January 6- January 12

Week 1: Romans 12:1-2

January 6-12

Overview: According to A.W. Tozer, mercy is defined as “an infinite and inexhaustible energy within the divine nature which disposes God to be actively compassionate…Forever His mercy stands a boundless, overwhelming immensity of divine pity and compassion.” God’s infinite mercy means it has always existed from eternity—it never began, and it doesn’t grow more or less. It simply is. God’s infinite mercy motivates us to give back to Him what He has given us. Our bodies were created by Him, and we have the opportunity to live our lives in them. Out of gratitude for who God is, we have the privilege of offering our bodies back to Him. Beyond our bodies, we can also offer Him our minds by choosing to renew them through the transforming power of God’s Word. Reading and meditating on Scripture changes our thinking, transforming our mental faculties—our reasoning, understanding, and discernment between good and evil (Ellicott). Our minds are renewed by the Word of God, making us wiser. However, when we neglect the Bible, our minds remain dull. Renewal and transformation should be pursued daily, intentionally, one moment at a time—regularly, habitually, and continually.

Day 1: Romans 12:1-2

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 12:1-2

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 12:1-2

How do we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice?

How do we determine if this offering is what it ought to be?

What does it mean to not conform to the pattern of this world?

What must we do to renew our minds? Are we joyfully engaged in this each day?

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 12:1-2

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 12:1-2

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.”