Bottom Line: How you view God determines both your expectations and your responses.

Many of us have a distorted Godview because we think God’s primary goal is either for us to be good or for us to be happy. While there may be some truth in those statements, if we see those as His primary goals, then we walk through life with remarkable–and self-made–expectations. Then, when those expectations aren’t met, our faith is shattered and destroyed. This week, we want students to see that following God is bigger than our expectations. Following God requires surrendering control.

Scripture References: Matthew 11:2-3, 11:4-6

Bottom Line: The most important thing about a person is what they think about when they think about God.
No matter who we are, we all have a Godview. And the way we think about God affects how we interact with our world. Many people struggle because they have a negative or distorted view of God. This first week, we will take a look at the life of one of Jesus’ closest followers who struggled for the very same reason. In the end, we want to challenge students to begin to see how their view of God shapes the way they live.
Scripture References: Matthew 16:13-23; John 18:10, 17; John 21:15-19

EXPERIENCE:
Each one of us is “about” something. Something is going to define your life and mine. It will. I know that when I die, my kids are going to stand around and say many things, but inevitably it will get reduced to a sentence or two that begins this way: "Dad was . . . "

The reason I love to think about this now is because we still are able to change and influence what our lives will be about. The sad part is that too many people don't think about what their lives will be about. We just kind of live it, and in the end, we hope it will be good enough. And I know my drift (when I'm not intentional) is to make my life about things that matter less, not more.
So what's it going to be about for you? Who do you want to be?

Take some time this month to think about what you want your life to be about. Think big. Think small. And then be intentional about not letting this time sneak by without your notice. Your life will be about something. So will mine.

What will define your life? You can either decide what your life is about, or your life can drift towards something. But either way, your life will be defined by something or someone.

Every one of us has a Godview. It’s what comes to mind when we think about God. It’s who we believe God is and how we believe God interacts with us personally and with our world. Our Godview affects everything we do. But here’s the reality—we don’t instantly know everything about God. In fact, we never really know everything about God. Instead, God is constantly revealing Himself to us through the relationship that we have with Him. There are things that each one of us knows about Him now that we didn’t know five years ago. And while we’ll never know all there is to know about God—because He’s that big and that mysterious—the things we learn about Him can help us respond to whatever life brings. That’s why author A.W. Tozer said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Have you ever been walking down the street, deep in thought, but oblivious to what was going on around you—that is until you snapped out of it and realized that you passed your destination two blocks ago? Your attention was elsewhere. Your mind wasn’t focused on where you were going, but on the random thoughts bouncing around in your head. The reality is this: what you give your attention to determines both your focus and direction. So if you’re not heading in the direction you want, what has got your attention?