For each lesson you ll find two short devotions. Do these each week.

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2 Paul s letter to the Colossians calls us to live Christ- focused lives! These devotions will help you as you and your youth group journeys through Focus: A 6 Lesson Study on the Book of Colossians. For each lesson you ll find two short devotions. Do these each week. Read the passage, read the devotion, then use the questions as a way of applying the truth of the passage to your life. On the days you do not have a devotion Memorize the verse for each lesson and do the extra reading to help you understand the context of the verse. Also, Spend time each week in Prayer. You will have a place to write prayer requests from your Small Group each week. Consider using Colossians 1:9-12 as a guide: 1. Pray for their growth of understanding God s Word so they can know what God s will is for them each day. (v.9). 2. Pray for their growth in how they live so that they will do what is right each day and not give into temptation. (v.10). 3. Pray for their life to become more like Christ each day in their desires, attitude, and thoughts. (v.11-12).

3 Memory Verse for Lesson 1:

4 FOCUS Lesson 1 Devotion, Part 1: Read: Colossians 1:3-6 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God s grace in all its truth. Extra: Read Colossians 1:1-8 The word hope gets thrown around a lot. We hope our favorite team wins the big game. We hope the tickets for the concert don t sell out. We hope the cafeteria food isn t nasty today. When we use the word hope like this, we re really just waiting to see how things turn out. We really don t have a say on whether or not the teams does well, who gets ahead of us to buy tickets, or what kind of mood the lunch lady is in. In this passage Paul let us know that our faith and love are birthed out of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. This isn t a hope that waits to see how things shake out. It s a hope that s firmly set on the reality of what Christ has done for us. This hope is set on the good news of Christ s death, burial, resurrection, and offer of salvation to all who believe. Our hope doesn t rest on what may or may not happen in the future. It rests on what Christ has already done. And because of this hope, we re able to live full of faith and love. When do you find yourself needing hope in your life? How does knowing that God is in control of all things give you hope?

5 FOCUS Lesson 1 Devotion, Part 2: Read: Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Extra: Read Colossians 1:9-14 Imagine a person who s been imprisoned for the majority of her life. Bondage is pretty much all she s known. She gave hoping for freedom a long time ago. Then imagine that all of a sudden, one day she s released. But she isn t just let go to fend for herself. She s taken to the White House and given a room, a new wardrobe, and a seat at the President s table. She s given a place of honor for as long as she lives. How do you think this lady would feel? As hard as it is for us to grasp, spiritually this is exactly what happens to us when we receive Christ as Savior. The favor God shows us is totally undeserved! Because of our sin we deserve bondage and separation from God. But we re set free because of His great love for us. We go from guilty to blameless. From bondage to freedom. From hopeless to a child of the King in an instant! And it s all because of grace. This is incredible news, and it s our motivation to love and follow Jesus Christ. Who in your life needs to know the freedom that faith in Christ brings? What is keeping you from sharing with them?

6 Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 1

7 Memory Verse for Lesson 2:

8 FOCUS Lesson 2 Devotion, Part 1: Read: Colossians 1:17-18 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. Extra: Read Colossians 1:15-23 Have you ever felt used in a friendship? Have you ever had someone who only wanted to be your friend or give you call when it was convenient for them? That stinks, and it isn t true friendship. The sad thing is that this is exactly how many of us try and treat Jesus. We act as if He s a buddy that we can call on in a pinch but ignore the rest of the time. The problem with this perspective is that Jesus isn t some cast off friend to be used when it s convenient. He s the Lord over all creation. Paul made clear in this passage that Jesus existed before anything else did. This means that He s fully God. We re told that He holds everything together, meaning He s sustaining our life at this very moment. Paul said that He s the head of the church, which means that if we call ourselves Christ-followers, we re under His authority. Lastly, we re told that He s to be supreme in all areas of our lives. If we try to just use Him when it s convenient, we aren t really grasping who Jesus is. He s fully God. And this means we re to follow Him and obey Him with everything we ve got at all times convenient and inconvenient. Take some time to get things right in your relationship with Jesus. Pray to Him and allow Him to work in your heart to put things in the right perspective in your relationship.

