March 1, 2026 – Lent – Responding to God

Responding to God

Genesis 12:1-4 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

² “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.

Where was Abram to leave (verse 1)?

Where was Abram to go (verse 1)?

What will the Lord make Abram into (verse 2)?

Who will God bless (verse 3)?

Who will be blessed through Abram (verse 3)?

What did Abram do (verse 4)?

How old was he when he did this (verse 4)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to God?

Psalm 121 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

What will the psalmist do (verse 1)?

Where does his help come from (verse 2)?

What will the watcher not do (verse 3)?

What will the one who watches over Israel not do (verse 4)?

Who is the watcher (verse 5)?

When will the sun not “harm you” (verse 6)?

What will the Lord “watch over” (verse 7)?

How long will the Lord “watch over your coming and going” (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to God?

In your opinion, how is the message of Psalm 121, a psalm that was sung as the people made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, appropriate for Abram as he traveled to the promised land in Genesis 12:1-4?

John 3:1-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Who was Nicodemus (verse 1)?

What did Nicodemus know about Jesus (verse 2)?

What has to happen for someone to “see the kingdom of God” (verse 3)?

Why did Nicodemus think this was impossible (verse 4)?

What does the person who wants to enter the “kingdom of God” need to be born of (verse 5)?

Who “gives birth to spirit” (verse 6)?

What should not surprise Nicodemus (verse 7)?

Who can you not tell where they come from or where they are going (verse 8)?

What did Nicodemus ask (verse 9)?

What do we “speak of” (verse 11)?

In your opinion, how can Nicodemus believe Jesus when He speaks “of heavenly things” (verse 12)?

Who has “gone into heaven” (verse 13)?

What must happen to the “Son of Man” (verse 14)?

Who “may have eternal life in him” (verse 15)?

Why did God give “his one and only Son” (verse 16)?

What did God not “send his Son into the world to” do (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to God?

In your opinion, how are the earthly transition of Abram to a new home in Genesis 12:1-4 and the process of entering the kingdom of heaven that Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus in John 3:1-17 similar?

In your opinion, how does John 3:1-17 answer Psalm 121’s question, “where does my help come from”?

Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? ² If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. ³ What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

⁴ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. ⁵ However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness

¹³ It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. ¹⁴ For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, ¹⁵ because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

How is Abraham described (verse 1)?

What would Abraham not have to boast about before God (verse 2)?

Why was it credited to Abraham “as righteousness” (verse 3)?

Who are wages an obligation to (verse 4)?

Whose “faith is credited as righteousness” (verse 5)?

How did “Abraham and his offspring” receive the promise that “he would be heir of the world” (verse 13)?

When does “faith” mean nothing (verse 14)?

What does the law bring (verse 15)?

Who are “Abraham’s offspring” that the promise comes to by faith (verse 16)?

What does God do (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to God?

In your opinion, how does Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 help us understand what God meant by promising Abram “and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” in Genesis 12:1-4?

In your opinion, how does Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 show fulfillment of the belief expressed in Psalm 121 that “my help comes from the Lord”?

In your opinion, how does John 3:1-17 help us understand the statement, “the God who gives life to the dead”, in Romans 4:1-5, 13-17?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Genesis, Psalms, John, and Romans reveal to us about the promises of God?

In your opinion, what should our response be to God today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 22, 2026 – Lent – Celebrating Righteousness

Celebrating Righteousness

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

3 ¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

What was “the man” to do (verse 15)?

Which tree could “the man” not eat from (verses 16 and 17)?

How is the serpent described (verse 1)?

What did the serpent ask the woman (verse 1)?

How was the woman’s answer different from the instruction (verse 17 then verses 2 and 3)?

What did the serpent tell the woman (verse 4)?

How did the serpent tell the woman she would be changed (verse 5)?

How did the fruit appear to the woman (verse 6)?

Who ate the fruit (verse 6)?

What happened when they ate it (verse 7)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about gaining or losing righteousness?

Psalm 32 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
² Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

³ When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.

⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

⁶ Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
    will not reach them.
⁷ You are my hiding place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
    or they will not come to you.
¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked,
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

¹¹ Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Who is “blessed” (verse 1)?

Who is also “blessed” (verse 2)?

What happened to David when he “kept silent” (verse 3)?

When was the Lord’s hand “heavy on” David (verse 4)?

What happened when David confessed his “transgressions to the Lord” (verse 5)?

When are the faithful to pray to the Lord (verse 6)?

What does the Lord surround David with (verse 7)?

How will David counsel the listeners (verse 8)?

Why should listeners not be “like the horse or the mule” (verse 9)?

What surrounds the one who trusts the Lord (verse 10)?

Who should “rejoice in the Lord” (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about gaining or losing righteousness?

In your opinion, how does Psalm 32 show what the woman and the man could see when “the eyes of both of them were opened” in Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7”?

Matthew 4:1-11 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Why was Jesus “led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (verse 1)?

Why was Jesus hungry (verse 2)?

What did the tempter tell Jesus to do if He was “the Son of God” (verse 3)?

How did Jesus answer the tempter (verse 4)?

