Passage for this week: 1 Corinthians 6:12
Resource: Pray The Word Podcast by David Platt
How to use this resource: The questions below should be read after you and your family have spent time listening to the resource, and after you have had time to read through the passage carefully and slowly. Following your family time discussion (using the questions below, or your own questions regarding this text), close in prayer and ask your kids how you can be praying for them and let them know how they can be praying for you as parents.
Family Devotional Question For This Week:
1. What stands out to you the most from reading this passage? What did you learn that is new to you from this passage? What did you learn that caused you to remember something you’ve known, or what has been reinforced from reading this passage?
2. What is Paul saying when he says “all things are lawful for me”? What is he NOT saying?
(Potential answers: First, Paul simply means that there is nothing for the Chrisitian that is unclean or that has been vandalized by paganism that the Chrisitian cannot partake in so long as it is for the glory of God. as David mentioned, we should stop asking ourselves “Is this okay for me to do or not do?” and instead think about whether or not every action in our lives is for the glory of God AND THE SPIRITUAL BENEFIT OF OTHERS. The Christian is free, as Paul explains, but should not fall into consuming things that are causing us or others to stumble into sin (see Acts 10:15 for a similar settlement along with all of Romans 14 and 15). Also, from Romans 14, Paul is not being diminutive when he refers to the one who is ‘weak’ in their faith. he simply means weakness as a newborn would have weakness, or an infantile/rudimentary Christian understanding BECAUSE of their newness to the faith. there were some new believers who were struggling with leaving behind the purification rituals of certain foods (that may be a gross understatement, so bear with me) that caused them to, for example, only continue eating vegetables. Second, what Paul is NOT saying is that in christ, ANYTHING is allowable for us to do. No, this would be a huge misunderstanding and falling short to read the rest of what he mentions later on and elsewhere, as mentioned above!)
3. How is this passage trying to get us to think about what we are driven by?
(Potential answers: David makes some great points by directing us to think about how our lives are (or should be) Christ-like examples for all to see. Rather than every single action, from big to small, being about our own glory (as the World lives by), we shall not be “dominated by anything” in the words of Paul. we shall not be seeking our own benefit and glory, but the benefit of others so as to be helpful to them in their walk with Christ and wherever they are in that. we shall not be taken-over by what we have been freed from in Christ!)
Prayer Prompts For This Week:
– Pray for the things that we have trouble releasing and being freed from. if there is anything in our lives that is keeping us from freedom in Christ, pray individually for what those things are and that God would free us from that through His power.
– Pray that we would seek the benefit of others over ourselves and that we would value what is beneficial to our walk with Christ more than what is permissible and allowable through Christs freedom.
– Continue to pray for one another and write down or remember the requests of each person. Either have one person pray over each request, or delegate those prayer requests so that each person prays for something or someone specific.