Scripture Reading
1 Corinthians 7:17 (MSG)
‘And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there.’ God, not your [marital] status, defines your life.
Definitions:
Bloom:
- A person who is blooming has a healthy, energetic, and attractive appearance. (Cambridge Dictionary)
- To flourish or grow, to be in a healthy, glowing, or flourishing condition. (Dictionary.com)
Introductory Remarks:
The third Sunday of the Lenten Season reminds us that God is everywhere, evenly present, and offers us the opportunity to follow Jesus and bless our environment.
‘Our environment should radiate the presence of God. Our physical environment must not overwhelm and pre-empt our spiritual development, but provide a warm, secure place to nurture and protect us, and reflect the awesome wonder of God that is everywhere evenly present.’ A Closer Walk With Jesus, pg. 89.
Major Points of the Lesson:
1. ‘Our environment is a reflection of our thoughts, feelings, and attitudes – a reflection of what we think and believe.’ pg. 81
2. ‘The thoughts and beliefs that shape our lives and influence our environment are based on either love or fear.’ pg. 81
3a. ‘When love is the basis of our thoughts and attitudes, it shows forth in our surroundings as harmony, order, and prosperity.’ pg. 81
3b. ‘Our fears and insecurities are reflected in our environment as lack, disharmony, and stagnation.’ pg. 83
4. Our environment should radiate the presence of God.
TASK:
Start now to bless every physical space that you interact with. Walk around your home and bless it and bless everyone. Walk around your place of work and bless it and bless everyone. Let blessings flow out of you like pure water from a well and watch your life BLOOM!
ASSIGNMENT:
Pages 81-103, A Closer Walk With Jesus (UFBL); 40 Days of Letting Go, Lent 2023, pgs. 33 – 39; Daily Inspiration (UFBL);