Summary
This week kicked off the Make It Count series by naming a tension many of us share: we want our lives to matter, but somewhere along the way the things we love get mixed with needing other people’s approval, and pride quietly sneaks in underneath. Looking at John the Baptist in John 1 and 3, the message showed a man who knew exactly who he was, let his own followers go to Jesus, and could say “He must become greater; I must become less” because he was secure in who gave him his role. The challenge was to answer two honest questions about everything we’ve been given, “Who is it from?” and “Who is it for?”, and to remember that our lives are first lived for Jesus’ joy, not for anyone else’s applause.
Main focus
Our gifts and our lives come from God and are first lived for God, which frees us from chasing the approval of everyone else.
Ice-breaker · Kick It Off With Something Fun
What’s the most takes it has ever taken you to get one photo or video you were actually willing to post?
Take it deeper
- The message said many of us start out simply loving something, whether a skill, a job, a role, or a creative outlet, and over time it gets mixed with needing others to notice or approve of it. What’s something you used to do just because you loved it? Has that changed?
- Approval can slip in so slowly that we don’t notice when it happens. Where do you most feel the pull to be seen, liked, or affirmed right now: work, parenting, social media, church, or somewhere else?
- Read John 3:26-30. People told John that everyone was now going to Jesus instead of him, yet he answered, “He must become greater; I must become less.” What do you think allowed John to be so secure instead of threatened? What would help you respond that way when someone else is getting the attention?
- The message offered two questions for anything we’ve been given: “Who is it from?” and “Who is it for?” Pick one thing you’re good at or care about deeply. How would you honestly answer both questions about it?
- It was said that if our lives are only lived for other people, we’ll end up in an approval trap, because there’s never enough good we can do to satisfy everyone’s expectations. Do you relate to that? How does it change things to see your life as first being for Jesus?
- The message ended with a simple prayer: “God, I want my life to give you joy.” What’s one decision, relationship, or habit this week where you could pray that prayer, or one good thing you could do quietly where no one would ever know?