Relationship Greater Than Religion: Focus & Follow Through

Focus and Follow Through
Based on a sermon by Greg Ballog, 2/22/26

Opening prayer
“Lord Jesus, thank You that Your focus was and is on us.  As we meet together, help us fix our eyes on You, listen to Your Word, and respond in faith and obedience. Guard our hearts and guide our conversation so that we grow in who we are becoming in You and in what we do for You. We invite Your Spirit to lead us now. In Your name, amen.”

Scripture readings

1. Ephesians 2:10
2. Matthew 14:22-33
3. Proverbs 4:20-26
4. 1 Corinthians 15:54-58

Section 1 – Identity: Who we are before what we do
Read Ephesians 2:10
Key idea: “God cares more about who we are becoming than what we are doing.”

Discussion questions:

1. When you hear that you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works He prepared ahead of time, what does that stir in you—encouragement, pressure, confusion, something else? Why?
2. In your day-to-day life, where do you feel more pressure about “what you are doing” than confidence in “who you are becoming” in Christ? Give a recent example.
3. How might your choices this week look different if you started from your identity (loved, chosen, God’s workmanship) rather than from your to-do list or performance?
4. Think of a relationship that has most of your attention right now (family, work, friendship, team, etc.). How does your identity in Christ shape the way you show up in that relationship?

Optional prompt tying back to sermon idea:
Ask: “What relationship has your attention right now, and what does it reveal about where you are finding your sense of identity?”

Section 2 – Focus: Fixing our eyes on Jesus
Read Matthew 14:22-33
Key ideas: “Our public ministry is always tied to our private devotion.” “Many people called him Jesus – only disciples and followers make Him Lord.” “Our focus must be on Jesus, because Jesus’ focus was and is on us.”

Discussion questions:

1. What do you notice about Jesus’ pattern of withdrawing to pray before performing miracles like walking on the water and meeting the disciples in the storm? How does this connect to your own private devotion?
2. Peter walks on water when his eyes are on Jesus but begins to sink when he sees the wind. Where have you recently shifted focus from Jesus to your circumstances, and what did that do to your faith or emotions?
3. In verse 30, Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!” Where in your life right now do you need to pray that same prayer? What would it look like for you to reach out to Jesus in that area?
4. Only disciples and followers make Jesus Lord. In what area of your life do you most struggle to treat Jesus as Lord instead of just a helpful teacher or distant Savior?
5. Verse 33 ends with worship: “Truly you are the Son of God.” How might a renewed focus on who Jesus is (Son of God, Lord, Savior) change what others see in you at home, work, school, or on your team?

Section 3 – Guarding our heart and habits
Read Proverbs 4:20-26.
Key ideas: “What we focus on sticks.” “What we do consistently will always beat what we do occasionally.”

Discussion questions:

1. The passage talks about paying attention, not losing sight of God’s words, and keeping them within your heart. What tends to capture your attention most in a normal week—news, social media, performance, approval, comfort—and how does that shape your heart?
2. Verse 23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.” Practically, what does “guarding your heart” look like for you right now (boundaries, media, relationships, spiritual disciplines)?
3. Verses 24-26 highlight our speech, eyes, and feet. If you had to pick one—mouth, eyes, or path—that most needs re-focus on Jesus, which would it be and why?
4. Think about the phrase “what we do consistently will always beat what we do occasionally.” What is one small, consistent practice that helps you focus on Jesus (Scripture, prayer, gratitude, worship, serving, silence), and how could you strengthen that practice this week?
5. Where have “occasional” spiritual habits left you feeling spiritually dry or distracted? What one change could move that area from occasional to consistent?

Section 4 – Hope and perseverance: Follow-through with eternity in view
Read 1 Corinthians 15:54-58.
Key ideas: Death has been swallowed in victory; our labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Discussion questions:

1. How does the reality that death has been swallowed up in victory and that Jesus gives us the victory affect how you handle discouragement, suffering, or spiritual fatigue?
2. Verse 58 calls us to “stand firm” and “let nothing move you.” Where are you most tempted right now to quit, compromise, or coast in your walk with Jesus?
3. When you hear, “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain,” what “work of the Lord” comes to mind in your current season (family, church, vocation, serving, relationships)?
4. How does keeping eternity and resurrection hope in view help you follow through when results are slow, unseen, or unappreciated?

Follow-up exercise for the week
You can present this as a simple “Focus and Follow-Through Challenge” to do individually with an optional check-in next week.

Step 1 – Identify your focus:
Ask each person to write down:

• One relationship that currently has the most of their attention.
• One area of life where they feel they are “sinking” like Peter because they are focused more on the wind than on Jesus.

Step 2 – Choose one consistent practice:
Invite each person to choose one small, realistic, daily practice for the next 7 days that will help them fix their eyes on Jesus in that specific area (for example: read and pray through one of the passages each day, set a daily reminder to pray “Lord, save me” and surrender that area, speak one truth from Scripture over that relationship, or practice a brief morning or evening examen to notice where their focus went that day).

Step 3 – Guard your heart:
Encourage each person to name one distraction they will limit this week (phone time, certain media, negative self-talk, people-pleasing) and one way they will “guard their heart above all else” in that area (Scripture card on the mirror, no phone until after prayer, worship playlist in the car, etc.).

Step 4 – Next-week check-in:
Plan to start the next small group meeting with:

• One short story: Where did you notice God at work as you focused on Jesus?
• One honest reflection: Where did you drift or sink, and what did you learn about your focus?

Closing prayer
You can have one leader pray or invite a few group members to pray short prayers around these themes.

Suggested leader prayer:
“Jesus, thank You that You have already given us the victory and that our labor in You is not in vain.  Help us to remember that we are Your workmanship, created for good works You prepared in advance for us.  Fix our eyes on You this week, especially in the places where we are tempted to look at the wind and waves. Teach us to guard our hearts, to build consistent habits that keep us close to You, and to stand firm, always giving ourselves fully to Your work. Use our lives and our focus so that others would see You and worship You as Lord. We trust You and go out in Your strength. In Your name, amen.”