A Life Beyond Our Making

Key Scripture Passages: Romans 8:14–17 · 2 Corinthians 4:7–12 · 2 Corinthians 3:17–18 (NIV)

Most of us have some idea of what makes a life worthwhile. We want people who know us and care about us. We want to have something meaningful to contribute, and we hope the years will make us wiser, more patient, and perhaps a little more generous. Yet it's possible to have much of what we once hoped for and still discover that our understanding of a good life is changing. Things that once seemed important may matter less, while something we hardly noticed before begins to matter a great deal.

That raises an interesting question. What if the greatest possibilities for our lives aren't limited to what we can achieve, but include what we can receive, share, and become? The Bible offers a perspective on this that is worth exploring, especially in the way Jesus changes people's understanding of themselves and what their lives can mean.

Three passages from the Bible invite us to explore this question together. 1) In Romans 8:14–17, the apostle Paul writes about belonging to God's family and what that relationship means. 2) In 2 Corinthians 4:7–12, he describes something valuable entrusted to ordinary people, even with all their limitations. 3) In 2 Corinthians 3:17–18, he describes a change that continues as people live in relationship with Christ. Together, these passages invite us to look more closely at what we receive from God, what becomes possible through His presence, and how our lives may change along the way.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for welcoming us into Your family and sharing Your life with us. As we open Your Word together, help us discover more of who You are, what You have given us, and who we are becoming through Your Spirit. Amen.

Movement 1 — Discovering Who We Are | Romans 8:14–17

Context: Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome about the Spirit, adoption into God’s family, and the inheritance shared with Christ.

Romans 8:14–17 (NIV)

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

1) What difference might it make in someone's life to discover that God welcomes them as His own child?

Probes

Consider what belonging to a family means when acceptance isn't something we have to earn.

Explore how knowing we are wanted and welcomed might affect the way we see ourselves.

Think about how that sense of belonging might influence our relationships and everyday choices.

Reflection: Being welcomed into a family can change more than where we belong. It may also change how we understand ourselves and how we relate to others.

Consider: Where might the knowledge that God welcomes you as His child make the greatest difference in your life today?

2) How might our understanding of life's difficulties change when we begin to see our lives as part of something much larger than our present circumstances?

Probes

Consider how a difficult experience can affect the way we see our lives and what lies ahead.

Explore the difference between believing that suffering is the end of the story and believing that something good may still lie beyond it.

Think about how that larger perspective might influence the way we approach challenges that have no immediate solution.

Reflection: Paul speaks of sharing both in Christ's sufferings and in His glory. He invites us to consider a future that reaches beyond what we can see or understand today.

Consider: If belonging to Christ gives our lives a future larger than we can presently see, how might that change what we consider most important today?

Movement 2 — Discovering What We Have Been Given | 2 Corinthians 4:7–12

Context: Paul wrote to Christians in Corinth about the hardships he experienced while sharing the message of Jesus and the power of God at work through his weakness.

2 Corinthians 4:7–12 (NIV)

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

3) What do you find surprising about Paul's description of ordinary, fragile people carrying something of extraordinary value?

Probes

Think about the contrast between a fragile clay jar and the treasure it holds. What makes that picture so striking?

Explore how Paul's experiences of being hard pressed, perplexed, and knocked down add meaning to his illustration.

Consider what others might begin to recognize when God's power becomes visible through people who have limitations of their own.

Reflection: Paul's picture of treasure in clay jars draws our attention beyond the ordinary container to what it carries. His own experiences give that illustration a meaning that goes beyond the image itself.

Consider: What might others discover about God through the way we live, even with our ordinary human limitations?

4) How might our understanding of what we have to give others change when we realize that God can work through us even with our limitations?

Probes

Think about times when someone's presence, encouragement, or faithfulness meant more to you than anything they could accomplish.

Paul experienced pressure, confusion, and setbacks, yet continued bringing the message of Jesus to others. What might his example reveal about giving when we don't feel especially strong or capable?

Think of an ordinary conversation or relationship where your own experience with God's help might encourage someone else, even if you don't have a solution to offer.

Reflection: Paul's experience invites us to consider that what others receive through our lives may have less to do with our abilities than we sometimes imagine.

Consider: Who in your life might benefit from hearing how God has helped you, even through an experience you once thought had little value to anyone else?

Movement 3 — Discovering Who We Are Becoming | 2 Corinthians 3:17–18

Context: Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth about the freedom of the Lord’s Spirit and the continuing transformation of those who turn to Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 (NIV)

¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

5) What might surprise us about the way people change as they grow in their relationship with Jesus?

Probes

Think about the difference between trying to change ourselves and discovering that a close relationship with someone is changing us.

Paul describes a continuing transformation through God's Spirit. Consider how that differs from expecting change to happen all at once.

Think of someone whose kindness, patience, or generosity has grown noticeably over the years. What might their example help us recognize about the way lasting change takes place?

Reflection: Paul describes a change that comes through the Spirit of the Lord and continues as our relationship with Christ grows. It invites us to consider how much of who we are becoming may be shaped by the One we are coming to know.

Consider: What is one change in your outlook or attitude that you can recognize as you've come to know Jesus better?

6) What might it mean to experience greater freedom as our relationship with Jesus changes the things we want?

Probes

Think about a time when something you once wanted badly gradually became less important to you.

Consider the difference between resisting a desire because we believe we should and discovering that we no longer want it as much as we once did.

Explore how a change in what we want might affect the decisions we make without feeling that we are constantly fighting against ourselves.

Reflection: Paul connects freedom with the presence of the Lord's Spirit. That invites us to consider a kind of change that reaches beyond outward behavior to the desires that influence our choices.

Consider: Is there something you value more today than you did years ago that has quietly changed the way you live?

7) Looking across these three passages, what has most changed or enlarged your understanding of what it means to live in relationship with Jesus?

Probes

Think about how being welcomed into God's family might change what we believe gives our lives value.

Consider how God's power working through ordinary people might change what we believe we have to offer others.

Explore how the possibility of continuing to grow and change might affect what we look forward to in the years ahead.

Reflection: Together, these passages give us a wider picture of life with Christ. We discover a place to belong, something valuable to share, and the possibility of becoming more like Him through His Spirit.

Consider: What are you most looking forward to discovering about life with Jesus that you may not have fully appreciated before?

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