Before reading the lesson, take some time to read the key scriptures listed below. Grab a
pen and paper and take note of anything that sticks out to you in each of the passages.
Key Scriptures
“Love is...” 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
"Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind..." Romans 12:1-3
“Do not deceive yourselves and only be hearers of the word, do what it asks of you.”
James 1:22
“The greatest love is this: that a man lay down his life for a friend.” 1 John 3:16
“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There is no difference, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus...” Romans
3:22-26
I'm not who I was...
This lesson written by: Ethne Davis
God's plan for you, your relationships, your failures, your victories, passions, desires, and
weaknesses, all of these things are part of how you end up defining yourself. But if you're like
most of us, it can be difficult to narrow down all the possibilities, doubts, disappointments, and
excitement to actually know who you are now and help you figure out who you want to become.
The thing about discovering who you are is that you have a past which you base a large amount
of your current identity on...
The lines of a song have been going through my head now for the last little bit, and I am wishing
that I really understood and believed it. “The thing I find so amazing, about amazing grace, is the
chance to give it out...I’m not who I was” (Brandon Heath, I'm not who I was). Scripturally grace
is something unearned and undeserved; love on the other hand is a choice. And because of the
experiences I have had, I have a real hard time with those concepts. Grace and love rarely make
honest sense to me. And with all the people I have met, I have found that most share the same
difficulty.
A little earlier in the same song Brandon says “I used to be mad at you, a little on the hurt side too.
But I’m not who I was...” This speaks of forgiveness. Forgiveness is something that I believe
pours out of grace and love. Honestly. There is no other reason to no longer hold hurtfulness
against a person than love, and grace. The real incredible thing about God’s grace is that it changes
you, when you walk with Him one day you discover that you have become someone else, someone
more like the real you. “Found a box of photographs, find me and I have to laugh because I’m not
who I was (Brandon Heath, I'm not who I was).” Like looking back at the photos of people ‘living
it up’ in the 80’s and 90’s, look at their hair and fashion choices...scary, but humorous. When we
change, especially when we become more like who we are created to be, we often find the past
version of ourselves sad, but we also find it amusing because it can be hard to believe we ever
were that person. Thing is though, when we look back, we have to remember that we aren’t that
person anymore. Sometimes that means we need to forgive the people who are holding us in that
world, forgive ourselves sometimes for not letting go.
Every once in awhile God sends people into our lives that model both grace and love to us. Maybe
its because we don’t understand what those things mean, maybe its because we are supposed to
‘give it out,’ either way those people end up in our lives. When they do, don’t take advantage of
them, people like that rarely keep record of the things you do to provoke them, but they are only
human in the end. When you recognize a person in your life who emulates grace and love, use
them as examples of what God wants for you to know about Him. If you get the chance to know
someone who characterizes God’s love and grace, learn from them. And one day you will be
singing along with Brandon saying: “I’m not who I was.” That, of course, is a major point of
Christianity: transformation into the image of the Almighty Holy God.
How does all this tie in with that line about ‘the chance to give it [amazing grace] out’? When you
follow a godly, scripturally based, example of grace and love, and are transformed in His image,
you show the world God. You become a sort of Jesus with skin on. You give out grace. And there
really is nothing so incredible as the world seeing God as He is. Only God can do something about
the state this sad world we live in, God is the only real answer for the poor place we call earth. You
have a chance to make a huge difference in this little place of green and blue. Give out amazing
grace to the world around you, become who God created you to be. Take the chance to stop living
the life of the you in the flesh, and choose to take on a whole new world, a world of grace.
Key Questions
1. After reading the lesson and the Key Scriptures, think back on your more embarrassing
moments and ‘snapshots’ in your life. What has changed about you in the last five years?
2. What are some of the things you identify with when reading through the lesson and the
scriptures? How come?
3. What do you believe about grace and love? How does that effect how you view forgiveness?
4. Speaking of forgiveness, what and who in your past do you have to forgive? What kinds of
things do you need to forgive yourself and others for?
5. How has your personal experience differed from the scriptural description of love, forgiveness,
and grace?
6. Personal growth is a huge part of what Christ-likeness is all about, what are two things you
would like to work on in your life this semester?
7. Do you have an accountability partner? If so, share your thoughts on this lesson with him or
her. If not, find someone you are willing to talk to and share your thoughts with him or her.
pen and paper and take note of anything that sticks out to you in each of the passages.
