EXTRA! Ideas for Adults – The Heart of Worship – Session 2

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Date: January 26, 2025

The Inspiration for Worship

The Point: God’s goodness and love lead us to worship Him.

Get Into the Study

Share the following after discussing the opening question.

Family often is a top inspiration for excellence at work, according to research by the Harvard Business Review. The finding runs contrary to an old idea that family and work pose conflicting demands that interfere with one another. Mothers especially have been advised not to mention their children in job interviews, for fear that might suggest less commitment to their careers. But such thinking increasingly is being debunked. “We found that those who were motivated by their family to do their work had more energy for their work,” wrote researchers from the University of Zurich.

That conclusion was based in part on studies of ninety-seven employees at a low-cost factory in northern Mexico for processing coupons. Workers there spend days monotonously scanning coupons shipped to them from U.S. retailers. Workers motivated to provide for their families, be role models for them, and teach their children career strategies met their daily goals more often than colleagues not working for their families. Studies in China and South Asia yielded similar results. Results likewise were similar in studies of both low- and high-income workers.

If earthly families have such inspirational power, how much more should we be motivated to honor the God who has showered us with compassion and faithfulness. He deserves our thanks and worship.

https://hbr.org/2024/07/research-how-family-motivates-people-to-do-their-best-work

Get Into the Study [Option from the Advanced Bible Study Teacher Guide, p. 48]

For your discussion of Christian symbols often used, share this image with the group.

Get Into the Study [Option from the Daily Discipleship Guide Leader Guide]

To give your group an opportunity to start this session in a posture of worship and gratitude to God, play the acoustic version of “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake. Encourage the group to listen closely to the lyrics and consider what it means to express gratitude to God for who He is and what He has done. Introduce the session by turning the focus to Psalm 25 and sharing that David recognized the hopeless predicament he was in, yet he chose to worship God.

Get Into the Study (Option from Adult Leader Guide)

In advance, play a video clip of a child with a goal or dream. Then ask Question #1.

Study the Bible

As you discuss Question 3 (also point 2 on p. 97 of the Daily Discipleship Guide), share the following.

Repentance and a teachable spirit were on display last month when twelve women incarcerated at the Mississippi Correctional Institute for Women graduated with degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. They were the first women to earn associate and bachelor’s degrees in Christian service through the seminary’s extension center at the prison. Four of the graduates will be sent to another Mississippi correctional facility to serve as field ministers to fellow inmates.

Beth Masters, New Orleans Seminary’s director of the prison’s extension center, said the graduates developed integrity as they progressed through their academic programs—a trait hard to come by in prison. “There’s lots of hiding things,” Masters said. “There’s lots of, ‘I can be one way with these people and one way with these people.’ And so to be authentically a Christ-follower in every aspect of your life here is really hard. And over four years they’ve come to learn how to do that in a way that they didn’t before.”

The program is a partnership between New Orleans Seminary and the Mississippi Baptist Convention. The convention’s executive director Shawn Parker said approving funding to help these teachable women was “one of the proudest decisions that I have ever made.” As the twelve graduates demonstrated, God’s goodness shows us the right way to live.

https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/first-female-inmates-earn-degrees-through-mississippi-baptist-nobts-program/

The week’s writer for Extra is David Roach. David is pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Saraland, Alabama. He and his wife Erin have three children.

Study the Bible (Option from Adult Leader Guide)

In advance, bring the lyrics from a song such as “Amazing Grace” and read them to the group. Make the point that God’s grace is what calls us to worship. After reading the lyrics, invite the group to give you a word or phrase in response to the truths about God’s love.

Additional Questions

Icebreaker

Who was the last person you said “thank you” to, and what was the reason?
What are some sources of inspiration in your life?
When have you been in a precarious situation and needed rescue?
Who or what do you find inspirational?
As a kid, who encourged you to be the best you could be?
When you were a child, who inspired you to pursue a goal or dream?

Psalm 25:4-7 – Because of His love, God forgives.

How would you describe God’s faithful love and compassion as motivations for worship?
Why does our experience with God’s forgiveness inspire grateful worship?
What can we learn from these verses about God’s love?
Where do you see evidence in the world today of God’s goodness?
In what ways does God make His ways known to us?
How can we know that God is good?

Psalm 25:8:11 – Because of His goodness, God shows us the right way to live.

In what ways does God’s forgiveness of sin demonstrate His love toward us?
How has God’s goodness been a light for your life?
How does God’s goodness affect your actions and attitudes?
Why is having a teachable spirit so important in our Christian walk?
How would you explain God’s forgiveness to an unbeliever?
What keeps us from following the direction that God is providing?
How can we help others see God’s way?
What does it look like to live in humility?

Psalm 25:12-15 – God guides us to lead lives of goodness.

What circumstances or decisions have grown your confidence in God?
How has God’s goodness and love influenced your approach to worship?
As stated in verse 15, in what ways do we keep our eyes on The Lord?
What does it mean to fear the Lord?
What does it look like to always have our eyes on the Lord?
What are nets that we may find ourselves in today?

For Those in Your Group

Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought. NOTE: After March 1, this supplemental devotional will only be available at lynnhpryor.com.

When God’s Goodness Isn’t Good Enough