Make Room - Week 1

Series Intro:
Life is so busy. We are busy at work, busy at home, busy with family activities, and busy at church.  As a result, many of us feel overstretched when it comes to our time, relationships, and finances. We're trying to keep up with a culture that is running on overdrive all of the time.  It's no wonder most of us feel stressed and behind, and words like "joy," "rest," and "peace" sound so foreign to us.

We don't have to live this way! Many times, we feel like we don't have any choice but to live at or above our limits. However, we can choose to live differently. We can decide to have margin in our lives--where we intentionally make room for things that matter most, for relationships to develop, for money to be left over at the end of the month, and for opportunities to recharge and rest.

The choice is a strange one.  Although most of us don't live this way today, margin is a Jesus-like choice.  It's time to Make Room for more.


Icebreakers:
-On a scale of 1-10, how overwhelming is life right now? Why?  What is the biggest source of stress for you?

-If you could Make Room in one area of your life (i.e. extra hour of unhurried time somewhere, extra cash somewhere in your budget, extra energy for a relationship), where would it be and why?


Study Notes:
-Want to get an idea of what a day-in-the-life of Jesus was like?  Take a minute to read Jesus' calendar:
a- Mark 1:22-28, 29-34, 35-39 
b- Mark 3:7-10
c- Mark 6:30-34, 45-46


REREAD Mark 1:35-39
-Jesus lived a busy life, but still had margin. Margin is not about being a slacker or doing LESS. It's about learning how to be the most effective in your life and Making Room for what's most important.

1- Jesus had to fight to make room for what really mattered to him. What steps did Jesus take in order to find unhurried time?

2- Is it easy or hard for you to find unhurried time in your day?  Where or what time of the day does it tend to happen?

3- Why did the disciples decide to interrupt Jesus? Put yourself in their shoes--what do you think they expected Jesus to do when they said, "Everyone is looking for you?"



-GOOD things can become BAD things when they squeeze out the MOST IMPORTANT things in your life.

4- There were so many needs around Jesus, yet He confidently said "no" to them and moved on to the next area.  Is it hard for you to say no to people?  Why?

5- Why do you think Jesus responded the way He did? What does it tell you about how He ordered His time, energy, and life?


-If you are going to prioritize what is most important, then you have to define what is most important in your life FIRST.

6- Identify the major categories in your life (family, friends, work, fun, faith) and organize the list of what matters the most to you.

Why is it so easy to write them down in the correct order, but our lives are usually spent giving time/energy/effort in a different order of that list?


Next Steps:
7- What's the biggest takeaway from the message/text this week?

8- What's the one action step you are going to take in response to the message/text this week?



Additional Study:
A: Read Matthew 6:33.
-What does it mean to "Seek first the Kingdom of God?"

B: Read Matthew 6:19-21.
-How do these verses relate to our study this week?