Week 1 Day 5

Week 1 Day 5
Memory Verse: But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Matt 6:33

STUDY VERSES:
Matt 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matt. 5:16 The world will see the light of the kingdom through the good works done by Jesus' disciples (and believers today), with the result that the Father who is in heaven will be glorified.

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said,“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,and to listen than the fat of rams.

1 Sam. 15:22 The Lord himself does not need sacrifices like gods in other religions. Rather, the people need to bring sacrifices in order to approach the holy God (see Leviticus 1–5). Even the best sacrifice without obedience gains nothing.

Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with your wealthand with the firstfruits of all your produce;10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Prov. 3:9–10 Honor the Lord. This requires giving proper weight to your wealth by using it only for righteous, just, and equitable purposes (“in all your ways acknowledge him,” v. 6), which begins with offering the firstfruits of everything to the Lord (see Deut. 18:1–5). To give the firstfruits is to imply that the whole belongs to God, indeed the whole worshiper. The prosperity described in Prov. 3:10 is the blessing of the covenant (Deut. 28:1–14), a kind of restored Eden. Your barns will be filled with plenty is a generalization concerning the effect of honoring the Lord with all that one has and is. It is not, however, more than a generalization (as Job's comforters held), for to view this as a mechanical formula dishonors God and his inscrutable sovereign purposes.

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Rom. 12:1 Therefore points back to the entire argument from 1:18–11:36. mercies of God. Christians are to give themselves entirely to God because of his saving grace, as shown in 3:21–11:36. Sacrificial language from the OT is used to denote the new life of Christians, and this means that the word bodies here refers to Christians as whole persons, for both body and soul belong to God. They are a living sacrifice, meaning that they are alive from the dead since they enjoy new life with Christ (6:4). “Living” also means that they will not be put to death as OT animal sacrifices were (see notes on sacrifices in Leviticus 1–7), for Christ has fulfilled what was predicted by those sacrifices. Whereas OT worship focused on offering animal sacrifices in the temple, Paul says that spiritual worship in a broad sense now includes offering one's whole life to God (cf. Heb. 13:15–16). Elsewhere, however, the NT can also use the word “worship” in a narrower sense, to speak of specific acts of adoration and praise (Matt. 2:2; John 4:20; Acts 13:2; 1 Cor. 14:25; Heb. 12:28; Rev. 11:1).

Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Rom. 13:8 Verses 8–10 focus on the Christian's relationship to the Mosaic law. Owe no one anything links back to v. 7, and thus the command does not prohibit all borrowing but means that one should always “pay what is owed” (see v. 7), fulfilling whatever repayment agreements have been made. The debt one never ceases paying is the call to love one another. Indeed, love fulfills what the Mosaic law demands.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing.

1 Thess. 5:17 Pray without ceasing suggests a mental attitude of prayerfulness, continual personal fellowship with God, and consciousness of being in his presence throughout each day.

STUDY QUESTIONS:
1. Why should we let our lights shine?

2. How would you respond to someone who said, "you are so disciplined and have so much self-control"?

3. What characteristics should we have in living for Jesus?

4. Rate the following statements either Strong, Average or Weak:

I desire to know and obey God
I offer myself to God as a living sacrifice
I give to God from my material possessions
I love others on an ongoing basis
I sustain a lifestyle of prayer

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In your journal write a prayer for someone other than yourself and your immediate family. Commit to praying that prayer each day. Write down a prayer for someone who doesn't know Christ. Commit to praying for them each day. If you get the opportunity, let that person know you are lifting them up in prayer.

Lord we thank you so much for the opportunity to let our light shine with the Light of the World! We know that when the Light shines, no darkness can hide from it. Draw unto us people that need your light, give us wisdom and power to witness and share the hope we have in You Father. We pray that we live and give to honor You. Holy Spirit, we seek your wisdom and might and courage to minister to the lost and help them to hear the Word. We know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God! We love you today Lord, Amen.

Let your light shine Beloved! Sister Lisa