Monday, March 21, 2005
Application
It is not merely enough to study and know God's word. It must be applied to real life. That is the definition of application - putting the Word of God on our real-life situations. Immediately we are faced with two problems.
The first problem can be found with the wonderful WWJD cliché. “What Would Jesus Do?” Sometimes this can be helpful, but too often we answer it so abstractly that it is toothless. “Jesus would be loving, kind, patient, and meek.”
Honestly – that isn’t very helpful. What does love look like in an abusive relationship? How would Jesus ‘love’ the person who has a string of lies and half-truths behind him, ruined a friendship, destroyed a Life Group, and is wrecking a marriage?
The second problem is that we are extremely good at manipulating the situation or rationalizing our convictions so that the application may not always be what God intended. Ever notice how we tell stories about ourselves? We are either the victim or the hero. Makes for applying God’s word a little difficult.
So what is the solution? Each other. When we surround ourselves with people who love us but aren’t impressed with us – they can see through the fog and insecurities. When we allow them access, they can be tools of God in helping us applying God’s word. They bring perspective to our worlds.
For spiritual transformation to take place, God's word must be applied to our lives.
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Back To Life Group Leader Track
The first problem can be found with the wonderful WWJD cliché. “What Would Jesus Do?” Sometimes this can be helpful, but too often we answer it so abstractly that it is toothless. “Jesus would be loving, kind, patient, and meek.”
Honestly – that isn’t very helpful. What does love look like in an abusive relationship? How would Jesus ‘love’ the person who has a string of lies and half-truths behind him, ruined a friendship, destroyed a Life Group, and is wrecking a marriage?
The second problem is that we are extremely good at manipulating the situation or rationalizing our convictions so that the application may not always be what God intended. Ever notice how we tell stories about ourselves? We are either the victim or the hero. Makes for applying God’s word a little difficult.
So what is the solution? Each other. When we surround ourselves with people who love us but aren’t impressed with us – they can see through the fog and insecurities. When we allow them access, they can be tools of God in helping us applying God’s word. They bring perspective to our worlds.
For spiritual transformation to take place, God's word must be applied to our lives.
Back To Life Group Disciplines
Back To Intern Track
Back To Life Group Leader Track
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