Daily EM QT – Saturday July 31, 2010
Mr. Hudson
QT Title: Loving Life – Regarding the fellowship among the believers in the Christian community, today’s passage teaches us to not cause another brother to fall with our own freedom, but to have mutual edification.
QT Verses: Romans 14:13-23
Schedule your regular meeting with God: Set aside a quiet time and place, early morning or late evening.
Begin with prayer: Before meditating on God’s word, 1) reflect on God Himself, 2) ask that He may open you eyes to understand His Word correctly (Ps 119:18), and 3) ask for wisdom and strength to apply this in your daily life.
Prayer for today: Let us model after the community of the kingdom of God that seeks righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Reflect on the previous day’s content and then read the Bible verses for today’s QT. Romans 14:13-23 - The bible verses are hyperlinked so you can click and pull up the verses on another website. You can right click on link and open in new window. It is important that you read the text yourself. Even if the passage is a familiar one, read it as if you were seeing it for the first time. Reading different translations may also help you in gaining new insight.
Summarize the day’s passage (bible verses) in two or three sentences. Then further summarize into two or three words that encapsulate the theme. Write them down.
Explore who God is like: Examine God’s characteristics as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and write down how He reigns over your life. As you read His Word, search for: 1) His work and ministry, 2) God’s personality and how it manifests in this world, 3) the confessions of the author or key figures in the text.
Consider how you can apply what you have discovered about God: First you need to accept these revelations as God speaking to you. Application of His Word is responding to what God has revealed to you. It is the way in which you may respond and show your willingness to apply God’s teachings to your life. However, be careful not to manipulate God’s Word to fit your own desires. Apply concretely: 1) Thankfulness and praise, 2) Faith and trust, 3) Confession, 4) Resolution and Commitment.
Consider who God is like in today’s bible verses: Romans 14:17, 18 – God made us to serve Christ with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. As God accepts sinners like us as righteous, we should accept other weak brothers. As we are reconciled with God through Christ, we should make peace with our brothers. Then we will have overflowing joy in us. Like this, God rejoices greatly as we look for righteousness, peace and joy by following the Holy Spirit and living as we serve Christ. And then this life will be approved by men.
Consider what lesson God is teaching you: Allow God to teach you in specific ways. Record detailed instructions as you find them from the text so that you can obey them. Investigate: 1) Commands to obey (and warnings), 2) Actions to adopt (good examples set by biblical characters), 3) Sins to avoid (mistakes of the biblical characters), 4) Sins to discard, 5) Promises to hold onto, 6) Prayers to pray, 7) Thoughts to correct.
Consider how you can apply God’s teachings: Write down in detail in a notebook each day ways in which you will put into practice the teachings you have received, carefully avoiding vague or ambiguous applications that cannot be carried out. Plan out when, what and how you will put this into practice. Also think broadly, that His Word may be lived out not only in your life, but also in your family, church, neighborhoods, country and the world. And, where you can, take action to apply His teachings today!
Consider what lesson God is teaching me in today’s bible verses: Romans 14:13 – If one thinks we must keep the law in the community while another thinks we do not need to do so any more, neither must judge the other. Ultimately, I must not put any stumbling block or obstacle in another’s way to make them stumble.
Romans 14:14-16 – Christians are able to accept all things God created as good and holy. As it is, we, the children of God, have freedom to eat anything or to remember any special days. However, we are abusing our freedom when we act without love, causing others to fall or give up their faith. This results in what we consider good to be spoken of as evil. Therefore, I have to think about how my freedom might affect or influence others, and in everything act according to the principle of love.
Pray especially for your application points.
Write down your reflections. You will find that writing down your thoughts each day in a notebook will help in your walk in faith. It is useful for reviewing and reflecting on the applications each day, and in sharing these with other people through email replies, text messaging or other means of communication. A written note is better than a brilliant memory any day!