Psalm 131

*skip to the bottom for the family-friendly version*

Sermon Follow Up

Summary

Psalm 131 teaches us that God uses every experience in our lives to form Christlike character in us. Even those situations that feel like we’re being “weaned” off of something good are actually making us into someone better. The weaning process that takes us into uncharted and uncomfortable territory humbles us and reminds us that even as we grow up, we never outgrow our dependence on God.

Discussion/Reflection Material

-Read verses 1 and 2 and jot down the words or phrases that are associated with humility and dependence.

-Does our current social environment and cultural moment celebrate humility and dependence? Where do you see these biblical virtues either encouraged or disparaged?

-In what ways can humility and dependence be twisted or taken too far?

-The sermon attempted to establish “maturity” as a biblical theme. How does God’s insistence on putting us through a process rather than flipping a switch change how you think about your life?

-How would you describe the relationship between humility and maturity?

Family Friendly Short

Big Idea: God uses humbling experiences to grow us up and teach us to trust Him.

-Ask your kids if they know what humble or humility means.

*Definitional aids: Romans 12:3 says “…don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to think.” Humility is thinking about yourself accurately—not too high, not too low. It is also not thinking about yourself too much. Philippians 2:3 says “Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.”

-Ask them if they think humility is important and why.

-Ask them if they’ve seen people who failed to be humble—how did that work out?

-Ask them if they ever struggle to be humble and if so, in what kinds of situations.

-To close, ask them how we can become more humble.

*Two things: 1) Practice gratitude. Thanking people for things helps you to realize how much of the good in your life comes from others rather than being produced by you. When we don’t practice gratitude we take things for granted and begin to think that the good things in our lives are the products of our own goodness rather than God’s grace poured through other people. 2) Practice lowliness. Take the lower job around the house for a bit. Give up a preference for the sake of a sibling. Find intentional ways to demonstrate that the other people in the house are as important as you are and try to delight in elevating others. God will use this faithful practice to shape a new posture.