Week 8: Romans 13:8-10
February 24- March 2
Overview: If you want to know how to love someone, look to God’s instructions. His commandments guide us in how to treat others, outlining what we should avoid in our relationships— things like adultery, murder, theft, and coveting. These commandments focus on our interactions with those around us, all summed up in the powerful command to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mother Teresa exemplified loving others well because she first loved God deeply. Her desire to help people and share His love was a natural extension of her relationship with Him. Her own words beautifully reflect how her vertical relationship with God empowered her to love others:
“Dear Jesus, help me to spread thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with thy Spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of thine. Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine so to shine as to be a light to others.”
As we strive to love others through the lens of Romans 13:8-10, may our prayer echo hers, asking that we represent Christ’s love to everyone we encounter.
Day 1: Romans 13:8-10
What do we learn about God?
What do we learn about people?
What is the key/main point?
Are there any truths/points regarding the gospel?
Optional Going Deeper: Choose a Bible study method/activity from the list below to deepen your knowledge/understanding of how God is speaking to you today.
Day 2: Romans 13:8-10
Note that not every text will have each of these. Please don’t force the text to make it fit. Simply look for what is there.
What sins are we called to avoid?
What commands/principles are we given to obey?
What promises can we claim?
What examples are there to follow?
Optional Going Deeper: Choose a Bible study method/activity from the list below to deepen your knowledge/understanding of how God is speaking to you today.
Day 3: Romans 13:8-10
How is loving others the fulfillment of the law?
Make a list that defines and characterizes loving others. What does true love entail?
“Love is doing no harm to a neighbor.” How does this instruction help us evaluate whether we are loving others in the right way?
In what ways have you shown love to others recently?
Optional Going Deeper: Choose a Bible study method/activity from page 6 to deepen your knowledge/understanding of how God is speaking to you today.
Day 4: Romans 13:8-10
M-O-P
Meditation
Pray and ask God for insights as you meditate on today’s passage.
Read through the passage for the day a couple of times.
Observations
Write as many observations as you can from the passage.
Write out word for word the key verse of the passage in which God spoke to you and include the scripture reference.
Prayer
Pray and ask God to remind you during the day about what you just learned and through the power of the Holy Spirit, how you will apply these principles to your life.
Spend time just talking with God; take some time in Adoration, some time in Confession, some time in Thanksgiving, and some time in Supplication (making requests).
Optional Going Deeper: Choose a Bible study method/activity from page 6 to deepen your knowledge/understanding of how God is speaking to you today.
Day 5: Romans 13:8-10
Reread the passage for the week and ask God to give you eyes to see His truth and how He wants it to specifically impact your life. Review each day of notes and highlight/identify what stood out to you most and why.
Summarize what you think God is teaching the original readers through this week’s reading.
Write out key applications and action points from this passage for your life.
Who is someone in your life who doesn’t know Jesus that you can share a biblical truth from this passage with?
Take time praying for that person and try to set up an appointment to meet up with them.
Going Deeper:
Because God created us all with different personalities and spiritual temperaments, we each have our own unique ways to worship, grow, and connect with Him. Choose a Bible study method/activity from the list below that helps you connect with God and deepens your knowledge and understanding of how God is speaking to you today.
• Meditate on Scripture in nature
• Write a poem related to this text
• Sing the Scripture
• Do a word study on some words in the text
• Listen to a worship song related to this text
• Draw a picture related to this text
• Look up parallel verses
• Reach out to a friend and talk about what you are learning this week
• Listen to this text of Scripture (audio Bible)
• Paint related to this text
• Memorize your favorite verse in the text
• Journal
• Pray the Scripture
• Write a letter of encouragement to someone sharing what God is teaching you
• Do a prayer walk as you pray through this Scripture or something God spoke to you about in this text
• Read Scripture out loud
• Choose a main idea/repeated word or phrase from the text and look at how it is carried out throughout the verses this week
Sermon Notes:
Disclaimer: “Unless otherwise noted, the overviews and questions were taken in part from smallgroup.com, a curriculum writing division of LifeWay Christian Resources.”