DAY 3 OF THE BLESSINGS OF PAUL DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDY SERIES: STRONG

Written 2014-11-18 11:01:34, Tuesday

The devotional Bible studies covered in The Blessings of the Bible blog will cover three main subjects:

1 The life of Paul (Life) (L)

2 The writings of Paul (Writings) (W)

3 The themes of Paul (Themes) (T)

So:

Life

Writings

Themes

for short. (LWT)

We have covered the first two in Day 1 and Day 2. Now, we will cover a theme of Paul's writings today in Day 3.

Today, we will look at the theme of STRONG/STRENGTH. 

JOURNALING QUESTIONS AND PROMPTS

Please do not cheat and read ahead. Take a sticky note and cover the rest of this devotional Bible study if you need so you aren't tempted to read ahead. Answer these questions first. Do not skip them. 

What is strength? Define it.

How are you strong? Explain.

What gives you strength? 

Who gives you strength?

Now, read ahead. 

The following verses are verses which talk aobut where our true source of strength should reside. 

Colossians 2:7-8 Expanded Bible (EXB)

7 Keep your roots deep in him and have your lives built on him. Be ·strong [established] in the faith, just as you were taught, ·and always be thankful [abounding/overflowing with gratitude].

8 ·Be sure [Be careful; Watch; See] that no one ·leads you away [takes you captive; captivates you] with ·false [deceptive] and ·empty [worthless] teaching that is ·only human [L according to human traditions], which comes from the ·ruling spirits [elemental spiritual forces (demons); or elementary teachings] of this world, and not from Christ.

Expanded Bible (EXB)

The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.

Strength does not lie within. It cannot be found there. We are not strong--unless God gives us His strength. If we think strength comes from anywhere but from Him, we are fooling ourselves. Any strength that does not come from God as the main source is false strength. 

We get our strength from God--through our faith, which is the source of our strength. God is the source of our strength and it is in Him we place our faith. In other words, faith in God is our strength. It isn't found in anything or anyone else. 

JOURNALING QUESTIONS OR PROMPTS

Have you ever realized your faith in God and His Word is what makes you strong? Explain.

Where and who have you been trying to receive false strength from--and why? 

How can you focus on your faith as the source of your strength?