Key Scriptures
“Love is...” 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
"Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind..." Romans 12:1-3
“Do not deceive yourselves and only be hearers of the word, do what it asks of you.”
James 1:22
“The greatest love is this: that a man lay down his life for a friend.” 1 John 3:16
“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There is no difference, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus...” Romans
3:22-26
I'm not who I was...
This lesson written by: Ethne Davis
God's plan for you, your relationships, your failures, your victories, passions, desires, and
weaknesses, all of these things are part of how you end up defining yourself. But if you're like
most of us, it can be difficult to narrow down all the possibilities, doubts, disappointments, and
excitement to actually know who you are now and help you figure out who you want to become.
The thing about discovering who you are is that you have a past which you base a large amount
of your current identity on...
The lines of a song have been going through my head now for the last little bit, and I am wishing
that I really understood and believed it. “The thing I find so amazing, about amazing grace, is the
chance to give it out...I’m not who I was” (Brandon Heath, I'm not who I was). Scripturally grace
is something unearned and undeserved; love on the other hand is a choice. And because of the
experiences I have had, I have a real hard time with those concepts. Grace and love rarely make
honest sense to me. And with all the people I have met, I have found that most share the same
difficulty.
A little earlier in the same song Brandon says “I used to be mad at you, a little on the hurt side too.
But I’m not who I was...” This speaks of forgiveness. Forgiveness is something that I believe
pours out of grace and love. Honestly. There is no other reason to no longer hold hurtfulness
against a person than love, and grace. The real incredible thing about God’s grace is that it changes
you, when you walk with Him one day you discover that you have become someone else, someone
more like the real you. “Found a box of photographs, find me and I have to laugh because I’m not
who I was (Brandon Heath, I'm not who I was).” Like looking back at the photos of people ‘living
it up’ in the 80’s and 90’s, look at their hair and fashion choices...scary, but humorous. When we
change, especially when we become more like who we are created to be, we often find the past
version of ourselves sad, but we also find it amusing because it can be hard to believe we ever
were that person. Thing is though, when we look back, we have to remember that we aren’t that
person anymore. Sometimes that means we need to forgive the people who are holding us in that
world, forgive ourselves sometimes for not letting go.
Every once in awhile God sends people into our lives that model both grace and love to us. Maybe
its because we don’t understand what those things mean, maybe its because we are supposed to
‘give it out,’ either way those people end up in our lives. When they do, don’t take advantage of
them, people like that rarely keep record of the things you do to provoke them, but they are only
human in the end. When you recognize a person in your life who emulates grace and love, use
them as examples of what God wants for you to know about Him. If you get the chance to know
someone who characterizes God’s love and grace, learn from them. And one day you will be
singing along with Brandon saying: “I’m not who I was.” That, of course, is a major point of
Christianity: transformation into the image of the Almighty Holy God.
How does all this tie in with that line about ‘the chance to give it [amazing grace] out’? When you
follow a godly, scripturally based, example of grace and love, and are transformed in His image,
you show the world God. You become a sort of Jesus with skin on. You give out grace. And there
really is nothing so incredible as the world seeing God as He is. Only God can do something about
the state this sad world we live in, God is the only real answer for the poor place we call earth. You
have a chance to make a huge difference in this little place of green and blue. Give out amazing
grace to the world around you, become who God created you to be. Take the chance to stop living
the life of the you in the flesh, and choose to take on a whole new world, a world of grace.
Key Questions
1. After reading the lesson and the Key Scriptures, think back on your more embarrassing
moments and ‘snapshots’ in your life. What has changed about you in the last five years?
2. What are some of the things you identify with when reading through the lesson and the
scriptures? How come?
3. What do you believe about grace and love? How does that effect how you view forgiveness?
4. Speaking of forgiveness, what and who in your past do you have to forgive? What kinds of
things do you need to forgive yourself and others for?
5. How has your personal experience differed from the scriptural description of love, forgiveness,
and grace?
6. Personal growth is a huge part of what Christ-likeness is all about, what are two things you
would like to work on in your life this semester?
7. Do you have an accountability partner? If so, share your thoughts on this lesson with him or
her. If not, find someone you are willing to talk to and share your thoughts with him or her.
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are our mission
everything you are
You...
and everything you can become
| Having trouble finding things in your concordance? Click here Need some more in-depth Bible help? Click here Want to look up the meaning of words, or find related words? Click here Want an exercise that might help build life goals? Click here Questions, comments, suggestions about this series or others? Click here |