This Bible study appears in Baptist Press each week in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curriculum and additional resources for all age groups.

This week’s Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.

Bible Passages: 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 9:27-28

Discussion Question: How can the lordship of Christ do what other people, relationships or personal agendas have failed to deliver?

Food for Thought:

Perfection. Lots of us chase it. None of us ever achieves it. Raised in a small town and in a strict home, Ashley Rawls reached for it. She didn’t make many decisions for herself and wasn’t allowed to do much on her own. One thing she was encouraged to do was to participate in her school’s beauty pageant. After three years of runner-up finishes, Ashley decided to take control of her pageant destiny during her senior year. To win, she decided to lose weight. She won the pageant but succumbed to anorexia and bulimia in her pursuit of the perfect body. Her battle with the diseases resulted in physical, emotional and mental problems that culminated in a three-day depression event that found her on her knees.

“When I had no answers, God guided me to pick up my Bible and to just open it-. [W]hat I needed was for Him to just grab me and say, ‘I’ve got this. I’ve got you, and I’m in control, and you don’t’ have to be anymore.’ That’s what I needed – to know that I didn’t have to be in control anymore. That’s what He showed me. I had been a Christian since I was 8 years old, but I had forgotten that He was my Master and that He was in control of everything. He has delivered me throughout my life from myself. He has rescued me time and time again when I wanted to have control. He’s shown me that He’s in control in my life and that He has wonderful things for me. And He does love me, the way that I am, in my imperfection.”

MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors, offering pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at LifeWay.com/MasterWork.

Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.-BP