire for His people?

Lead Your Hearts--Lesson 3--Questioning God's Timing & Goodness--Malachi 2:17-3:12

Discussion Questions:

1.  Are there times when you weary God with your words?  What kinds of situations do you find yourself trying to justify yourself with your words?

2.  How have you seen too much focus on one thing lead to an accident?  What kinds of things help you to stay alert to other possibilities or matters happening beyond your focus?  How might being too focused on God’s perceived injustice lead to a crash?

3.  How have you seen the balance in God’s nature of mercy amd grace with justice and a set holy standard in your experience with Him?  How does a mediator offer help to balance these two sides?

4.  Why does God’s justice begin with pruning instead of ripping the plant out by the roots?  How is God’s justice satisfied by pruning?  Are there some areas God is trying to prune in your life?

5.  How does one rob from God?  Why is giving at least a tithe (10 percent) an important discipline for a follower of Jesus to practice?

Lead Your Heart--Lesson 2--An Issue of Selfish Leadership--Malachi 2

Discussion Questions:

1.  How do you define faithfulness?  How is $1000 in quarters a good way to live by faith? 

2.  Why is leading one’s heart instead of being led by your heart important in maintaining faithfulness? 

3.  How has God shown His faithfulness to you in the past week?  How have you seen the faithfulness of God echo through the canyons of time like Psalm 136 displays?

4.  How does selfishness hinder the fruit of the Kingdom being strong and healthy?  How does selfishness take away stability and security?  How does selfishness hinder community from being healthy?

5.  Why does God hate divorce?  How has the history preserved in the bible shown us that unfaithfulness and covenant breaking works against, and can even take down a Kingdom?