Describe a time when you had to dress as nicely as possible. (Some examples include: a wedding, prom, charity event, church, meeting boyfriend/girlfriend’s parents, etc.) Why did it matter what you wore? What did your outfit communicate to other people?

It’s easy to be concerned about how we look. While it’s not bad to care about our appearance, sometimes we can become overly concerned with it that we can miss out on how God might want to use us. Tim’s going to talk about how following Jesus isn’t about drawing attention to ourselves, but instead it’s about glorifying God and serving others in humility.

Watch Session Two: Transcend the Journey.

Tim opened by talking about how he and his friends compete to have the best look at his celebrity gala each year. God recently convicted him of trying to look the best to impress people. As he said, having the best appearance is not what serving others is about. Why do you think we’re often preoccupied with our appearance or reputation? Why do we want to look or be the best?

Tim explained that it’s better to have the right perspective of ourselves. We should be focused on how we can lift up others and glorify God instead of bringing glory to ourselves. What benefits are there to having a right perspective of ourselves? What does focusing on God and others do to our actions, attitudes, and words?

Tim told a story of meeting a boy with special needs in a grocery store. Tim wasn’t looking to talk to anyone at the store—he wanted to get out as fast as possible so he could workout. But God used Tim to bless a young boy and his mom. When have you seen God use you, even though you weren’t willing or ready to obey him?

Tim closed by reminding us of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we’re able to choose to humbly serve the people in our lives. What difference does it make in the way you treat others to know that Jesus sacrificed himself to save you?

Read Luke 14:7–14.

In the first part of his teaching, Jesus encourages the people he’s teaching to choose the lowest spot at the table instead of the most prominent seat. What’s Jesus’s reasoning behind his advice? What benefit is there to humbling yourself?

Jesus talked about humility in the context of a feast where the place you sit showed your social and economic rank. What are some other areas of life where we can be tempted to exalt ourselves?

What do you think it could look like for you to exercise humility in your job, home, or church?

In the second half of his teaching, Jesus says it’s better to invite people to your table who cannot repay you because God will reward you. Instead of focusing on an earthly reward, we should turn our gaze to the eternal rewards from God. What are some things that we can do now, but may not see any reward on this side of eternity?

Jesus’s challenge to us in this passage is the same as Tim’s. Part of following Jesus means choosing to humble ourselves in order to love others and glorify God. We choose “the lower seat” not out of guilt, but out of love for Jesus. What could it look like for you to choose “the lower seat” this week?

What’s one thing you could do to help another person in your life in the next few days?

This session reminds us that following Jesus isn’t about having your name in lights. Being a disciple of Jesus means we take the humble road of service. We choose to love people regardless of how they look or act. This week, let’s intentionally choose the lower seat at the table and ask God to use us to love the people in our lives.

Select an activity from the list below to begin applying the lessons of this session to your life.

Pray: Take time this week to confess any areas of pride in your life to God. Ask him to teach you how to be humble in every area of your life. Pray for opportunities to exercise humility.

Read: Read chapters 4–5 of Tim Tebow’s book This is the Day.

Reflect: Think back on a time when God used you in someone else’s life. Spend time this week writing down what happened. Take a moment to praise God for how he used you and ask for more opportunities to help the people in your life.

Act: Come up with one way to anonymously bless someone in your life. Send rent money to a family in need, go to work early and put an encouraging verse or note on everyone’s desk, or contact your church to see if there’s a need you can fill without getting recognition.