Awakening to Regret
Finding Your Way Back to God

Pastor Kirk, Jan 12^th, 2020

Scripture: Luke 15:13-20

Summary: Our attempts to find love, purpose, and meaning on our own lead to an endless cycle of longing and regret; but if we decide to return to God, we’ll find we can always start over.

Main Thought: We can always start over with God.

Getting to Know Each Other (Start Here): 

• With everything happening in life right now, what has been holding the most of your attention?

Going Deeper: 

1. What did your think about the Amish idea of rumspringa?
2. What was it that caused the son to re-evaluate his relationship with the father?
3. Since this is a parable what might the famine represent in life?
4. In the parable the prodigal son says that he sinned against the father and against heaven. How?
5. Have you ever experienced or seen unfulfilled longings lead to regret in your life or the life of someone you know?
6. What is it about regret that traps a person?
7. What are the results of living with unmet longings and regrets? What do they cause in our thinking and life?
8. How does true repentance break the cycle of longing and regret?
9. What might a regret reveal about ourselves? Can it show us a longing that we need fulfilled by the Father? Could a regret reveal a disbelief we have in who God is? Can a regret point us back to the Father?
10. You don’t need to answer this out loud, but take time to think, do you have any regrets that you haven’t faced?

Apply it:

• Decide to head in a new direction, to the Father… towards home. Make a decision to follow Christ. Is there an area of your life that you need to bring fully under the sovereignty of Jesus?

Pray without ceasing:

              Pray for hearts of compassion and grace to rule in our world. Pray that peace will reign in regions and areas of our world that have been a long time without it. Pray that the God of peace and love will embolden His children in these areas to count the cost and stand firm with Him. Pray for the continued de-escalation of hostilities and for wisdom for world leaders.

Community Reading Plan: Genesis 27&28

This week add Genesis 27&28 to your devotions. Look at the relationships that are present in these chapters and keep two questions in mind.

• What do I need to know from this chapter (a truth about my reality or God or a life lesson)?
• What do I need to grow (Is there something God is trying to teach me through His Word)?

Keep a journal nearby and write down any questions or thoughts you can share with your Community Group. Remind and encourage each other to participate in this group devotion.