Tuesday, 14 October 2014

The Application Bridge: Three Questions to Ask of Any Bible Passage

The Application Bridge: Three Questions to Ask of Any Bible Passage

BY RICK WARREN — OCTOBER 13, 2014
40-Days-in-the-Word-Devotional
“Does the LORD really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn’t want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey him.” (1 Samuel 15:22b CEV)
If you aren’t experienced in applying God’s Word to your life, you might be frustrated. How do you do it? Today I want to give you three questions you can ask of any passage that will help you apply the Bible to your life. Here are the three questions:
  1. What did this Scripture mean when it was written?
  2. What is the timeless truth behind what God is saying?
  3. How does it apply to me now?
We call this the application bridge. We’re building a bridge between the world of the Bible and our world. Let’s try to build this bridge when applying what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 8 about eating the food sacrificed to idols. Read 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, and then ask yourself the questions above.
  1. What did this Scripture mean when it was written? There were people in the church of Corinth who knew that idols meant nothing and the food offered to them had no magic power. It was just hamburger or a good steak. There was no harm in eating it because the idols they were sacrificed to weren’t real. So this group would eat freely but with no regard to what other people might think. Yet there were also new believers who were offended by that practice. They didn’t think that believers should eat food sacrificed to gods of other religions. Paul tells the mature believers not to allow their freedom in Christ to offend their brothers.
  2. What is the timeless truth behind what God is saying? Don’t use your freedom in Christ to offend others. Freedom must be used in love.
  3. How does it apply to me now? It’s not very common to come into contact with food being offered to idols where I live in Southern California. I’m guessing it doesn’t happen in your area, either. So does that mean it’s irrelevant for us? Of course not! If the timeless truth is: “Don’t use your freedom to offend others. Freedom must be used in love,” we need to be sensitive to people around us, because that’s how you demonstrate love. Ask yourself, “Lord, is there anything I’m doing out of selfishness, arrogance, or deliberate insensitivity to other people that could be causing a fellow brother or sister to stumble? Am I being puffed up by my own knowledge of freedom, or am I building up others in love?”
Apply these three questions to the passage you study in the Bible each day, and God will make it clear what he wants you to do with what you’ve learned from his Word.
Talk It Over

Set the Tone
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:
"I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises."
(Psalm 34:1, NLT)
TODAY'S WORD:
When you wake up in the morning, what’s the first thing you think about? What’s the first thing you say? Do you set the tone for success, favor and blessing? Yesterday may have had some hardships or some difficulties, but it’s a new day. We should be on the lookout for God’s blessings. 

The scripture tells us that the darker it gets in the world, the brighter it’s going to be for God’s people. The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn shining brighter until the new day. Things may be bad all around you, people may be negative, complaining and discouraged, but don’t let that rub off on you. The worse it gets, the brighter you’re going to shine. Be determined to set the tone for your day by praising God and speaking words of faith over your future. Be determined to shine. Stand strong in faith and set the tone for your future!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father in heaven, I choose to bless You at all times. I choose to set the tone today to receive Your favor, grace and mercy. Thank You for Your faithfulness to me at all times in Jesus’ name! Amen!
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