The Pleasures of God Study Guide

The Pleasures of God Study Guide

Author: Desiring God

Publisher: Multnomah

Published: 2012-01-17

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 1601422903

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Find the Source of True Satisfaction This study companion to the DVD version of The Pleasures of God--the landmark book by John Piper--will help individuals and groups answer the question, “What brings delight to the happiest Being in the universe?” Because it’s by knowing what makes God glad that we can drink deeply—and satisfyingly—from the only well that offers living water. The DVD and this guide create an ideal package for adult and youth Sunday school classes, small groups, retreats, classrooms, families, as well as for individual study. Topics for this 12-session (or alternative 6-session intensive track), guided study include: The Worth and Excellency of God’s Soul, Our Pleasure in God’s Well-Placed Pleasures, God’s Pleasure in His Eternal Son, God’s Pleasure in the Display of His Glory, God’s Pleasure in All That He Does, God’s Pleasure in All of Creation, God’s Pleasure in Election, God’s Pleasure in Bruising His Son, and more. Complete with Scripture, key quotations for reflection, penetrating questions, and five daily assignments per week, this study guide will help reveal that what followers of Jesus need now, more than anything else, is to know and love—behold and embrace—the great, glorious, sovereign, happy God of the Bible. Leader’s Guide Included


The Blazing Center Study Guide

The Blazing Center Study Guide

Author: Desiring God

Publisher: Multnomah

Published: 2006-07-03

Total Pages: 114

ISBN-13: 1590526856

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What Do You Revolve Around? All the planets of your life—from your labor and leisure to your thinking and feeling—are held in orbit by the greatness, gravity, and blazing brightness of Jesus Christ at the center of your life. When He ceases to be the center, the planets of your life fly into confusion, sending a hundred things out of control. Pastor John Piper’s powerful teaching is recorded during an intimate retreat for youth leaders and students onto three The Blazing Center DVDs. With the study guide, this is an ideal package for adult and youth Sunday school classes, small groups, retreats, classrooms, and families. Discover surprising insights about the reality of sin, how your love for God is really revealed, and how only joy in Him will sustain you through times of suffering. God Is the Blazing Sun at the Center of Reality Everything revolves around Him. And as the most valuable and glorious person who exists, God is loving, not conceited, when He calls us to worship Him. His pursuit of glory and our pursuit of joy are not at odds—because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. This study guide is designed to be used in a ten-session, guided group study that focuses on The Blazing Center DVD set: Lesson 1—Introduction to The Blazing Center Lesson 2—The Blazing Center: A Personal Story Lesson 3—The Blazing Center: Is God Vain? Lesson 4—Pursue Your Joy: Isn’t That Hedonism? Lesson 5— Pursue Your Joy: God Commands It! Lesson 6—True Love: Duty or Delight? (Part 1) Lesson 7—True Love: Duty or Delight? (Part 2) Lesson 8—Suffering: For the Joy Set Before You (Part 1) Lesson 9— Suffering: For the Joy Set Before You (Part 2) Lesson 10—Review and Conclusion Complete with Scripture and key quotations for reflection, penetrating questions, and five daily assignments per week, this study guide will help you place God at the center of your life. When God is the blazing sun at the center of your solar system, all the planets of your life come into proper orbit. Leader’s guide included! Story Behind the Book “The greatest news in all the world is that there is no final conflict between my passion for joy and God’s passion for His glory. The knot that ties these together is the truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Jesus Christ died and rose again to forgive the treason of our souls, which have turned from savoring God to savoring self. In the cross of Christ, God rescues us from the house of mirrors and leads us out to the mountains and canyons of His majesty. Nothing satisfies us—or magnifies Him—more.” —John Piper


The Pleasure of Loving God

The Pleasure of Loving God

Author: Mike Bickle

Publisher: Charisma Media

Published: 2013-07-15

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 1599796414

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DIVHere’s an ultimate portrait of a loving Father, one to whom we can come for a fresh supply of truth and beauty, day by day. 6623/div


I Give Up

I Give Up

Author: Laura Story

Publisher: HarperChristian + ORM

Published: 2019-07-30

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0785226303

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Most of us long to be in control—of our schedule, our relationships, and our future. Newlywed Laura Story thought she had control over the great life ahead of her. After all, she followed Jesus and had a promising new job as a worship leader. Why would God not want to fulfill her dreams? But when Laura and her husband, Martin, faced a brain tumor, infertility, and a son’s birth defect, she realized she’d been looking for a happiness that comes from circumstances, rather than a deeper joy that comes from God. Again and again, Laura had to surrender her vision for her life so she could embrace God’s vision. And again and again she learned that even in the midst of shattered dreams, God’s plan brought greater joy than she could have imagined. Now the Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter known for such hits as “Blessings,” “Indescribable,” and “Mighty to Save” shares her powerful story of finding blessing in her deepest pain. In, I Give Up, Laura explores: How to delight in God’s gifts no matter your circumstances. Why waiting on God is a daily decision, not a step-by-step process. The strength we find from meditating on God’s Word. Why surrendering to God leads to reconciliation with others. How the things we consider to be losses are ways for God to display his glory. As Laura writes, she no longer wants to be in control of her life. She wants to be rooted in the God who is in control. I Give Up will help you Discover a deeper life of worship, a fuller life of joy, and a freer life of true surrender as you open your hands to God. And give up.


Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study

Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study

Author: Dwight Lyman Moody

Publisher:

Published: 1895

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13:

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We cannot overestimate the importance of a thorough familiarity with the Bible. I try to lose no opportunity of urging people by every means in my power to the constant study of this wonderful Book. If through the pages that follow, I can reach still others and rouse them to read their Bibles, not at random but with a plan and purpose, I shall be indeed thankful. - Preface.


The Pleasure of His Company

The Pleasure of His Company

Author: Dutch Sheets

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2014-02-04

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 1441261117

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Experience God's Presence in a Whole New Way There's just something about people who are close to God. Through the ups and downs of life, they remain secure, hopeful. If you want a more rewarding spiritual life, if you want the pleasure of knowing your Creator's heart, this soul-lifting book is for you. Learn from Dutch Sheets as he shares his life lessons for cultivating an intimate relationship with God. Each of the thirty short chapters reveals a simple practice or biblical mindset that will help draw you away from the noise of life and into the Lord's peaceful presence. With profound insights from the Bible and stories you won't soon forget, The Pleasure of His Company is like a spiritual mentor, showing you simple ways to enjoy God more. This powerful book can also be enjoyed as a daily devotional.


The Year of Living Happy

The Year of Living Happy

Author: Alli Worthington

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2018-10-02

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0310094909

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Take a daily step toward joy and contentment and ditch stress, overwhelming thoughts, and boredom with encouraging and biblical messages from Alli Worthington. You do your best to live life well—you work hard to be present in the moment, take care of the people in your life, knock it out of the park at work and home. And yet, somehow, you still have days (perhaps more than you'd like to admit) where you're simultaneously stressed and bored, and you wonder if you even know how to be happy. Is happiness a worthy goal? Does happiness matter to God, or does He only care about holier things? Alli Worthington gets it. As a wife, mother of five boys, author, speaker, and entrepreneur, she knows a thing or two about being busy, stressed, and happy in the midst of a crazy world! Over the years, she's seen how happiness gets a bad rap in Christian circles, and now she is standing up to shout the good news from the roof (or the internet, as the case may be): You are allowed to be happy! Yes, you! You can be happy right now! Join Alli for The Year of Living Happy: Finding Contentment and Connection in a Crazy World, and find the roots of your happiest life yet. Each of the 100 short and inspirational entries includes a thoughtful message from Alli, based on God’s Word practical ways to make your life happier day by day a journaling section This gorgeous book is an empowering gift for yourself or any woman you love. It can be used as a daily devotional or as a guided journal. Be part of this exciting message: Happiness and holiness can coexist for a beautiful life. Don’t miss the great big adventure God has for you. Let this be The Year of Living Happy!


Sacred Pace

Sacred Pace

Author: Terry Looper

Publisher: HarperChristian + ORM

Published: 2019-02-26

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 078522338X

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How do we hear from God and discern His will when it’s time to make big decisions? Terry Looper shares a four-step process for doing just that - a process he has learned and refined over thirty years as a Christian entrepreneur and founder of a multi-billion dollar company. At just thirty-six years old, Terry Looper was a successful Christian businessman who thought he had it all—until managing all he had led to a devastating burnout. Wealthy beyond his wildest dreams but miserable beyond belief, Terry experienced a radical transformation when he discovered how to align himself with God’s will in the years following his crash and burn. Sacred Pace is a four-step process that helps Christians in all walks of life learn how to slow down their decision-making under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, sift through their surface desires and sinful patterns in order to receive clear, peace-filled answers from the Lord, gain the confident assurance that God’s answers are His way of fulfilling the true desires he has placed in their hearts, and grow closer to the One who loves them most and knows them best. Sacred Pace is not another example of name-it-and-claim-it materialism in disguise. Instead, it walks Christians through the sometimes-painful process of “dying to self” in their decisions, both big and small, so that they desire God’s will more than their own.


The Joy of Fearing God

The Joy of Fearing God

Author: Jerry Bridges

Publisher: WaterBrook

Published: 2009-02-04

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 0307551946

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What Kind of Relationship Can You Have with Someone You Fear? For most of us, fear is something we try to avoid. And fearing God hardly sounds like an occasion for joy. But Jerry Bridges shows how the fear of the Lord is actually the key that opens the door to a life of true knowledge, wisdom, blessing, and joy. We all want a deeper, more intimate relationship with God–one that’s characterized by joy. But how does fearing God lead to joy? After all, aren’t we supposed to love Him and live in intimate relationship with Him? Jerry Bridges explores this paradox as he unpacks the biblical promise that God delights in those who fear Him. Join him as he unveils the awesome greatness of God–His incredible holiness, deep wisdom, and especially His inspiring love. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of who God is that will draw you into a truly biblical, and surprisingly delightful, fear of God–a fear that includes your own genuine, heartfelt delight in God. You’ll make the startling discovery that the fear of the Lord, far from being something to avoid, is the key to joyful, fulfilling, and genuine intimacy with God. It can change your relationship with God and change your life! Discover the surprising Joy of Fearing God!


Let the Nations Be Glad! Study Guide to the DVD

Let the Nations Be Glad! Study Guide to the DVD

Author: John Piper

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2010-03-15

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13: 144123506X

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This new study guide complements the Let the Nations Be Glad! DVD, further increasing comprehension of the book's themes. The eight lessons in the study guide correspond to the DVD's presentation topics. This resource is ideal for church and small group studies.