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Chapter 4
Don’t Forget the Bread
Out Live Your Life by Max Lucado
To listen to Max discuss this chapter, click here
Questions for Discussion
1. Describe a time when you forgot something important.
2. What do the following verses encourage you to value most: Matthew 28:19; John 3:16; John 6:35; John 14:6; Romans 3:23; Romans 10:9; and Ephesians 2:8?
3. On a sheet of paper, make two lists side by side. In the first column, build a list of the most important things to God and the church. In the second column, make a list of the concerns that distract Christians from those most important things. At the bottom write down some practical ways to shift your focus from the second list to the first. Consider how focusing on the first list might also achieve the best concerns from the second list.
4. When has someone given you a second chance as the police officer gave Max? Think of a person who is looking for a second chance from you these days. How could you extend grace to that individual the next time you have the opportunity?
5. Grace gives not just “help for this life but hope for the next.” Which do you find to be more important for people: tangible, physical needs or eternal, spiritual needs? In what situations do you need to meet a physical need first in order to meet a deeper spiritual need? In what situations is the opposite true?
Ideas for Action
■ When the people asked Peter, “Whatever could this mean?” it was an opportunity for him to speak about the most important things. If an acquaintance or friend said, “I’ve noticed something different about you—what is it?” it would be a great opportunity for you to do the same. Make a note of how you would answer that question.
■ Pray for five friends, relatives, or acquaintances who you think may be far from God. (If you simply do not know whether God is most important in a person’s life, then he or she could make this list.) For each
of the five names, think of the next time you are likely to see that person. Make a personal commitment to pray daily for your “Five for God” list.
■ Start a simple but intentional conversation with people about what is most important to you. Here are some ways to initiate the conversation:
· “Would it be okay for me to tell you what’s happened to me spiritually?”
· “I want to make sure you know something about me—something I hope is true for you as well.”
· “Have I ever told you about the most important thing in my life?”
“Reprinted by permission. Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make A Difference by Max Lucado, 2010, copyright date, Thomas Nelson Inc. Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.”