THEE WORD FOR THE WEEK

Cain ~ 1 John 3:12 May 21-25, 2012

Monday Read Genesis 4:6-12: Crouching at Your Door These verses tell us of Cains anger when Abels sacrifice was accepted and his was not. Cain continued to harbor resentment and eventually killed his brother. In verse 6, what did God tell Cain to do? What does this tell us about the source of our anger? What did God tell Cain about the results of not doing what is right? How do you handle anger? Do you continue to cultivate and nurture your anger? Do you rehearse the story of your anger over and over? Tuesday Read Genesis 4:6-12: My Brothers Keeper Cain is consumed by a murderous anger that focused on his brother. After Cain killed Abel, why do you think that God approached him with a question? Why did God not directly accuse Cain? What was Cains attitude when he answered Gods question? How would God like for you to answer the question Am I my brothers keeper? Why are family relationships more intense than other relationships? Wednesday Read Matthew 5:21-24: Conflict Resolution When in an adversarial situation, the righteous person should immediately make the first step toward resolving the conflict. How are anger and murder connected? When someone becomes aware of a relationship problem, how quickly should he/she act? What are our modern-day equivalents of Raca and you fool? With whom do you have an adversarial relationship? What do you need to do about it? Thursday Read 1 John 3:11-14a: Love One Another From the very beginning John has encouraged us to love one another. Why do you think that John chose the illustration of Cain and Abel when he was discussing loving your brother? According to John, why did Cain murder his brother? From our study earlier this week, how would you say that Cain came to belong to the evil one? How can a person know that he or she has passed from death unto life? About what should believers not be surprised? Why did John feel it important to include this? Friday Read 1 John 3:11-14a: Love in Action What practical applications can we glean from these verses? What does it mean to love ones brother? How can we show it? Who is my brother? o My own flesh and blood. o Other believers. o Those people I feel a kinship with. o Anyone. o Other _____________________ When do you struggle with loving someone else? Is it easier to love with words or in actions? How will you use your time and resources to show your love to someone this week?