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Mar 10, 2024
Included | Romans 8:18-39
Included in Suffering
The world is broken and in pain, and so are we. All of us suffer, including (maybe especially) followers of Jesus. But Jesus gives us resources for walking through suffering: a perspective shaped by hope, prayer to process pain and grief, and the promise of his forever, unlimited love.
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- What does our culture tell us about suffering and how to handle it? What has the church told you about this?
- Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-27. How do Paul’s sufferings affect how you read Romans 8:18-39?
- Read this translation of Romans 8:28: “We know that God co-works all things for good with those who love God.” What does this mean to you? How does it compare to your perspective on suffering?
- Read Psalm 44:22-26, a lament that Paul quotes in this passage. Share a situation where you have prayed like that or where you need to pray like that.
- How real is God’s promise of love for you? What habits or practices can you use to remind you of his love?
Bonus:
Use Psalm 13 and Romans 8:35-39 to pray together about specific situations of suffering.
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All along, we’ve been saying that God’s heart is to see us INCLUDED. That’s why Jesus came, and that’s the subject of Paul’s letter to the Romans. At times, Christians forget God’s radical inclusion of them and go back to the old patterns of competing and comparing. Sadly, that was happening in the Roman Church. Paul has one powerful dose for that sickness.
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