9 FOCUS Lesson 2 Devotion, Part 2: Read: Colossians 1:24-29 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. Extra: Read Colossian 1:15-29 Have you ever loaded up on caffeine and sugar to make it through a long night of studying or something boring? It usually starts out all right while you re pounding coffee, soft drinks and anything else you can get your hands on just to make it through. You re able to stay awake for a while. But what always happens after something like this? After a while the sugar and caffeine wear off, and you hit rock bottom. In this passage, Paul wrote that he was fighting to teach people the message of Christ. He said that he labored and struggled for this goal. The awesome thing is that he wasn t depending on some outside energy source. He said that he had the energy of Christ! When we try to live the life of a Christ follower in our own strength, a crash is inevitable. Our strength and our motivation must come from Christ alone. It won t be easy, and there will be plenty of struggles, but we know that He ll never leave us. God will always provide the strength we need. Can you think of a time when you felt God give you the strength you needed in a certain situation? Describe it. How does this memory give you strength for the future? 2011, Youth Ministry 360

10 Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 2

11 Memory Verse for Lesson 3:

12 FOCUS Lesson 3 Devotion, Part 1: Read: Colossians 2:1-5 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. No matter where you look, advertising is always out there for secret ways to accomplish things. Whether its get-rich quick schemes or a plan for how to lose weight while sitting on your couch eating chips, someone is always telling the world they ve found shortcuts to big results. And no matter how dumb these things sound, there s always a sucker out there that bites. Paul was dealing with a similar situation as he wrote this letter. He wasn t dealing with weight loss plans or money-making schemes; he was dealing with people trying to deceive Christ-followers with ideas and philosophies that contradict their faith. It s easy to be taken captive by people who talk smoothly or sound intelligent. But we can t just take words at face value. Paul reminded his readers that while some arguments might sound good on the surface, true wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ alone. Just as in Paul s day, a lot of things out there sound good initially, but when the layers are peeled back it s nothing more than empty talk. Anything that isn t rooted and grounded in Jesus isn t truth, and it isn t wise. What do you hear people saying about religion or about God that you know isn t true? Why do you think some people have such untrue thoughts about God?

13 FOCUS Lesson 3 Devotion, Part 2: Read: Colossians 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Extra: Colossians 2:1-8 Have you ever seen an umbrella taken by the wind go flying down the beach? This is usually funny to those who get to watch the people scramble to make the recovery, but not so funny to those who are chasing their umbrella. The problem is that the umbrella wasn t grounded by something greater than the wind that picked it up. The umbrella needed to be placed in an anchor or a deeper hole. It was no match for the strength of the wind. The same is true for us. We aren t strong enough on our own to deal with all the things we face on a daily basis. Unless we re rooted and grounded in Christ, we ll be tossed around by the things the world throws at us. To be rooted in Christ means that He s our foundation; He s our anchor. It means that our strength, our perspective, our satisfaction and our fulfillment are all found in Christ. When this is true, we aren t blown away when the world hits us with something we didn t expect. Instead, we re grounded in Christ. Like the passage says, we overflow with thankfulness and are witnesses to a watching world. Think back on your life. How has being grounded in Christ helped you make it through a rough time? 2011, youthministry360

14 Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 3

15 Memory Verse for Lesson 4:

16 FOCUS Lesson 4 Devotion, Part 1: Read: Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Extra: Colossians 2:8-15 Little kids all have the same favorite question: Why? When they see something happen, they want to know why it happened that way. When their parents tell them to do something, they want to know why they have to do it. They want to know the why for everything. It s natural; humans generally want to know the reasons behind things. We want to know why things work the way they do, why things happen the way they do, why we have to do the things we do. The problem is that our need for an answer to life s why or how questions can lead us to accept some pretty bogus answers. In this passage, Paul was warning his readers not to accept answers or solutions just because they sounded good. Just because an idea or an explanation sounds smooth, smart, or sophisticated, that doesn t make it right. Paul made it clear throughout the Book of Colossians that this world was created by and for Jesus Christ; it was created so that He may be glorified. Any philosophy or theory that contradicts that truth is nothing more than empty talk. How does knowing Christ and having Him as the FOCUS of our life make it easy not to fall for faulty explanations and solutions?

17 FOCUS Lesson 4 Devotion, Part 2: Read: Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Extra: Colossians 2:16-23 No matter where we go it seems like there are always rules to follow. There are rules at your house, at school, at practice, on the roads... they re literally everywhere. So it makes sense that we re programmed to think everything involves following rules. This is especially true when it comes to our spiritual lives. The human struggle seems to be about trying to figure out what we have to do, or what rule or set of rules we have to follow, to make God happy. This is what Paul was addressing in this passage. People were casting judgment on others about whether they followed certain rituals. Paul reminded his readers that it isn t the ritual that s important; it s the heart behind it. The crazy thing is that God repeatedly tells us in His Word that it isn t the rules He s interested in. He s interested in our hearts. He wants us to love Him; He wants us to have a relationship with Him. Think about most of the rules you follow. Do you really want to follow them all? Do you love following them? No, of course not. Anyone can follow a rule without their heart being in it. This is worthless to God. Does He have rules and commands to obey? For sure. But He wants us to follow them because we love Him, not because we think we re earning His favor. What motivates your behavior? A set of do s and don ts? Or a desire to please God born out of your love for Him? How can you adjust your attitude accordingly? 2011, youthministry360

