"Dying to Live"--Lesson Discussion on August 16, 2009

Today's lesson deals with the writing of Paul in Romans 6: 1-7. The theme of the lesson is the death to one's old life (before Christ) and the living of a transformed life after becoming a follower of Christ. The lesson began with a discussion of an Afghan man who faced the death penalty as a consequence for his converstion to Christianity. We also considered the example of former U.S. Olympic Skier Brodie Miller who went to the Olympics as a heavy favorite in his field and, as a result of two weeks of partying and socializing rather than making the sacrifice required for concentration and high performance, failed to meet the expectations for success in the Olympic races. The lesson helped us to understand the concept of dying to self and dying to the old way of life before we became Christians and living a new life, transformed to the life of Godliness.

In the lesson today, we studied Paul's admonition that we should die to our old life, die to ourselves, die to sin, just as Jesus died for our sin, and that we should live a life that honors God and reflects His presence in our lives as we were resurrected with Jesus, freed from the slavery of sin. In other words, we should not allow "pet sins" or other unGodly habits to dominate our daily lives. We emphasized the truth that God is in control as each of us attempts to avoid the temptations that come before us on a regular basis. We suggested personalizing one or more of the following verses as an aide in successfully overcoming the temptations of satan:

GOD IS IN CONTROL
Pick one of these verses which reminds
you that God is in control.
1 Peter 5:7
Luke 12:32
Proverbs 3:5-6
Psalm 46:1-2
Psalm 91:9-10
Psalm 4:8
Psalm 121:7-8
Deuteronomy 33:12
Psalm 18:2
John 16:33
Romans 6:5-6

Some of the strategies that we identified to help us defeat the temptation to engage in "pet sins" included fleeing from evil, exercising caution regarding our friends and colleagues, a strong prayer life, spending time in the Word, accountability groups or accountability relationships, and the personalization of God's Word in our lives. Challenge for this week:

Take at least one of the verses listed above and write the verse in a personalized style that speaks to you. If you feel led to do so, please share your personalized version of the scripture on this blog. May the Lord bless each of you and your families this week as we consider these truths. In the words of Max Lucado, "It's Not About Me."

Announcements/Resources:

Here is the link to the Lukewarm Christian Test: http://so4j.com/lukewarm-christian-test.php

Please mark your calendars for Saturday evening, August 29, 2009 for a class social at the Emerald Forest City Park and Neighborhood Pool. This will be a great opportunity for classmembers to socialize and get to know each other better as we begin a new school year and a new Sunday School year. Each family is asked to bring their own favorite sandwich/picnic meal for themselves and a dessert that can be shared with everyone. The pool will be open and you can swim or not as you choose. We have reserved an air conditioned room in the pool complex for eating and visiting. We will begin at 5:00 p.m. and conclude the party by 8:00 p.m. I look forward to seeing each of you.

F.Y.I.--Cindy and I plan to be out of town on Sunday, September 13, 2009. Our girls will be participating in another triathlon and we hope to cheer them on in Boerne, Texas. If there is ANYONE who feels led to facilitate or teach on that day, please contact me or contact Craig.

Prayer Requests Copied from Tracey's E-Mail:

Please pray for teachers as they head back to the classroomCreels- 1. teacher friend, Jody, has been diagnosed with kidney cancer. She is only in her late 20's and has a 4 YO child. 2. their neice's baby, June Creel, had surgery. Please pray for her recovery and that she will do well.Please continue to pray for the Lawyer family.Scasta- Craig's dad's surgery has been rescheduled for Tuesday morning. Please prayerfully consider if you are called to serve our SS class as apprentice teacher or greeter and let Jimmy or Craig know. Have a great week!

Jimmy