Men's Bible Study 4/26/07

ROMANS 12

Verse 1: How can you practically offer your body as a living sacrifice? How can you glorify God every day? Perhaps you can always be out there talking to someone who is not of faith. Perhaps it can be as simple as giving everything in your life up to God. Perhaps it can be devoting a portion of each and every day to God through prayer, reading the Word, or just having quiet times
Verse 2: Do not just live like the rest of the world. Your life should be a living testimony of God's work. In other words, your life should be transformed. You will know how God is working in your life.
Verse 3: Know that everything you do, every action, even your faith, ultimately comes from God. So do not build yourself up but rather attribute it all back to God, who has made these things possible.
Verse 4-8: Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? What are spiritual gifts? They are the gifts/talents that God has given you so that you may glorify Him. Some people may seem to be more talented than others in certain skills, but ultimately, each member of the body is equal in importance. Not one part of the body, or one avenue of service, is more important than another.
Verse 9-13: How to show love through action. Place your brothers and sisters in Christ above yourself. Don't lose faith, but rather be fervent. Serve your fellow Christians in their needs. If you are not hospitable to your fellow Christians, how then can you be hospitable outside of the church?
Verse 14-16: Do not hold wrongs against those who serve in what you may consider lower positions.
Verse 17-21: What do you do when someone wrongs you? Do you feel hurt? Do you retaliate immediately? Do you try to talk with that person and try to resolve the conflict as soon as possible? Or do you tolerate the offense and simple let it be? Or maybe you sleep over it and wait a few days to let your angry mind settle. When someone wrongs you, it is often hard to discern what needs to be done to resolve the conflict. But when you have trouble knowing what to do, ask yourself: am I doing this out of bitterness or love? If you answered bitterness, think it through and let your mind settle before attempting to resolve the conflict. Who fights fire by throwing flaming oil on top of it? In the same way, rage fuels rage. If you answered love, then pray and meditate on how you can best express your love for that person and thus resolve the conflict. Often, this will be achieved through talking, understanding, and true forgiveness.
Thanks to Andrew for leading Bible Study today.