ADVENT - I don’t deserve this!
Week3: LOVE
Day 4: Faith when I can't see
via TJC
'But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.'
Romans 5:8
I like all the traditions around Advent every Christmas, the candles in church, the cool countdown calendars and even the Bible studies and devotionals. The Joshua Commission has even gotten on the bandwagon. Traditions are good reminders but they can also become so regular that we miss the real intent. We have been doing our best to learn about the real intent of Advent, the anticipated coming of something important. Along with that we have tried to share a process that many of us in the Joshua Commission have found so helpful in our personal relationship with God. It hasn’t been easy and in reality it will take longer than our brief Daily Battle Orders can provide. But today I spent time using the skills I have learned through Every Man a Warrior to look at Romans 5:1-11 and God met me there to tell me more about Advent.
Through these verses God reminded me of the new condition of my spirit that came through His great love for me, as acted out through Christ coming. God and I are on good terms because I am “made right in God’s sight through faith” and I “have peace with God” because of Christ. But God didn’t make me right with Him because I got some things right. NO, He sent Christ for each and every one of us when we were at our most undeserving. He even made me a friend of God. Then he went away with a promise that he would return.
I love the excitement of Christmas but if I’m honest it is really mostly about all the traditions. Celebrating the first coming of Christ as a baby is honestly a lot of fun. When I read these verses though, I get a renewed excitement that is more about Jesus' second coming. I mean come on, who wouldn’t want to hang out with the guy who did all of this for us when we in no way deserved it.
Daily Battle Order - QUIET TIME CHALLENGE
During this Advent, we are using parts of the Every Man a Warrior Method for Bible Study.
With this method, we engage the scriptural verses by answering a number of questions.
Try and “put it all together” today, focusing on all of the questions below.
Find a Quiet Place.
Pray to Jesus Christ and ask for his presence guiding you in your studies.
Read Romans 5;1-11 and ask yourself the questions below!
ASK THESE QUESTIONS: my answers included for example.
Is There:
A command to obey? Confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's Glory
A promise to claim? When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners
A Sin to Avoid? Disappointment (This hope will not lead to disappointment)
An application to make? Rejoice when we run into problems and trials
Something new about God? How dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love
Write your answers down in a journal or a note on your phone. Share them with a friend, or with us at the Joshua Commission (simply reply to this email). This really helps to lock in what God has shown you in your time with Him.
ABOUT EVERY MAN A WARRIOR
Every Man A Warrior is a discipleship Bible study that “Helps Men Succeed in Life". It helps them win the battles they fight every day. Since 2011, 50,000 men in 40 countries and in 18 languages have been impacted by the Every Man A Warrior curriculum. The Every Man A Warrior ministry joined Trans World Radio (TWR) in 2017 in order to take discipleship around the world. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EMAW and learn about how you can implement this training series in your men’s group. TJC will be helping several groups to start in January. If you would like to be part of learning this process that has impacted so many of us at the Joshua Commission, sign up here.
If you want to understand more Click here to read: THE ABC'S of the EMAW QUIET TIME BIBLE STUDY.
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