Where did the devil have Jesus stand (verse 5)?

Why was Jesus to throw Himself “down” (verse 6)?

How did Jesus answer (verse 7)?

What did the devil show Jesus (verse 8)?

What did the devil tell Jesus to do to receive all that He saw (verse 9)?

Why did Jesus send Satan away (verse 10)?

What happened when the devil left (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about gaining or losing righteousness?

In your opinion, how is Jesus different in Matthew 4:1-11 than Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7?

In your opinion, how does Matthew 4:1-11 show us “the Lord’s unfailing love” that David says in Psalm 32 surrounds those who trust in the Lord?

Romans 5:12-19 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

¹³ To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶ Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Why did death come “to all people” (verse 12)?

What was in the world “before the law was given” (verse 13)?

What reigned “from the time of Adam to the time of Moses” even over those who did not break a commandment (verse 14)?

Who did “the gift that came by the grace of the one man” overflow to (verse 15)?

How many sins did the judgment follow (verse 16)?

What did the gift follow (verse 16)?

What does God give an “abundant provision” of (verse 17)?

What did “one righteous act” result in (verse 18)?

How were many “made sinners” (verse 19)?

How will many be “made righteous” (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about gaining or losing righteousness?

In your opinion, how does Romans 5:12-19reveal the significance of what happened in Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7?

In your opinion, what does Romans 5:12-19 help us understand about the forgiveness that David sings about in Psalm 32?

In your opinion, what does Jesus’s resisting the temptations of Matthew 4:1-11 help us understand about the “gift of righteousness” discussed in Romans 5:12-19?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Genesis, Psalms, Matthew, and Romans teach to us about the consequences of sin?

In your opinion, how do we celebrate with David and “Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!” today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 12, 2026 – A Study of Matthew – God’s Mighty Hand

God’s Mighty Hand

Psalm 18:16-19 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Where did the Lord reach from to take hold of David (verse 16)?

What did the Lord draw David out of (verse 16)?

Who was “too strong” for David (verse 17)?

When did the Lord support David (verse 18)?

Where did the Lord bring David to (verse 19)?

Why did the Lord rescue David (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, where do we see the hand of God in this passage?

Matthew 14:22-36 - New International Version (NIV)

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

³⁴ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. ³⁵ And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him ³⁶ and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

What did Jesus make the disciples do before He “dismissed the crowd” (verse 22)?

Where did Jesus go after dismissing the crowd (verse 23)?

Why was the boat “buffeted by the waves” (verse 24)?

What did Jesus do “shortly before dawn” (verse 25)?

How did the disciples react when they saw Jesus (verse 26)?

What did Jesus tell them (verse 27)?

Who wanted Jesus to tell him to “come to you on the water” (verse 28)?

What did Jesus tell him (verse 29)?

When did Peter cry out “Lord, save me” (verse 30)?

What did Jesus do when Peter cried out (verse 31)?

When did the wind die down (verse 32)?

What did the disciples do (verse 33)?

Where did they land (verse 34)?

What did the people there do (verse 35)?

Who was healed (verse 36)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, where do we see the hand of God in this passage?

In your opinion, how are David (symbolically) in Psalm 18:16-19 and Peter in Matthew 14:22-36 alike?

Acts 3:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

When were Peter and John “going up to the temple” (verse 1)?

Why was the man “who was lame from birth” being carried to the gate called Beautiful (verse 2)?

What did the man ask Peter and John for (verse 3)?

How did Peter and John respond to the man’s request (verse 4)?

What did Peter say to the man (verse 6)?

What did Peter do for him (verse 7)?

How did the man react (verse 8)?

What filled the people who recognized the beggar (verse 10)?

In your opinion, where do we see the hand of God in this passage?

In your opinion, how are the lame man at the Beautiful Gate in Acts 3:1-10 and David in Psalm 18:16-19 alike?

In your opinion, how might Jesus reaching to pull Peter from the water in Matthew 14:22-36 influenced his actions with the lame man in Acts 3:1-10?

1 Peter 5:5b-11 - New International Version (NIV)

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”

 

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ¹¹ To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Why should Christians “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another” (verse 5)?

When will God lift up the ones who humble themselves under His “mighty hand” (verse 6)?

What should Christians cast on God and why (verse 7)?

Who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (verse 8)?

How can Christians resist the lion (verse 9)?

When will God “restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, where do we see the hand of God in this passage?

In your opinion, how does David being aware that his foes were too strong for him but being rescued by the Lord in Psalm 18:16-19 help us understand what Peter means by instructing us to humble ourselves “under God’s mighty hand” in 1 Peter 5:5b-11?

In your opinion, how could Peter’s doubting, then sinking, and Jesus saving him in Matthew 14:22-36 have shaped his instructions to us in 1 Peter 5:5b-11?

In your opinion, what does the beggar’s feet and ankles becoming strong when Peter helps him up in Acts 3:1-10 help us understand about what might happen when God lifts us up “in due time” in 1 Peter 5:5b-11?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Matthew, Acts and 1 Peter teach us about ourselves?

In your opinion, where do you see “God’s mighty hand” in your life today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)