Week 14 - Jesus' Example
MONDAY — Read the passage with your team.
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
Luke 6:12
18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"
Luke 9:18a
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: " ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come…’”
Luke 11:1-2
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
Matthew 26:36
What does this passage have to say about a teachable spirit?
Why is that important?
TUESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
In order to obey God’s instructions, we must acknowledge our need for help in doing so, and sometimes that is not easy. Just as God requires this of us, He displays a model of teachability through Jesus, who was faithful is listening to His father. These Scripture verses are only a few of many that describe Jesus’ prayer life.
1) What amount of time did Jesus spend in prayer, in Luke 6:12? Why would Jesus need to pray? About what did He need guidance? What does Jesus’ habit of praying demonstrate about His relationship with His father? What does that teach us about the purpose of our praying?
WEDNESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
2) What does Luke 9:18a teach us about Jesus’ prayers? Why would He choose to pray in a private place, and what example does that set for us? How might praying privately help you to be more teachable?
3) After hearing Jesus pray, what did His disciples ask him to do (Luke 11:1)? What are the first things He taught them about how to pray? Should you pray to get what you desire, or is there a more pressing priority that should motivate your prayers (Luke 11:2)? Are your typical prayers in line with what Jesus teaches here?
THURSDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
4) If Jesus (who was God) spend so much time praying, what does that teach us about the importance of prayer in our own lives?
5) Listening and learning take many forms. What relation does prayer have to being teachable?
6) Do you always go to people first for advice, or do you spend time in prayer and Scripture before seeking the opinion of another person? Does your team make prayer its “first priority” when faced with challenges, decisions, or failures?
FRIDAY — Discuss sport applications of teachability, and pray together.
· Ask your athletes to briefly reflect on what they’ve learned about a teachable spirit this week, and to repeat some of those things. (Remind them of some of the Biblical truths about teachability you’ve discussed, if necessary.)
· Ask your team, “Based on what we learned about a teachable spirit this week...What does a teachable athlete do?” Do not settle for vague answers; challenge your athletes to go beyond general qualities of a teachable athlete, and to determine what those qualities look like in action.
· Add the results to your team’s list of descriptions of the “teachable athlete”, and be sure the list is displayed somewhere that is constantly visible, as a reminder to the team.
· Pray together as a team. Encourage your athletes to pray for your team’s growth in regard to the discipline of a teachable spirit — especially in relation to some of the issues and challenges that you discussed together this week. Challenge them to also ask for forgiveness, when applicable. Give time for athletes to request prayer (regarding teachability or anything else), and pray together.