Not About You

Over the last two week's the Wednesday Night Fight Night studies have been designed to help families see some different ways they can use the Fighter Verses at home.  
In this post, I included the activities we do along with the devotional connections.  

ACTIVITY TIME

Romans 12:14 activity

5 minutes for each person in your group to say verse 14.

and do the following activities:

1. Read information about Adinoram Judson.

2. Answer the question about the quote and ask what stood out in this short story of Judson’s life.

Romans 12:15 activity

5 minutes for each person in your group to say the verse twice,

Have some people share some things that have made them

Rejoice.

Pray as a group:  thank God for these things.

Have some people share some things that have made them weep.

Pray as a group:  Ask God to help in these situations.

Romans 12:16 activity

5 minutes for filling in verse 16 blanks,

have each person in your group say the verse twice,

Ask the group what they think “haughty” means based on what the verse says.

Share this definition:   having or showing an attitude of

superiority and for people or things perceived to be inferior

Work together in your group to decide which of the following items would be the best  (1 = best - 4= worst) to have if you were lost in the woods.  Explain why.  There is not a correct answer.

__  baby pacifier 

__  stuffed animal

__  baseball

__  spatula

DEVOTIONAL TIME

Romans 12:14 says "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them."

This reverse economy of the Christian faith is very challenging.  As a matter of fact, it is impossible to live this way without the Holy Spirit.  

Jesus Christ set the example for us, as stated in 1 Peter 2:21, "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,"

It is very easy to love those who love you (Luke 6:32-33).  Even sinners do this.  
You are to bless those who persecute you and "do good to those who hate you." (Luke 6:27)

John Stott wrote, “There is no better way to express our positive wishes for our enemies’ welfare than to turn them into prayer and into action.”

Missionary stories are great reminders of what this looks like.
The part of Judson story that was read last night is from the FREE book Adoniram Judson:  How Few There Are Who Die So Hard by John Piper.

Remember it is not about you and your comfort.

Romans 12:15 says "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

On one hand, these two commands seem a little strange.  What is the challenge in these verses?
The supernatural living comes when someone is rejoicing while you are facing challenges or another is rejoicing when you believe it should be you.  
The supernatural living comes when someone is weeping and you are happy something bad happened to that person who may have hurt you. 

Remember it is not about you and your circumstances.

Romans 12:16 says "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.  Never be wise in your own sight." 

John Piper states the following in his sermon "Bless Those Who Persecute You"

Virtually all the commands in verses 14-21 assume that something deeper has happened.  All these commands are rooted in freedom from self-preoccupation and self-infatuation and self-exaltation. And, much more than that—though that is crucial—they are rooted in Christ-preoccupation and Christ-infatuation and Christ-exaltation... 

We could go to verse 1, look at the words, “I appeal to you by the mercies of God” and show how all of this chapter is the fruit of being overwhelmed by the mercy of God in Christ spelled out in Romans 1-11. That would be exactly right.

Remember it is not about you.  

"God's motivation of his love for you isn't that you are great. It's that He is great."  Matt Chandler