EXPAND TO READ: ROMANS 15 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 1-2): I often live this life in a way that is pleasing to myself instead of for the benefit of others. I often seek to help others in a way that benefits myself or makes me feel good, which is not what You expect of me from these two verses, Father. Please forgive me for my selfishness in this life, Father. Help me to be better at bearing other’s weaknesses for their benefit and help me to be pleasing to others to build them up instead of for selfish desires. Please help me to become better at this for Your glory and Your kingdom, Father. Help me become less selfish in my intentions and motives in this life.
PROMISE (verse 7): Your promise to us here is about Jesus accepting us to the glory of God. I do often feel unaccepted in this life but knowing that You have made this promise of acceptance makes my heart feel Your joy in this life. Thank You so much for Your acceptance, Father, even though I make so many mistakes. Thank You for the grace You have shown me throughout my faith. I need to learn to be better at understanding, accepting, and embracing Your acceptance of me so I can walk in confidence through my faith.
ATTITUDE (verse 13): Please help me to have an attitude that accepts Your joy and peace fully, Father. In this verse You tell us that the God of hope will fill us with joy and peace through our belief so much so that we will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit. Help me to be accepting of Your joy and peace so much that it overflows out of me to others, Father. I have struggled with the attitudes of joy and peace for so long and I know that with Your counsel, instruction, and healing that I can once again be filled so much with joy and peace that it overflows to those around me. Thank You so much for this abundance, Father.
COMMAND (verses 20-21): In these verses, You tell us that we should not do evangelism towards others who already have a foundation as we cannot build on someone else’s foundation through evangelism. I believe that would be fellowship, counseling, and instruction through Your word. In these verses, You essentially define evangelism for us as speaking Your truth to others who do not know Your truth and You command us to pursue this. When we are speaking Your truths to others who already know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, this is not evangelism, and we should not confuse it. I have struggled with evangelism in my life since coming to faith as I have lacked the confidence and self-esteem to go forth and spread Your word to others who do not know You. Help me become better and more confident in sharing my story about You to others, Father, so that I may be better at following Your command of evangelism.
EXAMPLE (verses 17-19): The example given here of how we are to evangelize is amazing. He says that he boasts in Jesus regarding what pertains to God, but that he also does not dare saying anything except what Jesus has accomplished through him specifically. This example pretty much says to me that I should not speak to things that I have no experience or knowledge on from You. I do often try to speak to things by “filling in the gaps” instead of saying “I don’t know” or something like that. I have often struggled with saying the words “I don’t know” for whatever reason. I feel I need to know everything, and it has always been a struggle to me personally to admit that I don’t know something. Help me to be better at sharing my experiences that You have blessed me with in a way that glorifies You, but also help me to be better at being okay with no knowing how to respond or how to answer.
*DAILY NOTE: Thank You so much for this chapter in Romans, Father. It spoke rather loudly to me this morning and blessed me in so many ways. I struggle a lot with confidence when it comes to speaking about Your truth, Your word, and my experiences with You. Help me to be better with this, Father, so that I may become better at evangelizing to others in this life. I do want to be a good helper to You for expanding Your kingdom and I can’t do that if I’m unable to confidently express what You have done in my life for me personally.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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