Reading:
Now the question is, “How do I live this out in a practical way?” We discover the answer to this question together as a body of Christ. Christ said that the world will know that we are His by how we love one another. We live out the truths of scripture together. We question and we listen and we share what God has taught us. We encourage and challenge each other to keep pressing into the Gospel and God’s Word. And we seek God together. And we have a God, who is walking along side us, helping us to be the church. More than helping, He leads the church. And He will lead us into practical ways to serve the poor and downtrodden.

Scripture reading:
2 Timothy 3:16,17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Questions:
What are some practical ways you can apply these lessons to your own life?

How can you encourage these lessons in others?

How does your life need to change to live these principles?

Who are some people in your daily life that you can minister too? In your everyday life is God providing opportunities to minister to the poor?

What is available in your neighborhood? What opportunities are there?

What actions can you take, now?

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16

If you do not love the voice of your Beloved, then forget it. You’ve run in vain. 1 John says that if we are in Him, we will love His commands. This is not a hard thing. As I mentioned before Jesus’ words are romantic. And if we love Christ we will respond to His romance. If we love Him, we will obey His commands. Not only this but the scripture also says that the scripture is living and active. It works on us to obey. I think we often have the picture of the scripture as being a persuasive thing, when in reality it is effective. We all know that God’s word doesn’t return to Him void. When I read and meditate on God’s word it changes my life.
I like this quote: “God’s Word is like a lion: powerful, living, and active. We believe the lion is “caged” when it is used improperly as a pragmatic guidebook, platform for politics, for perpetual therapy, or for phony experience. The Church is responsible to uncage this lion and watch it run and triumph. And it will triumph, for it is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.”

I also like how Jesus said that we must come to Him with faith like a child. This doesn’t mean that the father doesn’t teach his child complicated or deep things. What it means is that the child trusts his father and believes him when he teaches him hard and deep things.

b. By faith we are we love others. (Unfortunately, I don’t have time here to go into this more deeply. Although it is vital and must accompany your faith.)

If Christ washes us with His word, how important is the scriptures in our lives?

How passionate are you to love His word? How receptive are you to His romance?

If the scripture is living and active, is not understanding it a reason not to read it?

Are there scriptures that cause you to tremble? Do you avoid them, or do you respond with the faith of a child? (read Isaiah 66:1,2)

Additional readings: Isaiah 66:1,2; 1 Corinthians 2:4,5; 1 John

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