18 Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 4

19 Memory Verse for Lesson 5:

20 FOCUS Lesson 5 Devotion, Part 1: Read: Colossians 3:9-10 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Extra: Colossians 3:1-11 Think about the dirtiest, sweatiest, and just plain most gross you ve ever been. It may have been after your parents had you work in the yard in the middle of the summer, or maybe it was after the longest, hardest practice of the year. Whatever the situation, your clothes were probably filthy and smelled absolutely awful. There s no better feeling in that situation than getting a nice shower and putting on clean clothes. It s just flat out refreshing. The old self Paul s way of talking about a life before Christ is like those filthy clothes. You don t go out on a date in the clothes you wore to work in the yard. You don t get in bed after practice without showering and changing. (OK, some of you might and that s just plain foul.) In the same way, once you have a relationship with Christ, you don t keep living the same way. You get rid of the old way of doing things and the old way of thinking about things. Your new approach and mindset are centered on Christ. This is a process though; it doesn t happen all at once. Day by day we grow closer to Christ and become more and more like Him. Our mindset, actions, and way of life are renewed each and every day. What in your life is a holdout from your old self? What habits, friends or thoughts that you need to let go of are weighing down your life with Christ?

21 FOCUS Lesson 5 Devotion, Part 2: Read: Colossians 3:15 17 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Extra: Colossians 3:1-17 Have you ever thought about going to school in the name of Christ and giving thanks to the Father while you do it? Wait, what? Hang on just a second; it makes sense if you think about it. School, extra curricular activities, homework, friends, computer, video games, TV... these are the main components of most teenagers days. These things can become so routine that it s easy to get stuck in a rut. We do the same things over and over to the point that we do them without even thinking. Too often Jesus gets left out of the equation. Our personal relationship with Him gets put on the backburner. We lose sight of how we re called to encourage and build up those around us, and we just go through the motions of the day. Paul realized our tendency to lose sight of these things and focus on ourselves and our fleshly desires. So, he reminded us that Jesus is supposed to rule in our hearts. Everything we do every little thing is to be done in the name of Christ. This involves how we interact with others, how we build one another up, how we glorify the Lord in our schools, at practice, and at home. If all we do is go through the motions, how are we telling the world that Christ has a better way for them to live? Think about every aspect of your day, down to the smallest detail. How can you bring glory to the Father through the things you do each day? 2011, youthministry360

22 Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 5

23 Memory Verse for Lesson 6:

24 FOCUS Lesson 6 Devotion, Part 1: Read: Colossians 3:18-4:1 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven. Our culture teaches us to get ahead without worrying too much about how we treat others in the process. It teaches us to be our own boss. It teaches us to look out for number one. Words like submit and obey don t really go along with that mindset. What was it that Paul was teaching here? What type of relationships was he promoting? We must stop thinking with a me first mentality and start thinking with a Christlike one. If we look at how Christ interacted with people, Paul s words begin to make more sense. Paul was encouraging his readers to be respectful and kind to those around them, particularly those they had close relationships with. After all, what shows more Christlikeness than serving those close to us with a humble attitude? Paul even addressed slaves, and while he didn t condone the system of slavery, he reminded them that they could be a witness by having a humble, Christ-like attitude toward their masters. That s serious about being Christ-like in the face of difficult circumstances! The important thing is for us to care about Christlikeness and humility more than we care about what s best for us. What can you do today or tomorrow to put the needs of someone you love ahead of your own?

25 FOCUS Lesson 6 Devotion, Part 2: Read: Colossians 4:2 6 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Extra: Colossians 4:2-18 Sharing the gospel isn t something that comes easily to most people. It s something that we don t think about most of the time, and when we do think about it, we worry about how we re going to do it. We worry about how we re supposed to start conversations, if people will think we re weird, and if we ll be able to answer the questions that might get thrown at us. This is probably the biggest problem we face... we overthink it! As Paul was wrapping up his letter to the Colossians, he gave some great advice on how to approach people and be a strong witness for the gospel. First, in verses 2 through 4 he gave some advice that could easily go unnoticed. He told us to pray for open doors to share the gospel. How often do we sit down and pray for ourselves and our friends to have open doors to share the good news of Christ? Second, he told us to be wise and full of grace in the way we treat non-believers. Won t people be a lot more likely to listen to what we have to say if we have a history of treating them well? This isn t exactly rocket science. Pray for opportunities and treat those around you as Christ would. If you do these two things, you ll have more opportunities to share the gospel than you can imagine. All you ll have to do is open your mouth and talk about what Christ has done in your life. Are you willing to pray that you ll have opportunities to share with your friends how Christ has impacted your life? What are some of the factors that lead you to not sharing your faith? 2011, youthministry360

26 Prayer Request from Small Group: Lesson 6

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