Imagine spending 5 minutes trying to complete a 200+ piece jigsaw puzzle WITHOUT looking at the picture.
Now imagine looking at the picture and seeing how many pieces you can add in the next 5 minutes.
In what ways is putting the puzzle together like or unlike putting your life together?
In what ways is the puzzle like or unlike answering the question, “Who Am I?”
Choose one of the following passages to study:
- read the passage
- write about what you think the passage says
- explain what you think the passage means in each of your lives today
- describe what the passage says we are in God’s eyes
Passages:
- Genesis 1:26-31
- Isaiah 43:1-3
- Colossians 3:5-17
- Luke 4:18-19
- Ephesians 5:15-16
- John 6:21-40
- 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
- Ephesians 4:1-32
- Galatians 5:13-26
- Psalm 139:1-24
- John 14:12
26And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth.
27And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.
28And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.
29And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat:
30And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done.
31And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.
1And now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, and called thee by thy name: thou art mine.
2When thou shalt pass through the waters, I will be with thee, and the rivers shall not cover thee: when thou shalt walk in the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, and the flames shall not burn in thee:
3For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I have given Egypt for thy atonement, Ethiopia and Saba for thee.
5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, lust, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is the service of idols.
6For which things the wrath of God cometh upon the children of unbelief,
7In which you also walked some time, when you lived in them.
8But now put you also all away: anger, indignation, malice, blasphemy, filthy speech out of your mouth.
9Lie not one to another: stripping yourselves of the old man with his deeds,
10And putting on the new, him who is renewed unto knowledge, according to the image of him that created him.
11Where there is neither Gentile nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free. But Christ is all, and in all.
12Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy, and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience:
13Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another: even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also.
14But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection:
15And let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body: and be ye thankful.
16Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly, in all wisdom: teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing in grace in your hearts to God.
17All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Wherefore he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart,
19To preach deliverance to the captives, and sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of reward.
15See therefore, brethren, how you walk circumspectly: not as unwise,
16But as wise: redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
21They were willing therefore to take him into the ship; and presently the ship was at the land to which they were going.
22The next day, the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea, saw that there was no other ship there but one, and that Jesus had not entered into the ship with his disciples, but that his disciples were gone away alone.
23But other ships came in from Tiberias; nigh unto the place where they had eaten the bread, the Lord giving thanks.
24When therefore the multitude saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they took shipping, and came to Capharnaum, seeking for Jesus.
25And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him: Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
26Jesus answered them, and said: Amen, amen I say to you, you seek me, not because you have seen miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto life everlasting, which the Son of man will give you. For him hath God, the Father, sealed.
28They said therefore unto him: What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?
29Jesus answered, and said to them: This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he hath sent.
30They said therefore to him: What sign therefore dost thou shew, that we may see, and may believe thee? What dost thou work?
31Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you; Moses gave you not bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33For the bread of God is that which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life to the world.
34They said therefore unto him: Lord, give us always this bread.
35And Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger: and he that believeth in me shall never thirst.
36But I said unto you, that you also have seen me, and you believe not.
37All that the Father giveth to me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will not cast out.
38Because I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39Now this is the will of the Father who sent me: that of all that he hath given me, I should lose nothing; but should raise it up again in the last day.
40And this is the will of my Father that sent me: that every one who seeth the Son, and believeth in him, may have life everlasting, and I will raise him up in the last day.
3For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain from fornication;
4That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour:
5Not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles that know not God:
1I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called,
2With all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity.
3Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling.
5One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.
7But to every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the giving of Christ.
8Wherefore he saith: Ascending on high, he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to men.
9Now that he ascended, what is it, but because he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10He that descended is the same also that ascended above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.
11And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors,
12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13Until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ;
14That henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive.
15But doing the truth in charity, we may in all things grow up in him who is the head, even Christ:
16From whom the whole body, being compacted and fitly joined together, by what every joint supplieth, according to the operation in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in charity.
17This then I say and testify in the Lord: That henceforward you walk not as also the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind,
18Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts.
19Who despairing, have given themselves up to lasciviousness, unto the working of all uncleanness, unto the working of all uncleanness, unto covetousness.
20But you have not so learned Christ;
21If so be that you have heard him, and have been taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22To put off, according to former conversation, the old man, who is corrupted according to the desire of error.
23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind:
24And put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth.
25Wherefore putting away lying, speak; ye the truth every man with his neighbour; for we are members one of another.
26Be angry, and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your anger.
27Give not place to the devil.
28He that stole, let him now steal no more; but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need.
29Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth; but that which is good, to the edification of faith, that it may administer grace to the hearers.
30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God: whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31Let all bitterness, and anger, and indignation, and clamour, and blasphemy, be put away from you, with all malice.
32And be ye kind one to another; merciful, forgiving one another, even as God hath forgiven you in Christ.
13For you, brethren, have been called unto liberty: only make not liberty an occasion to the flesh, but by charity of the spirit serve one another.
14For all the law is fulfilled in one word: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
15But if you bite and devour one another; take heed you be not consumed one of another.
16I say then, walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
17For the flesh lusteth against the spirit: and the spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary one to another: so that you do not the things that you would.
18But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law.
19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury,
20Idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects,
21Envies, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like. Of the which I foretell you, as I have foretold to you, that they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is, charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity,
23Mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity. Against such there is no law.
24And they that are Christ's, have crucified their flesh, with the vices and concupiscences.
25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26Let us not be made desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying on another.
1Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me:
2Thou hast know my sitting down, and my rising up.
3Thou hast understood my thoughts afar off: my path and my line thou hast searched out.
4And thou hast foreseen all my ways: for there is no speech in my tongue.
5Behold, O Lord, thou hast known all things, the last and those of old: thou hast formed me, and hast laid thy hand upon me.
6Thy knowledge is become wonderful to me: it is high, and I cannot reach to it.
7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy face?
8If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I descend into hell, thou art present.
9If I take my wings early in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:
10Even there also shall thy hand lead me: and thy right hand shall hold me.
11And I said: Perhaps darkness shall cover me: and night shall be my light in my pleasures.
12But darkness shall not be dark to thee, and night shall be light as day: the darkness thereof, and the light thereof are alike to thee.
13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast protected me from my mother's womb.
14I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified: wonderful are thy works, and my soul knoweth right well.
15My bone is not hidden from thee, which thou hast made in secret: and my substance in the lower parts of the earth.
16Thy eyes did see my imperfect being, and in thy book all shall be written: days shall be formed, and no one in them.
17But to me thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honourable: their principality is exceedingly strengthened.
18I will number them, and they shall be multiplied above the sand: I rose up and am still with thee.
19If thou wilt kill the wicked, O God: ye men of blood, depart from me:
20Because you say in thought: They shall receive thy cities in vain.
21Have I not hated them, O Lord, that hated thee: and pine away because of thy enemies?
22I have hated them with a perfect hatred: and they are become enemies to me.
23Prove me, O God, and know my heart: examine me, and know my paths.
24And see if there be in me the way of iniquity: and lead me in the eternal way.
12Otherwise believe for the very works' sake. Amen, amen I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do.
