MAN UP BIBLE SERIES Men Who Care Enough to Share Lesson One

The Real World God is the source and beginning of all we are. All of us would agree with this statement. The reality is that God is often the last person we go to with our problems. We go to our friends for support. We go to our spouse for support. We go to the bank for support. We even try all kinds of escapes including drugs, alcohol and sex. In the end only God can provide us with the answers and the support we need. God is our source. The Bible is always a good place to begin and in this lesson we will look at the Psalm 121 which is a Psalm of Ascents. As the Jews took a step up to the Temple they would repeat a line of this Psalm; “I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” As it was then it is now. LOOK to God first and all other situations will fall into place. Lets read Psalm 121 ….

The Real Word Psalm 121 New International Version (NIV) A song of ascents. 1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the L ORD, 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 L ORD watches over you— the L ORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The L ORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the L ORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Real Talk When was the last time you asked God to help you? Did you listen or tell God what to do? Does God really care about you? Why is God the last person we go to?

Real Steps This Psalm has some real good advice: 1. Look to God first – vs.1,2 God cannot be an afterthought, He must be FIRST! 2. What does God do for us? – v. 3 Keep us from Slipping – Slippery slope of sin. Keep us from Falling – A Slip leads to falling and injury. 3. The Lord is always watching over us. - vs. 4,5 Good if we want him involved. Bad if we ignore Him. 4. God is our protection. – vs.6 – 8 Rest in the assurance that God cares and protects.

Time to Close As we close this first small group discussion I hope it has opened your eyes up to the fact that God does know who you are. God is interested in your life and His goal is to make you into the likeness of His Son. God is the Source of all good things and he wants us to acknowledge that not only by what we say but more importantly but how we live. The goal is not just for us to get to heaven. It is to tell those around us that God cares about them and what they are going through. We are to model it for our children, those we work alongside, our friends and neighbors. In the next few weeks our small group discussion will look at how to reach out to our community with the life changing Gospel and how to do it in a real and relevant way that will lead to more lives changed and soldiers made! It all begins with LOOKING UP!