Most of us love the psalms. They hit us right where we are. They move us to praise God, love God, honor God. They help us deal with some of the difficulties we face in life. But if you’re like me, you always feel like you are missing something when you read one. You know there is a deeper meaning, you just can’t seem to grasp it. Maybe I can help.

I’ve been teaching a class on the Psalms at the Brownsburg Church of Christ and just getting an immeasurable amount of wealth from psalms I have read my whole life. I feel like I’ve finally started getting beneath the surface of these poems and songs. This past Sunday, instead of just examining the psalm assigned by the workbook we are going through, I used it Psalm 8 as an example psalm to show how to study a psalm.

Now, I’ll admit, I’m no scholar. I’m not a psalm expert. But I’ve really been helped by following this 8-step process in examining the psalm. If you, like me, are just a simply Bible student and want some simple tools to help you study deeper, perhaps this will help you as it has me.

I’ll share the 8 steps here in this post. However, I have also uploaded a pdf of how I used these steps to study Psalm 8, along with the visual map of the psalm I shared with the class at Brownsburg. Use it if it is helpful. Download it by clicking here.

8 Steps to Study a Psalm

Step #1: Pigeonhole the psalm

What kind of psalm is it? Being able to label a psalm helps us know which direction the psalm is going and lets us see the forest before looking at the trees. Different authors have delineated different genres. I use the genres defined by Tremper Longman III. Find out more by downloading my example of studying Psalm 8.

Step #2:  Be leery of reading yourself into the psalm too quickly

Okay, this is not so much a step as it is trying to keep you from taking a misstep. No doubt, you will eventually read the psalm in the context of your life. But if you do it too quickly, you may miss the real meaning of the psalm and then not apply it to your life as intended. Psalm 8 is a great example of where I had made this mistake.

Step #3: Look for context clues of when and why the psalm was written

Some psalms come with an attribution and even a setting. There is some question regarding how accurate those are. But, if they can’t always tell you exactly when a psalm was written, they can at least give you the concept that an early editor of the Old Testament hymnal had about when and why the psalm was written.

Beyond the attribution, look for statements in the psalm that give evidence about when and why the psalm was written. For instance, Psalm 8:2 speaks about God giving strength to defeat enemies. This indicates that this psalm was written in response to some victory granted by God.

You can’t always get a specific setting for every psalm. But at least you may be able to determine a general basis for the writing of the psalm.

Step #4: Look at the structure of the psalm

 Strive to develop an outline. Look for the sections of the psalm. What are the themes? What are the supporting points? How are they made? Did the psalmist use statements, questions, commands, praises, laments? Does the psalm shift in person and who is speaking? Are there repeated structures? Are there parallel concepts? Are there repeated words or phrases?

This is the toughest and most involved step. In this step, I often do what I call a visual mapping of the psalm. That is I print the psalm out on paper and start drawing connections between the words and phrases. It can produce a messy sheet of paper, but when you step back, a map of the psalm stands out that almost always helps me see the structure and meaning of the psalm.

Once again, I encourage you to download my example study of Psalm 8 to see greater detail of how to accomplish this step and to see an example of a mapped out psalm.

Step #5: Examine keywords

Keywords are words upon which the meaning of the psalm hinges. They may be words repeated throughout the psalm. They may be words used in special ways with which you have to come to terms. They may be words that you struggle with to know the meaning. They may be words that you can tell are simply important because of how they are used. Don’t just work on the denotations of the words–the actual definitions. Also, work on the connotations in the context of the psalm. Consider not what the word means all by itself, but how the psalmist is using the word in the psalm.

Step #6: Consider the Old Testament Context

Does the psalm include any concepts, references, allusions, or even quotes from other passages in the Old Testament (even in the Psalms). Keep this step in the Old Testament. That will help provide the original intended meaning in the Old Testament context. We need to know that meaning before we can see how the psalm applies to our lives and before determining any New Covenant or Messianic meaning.

Step #7: What lessons do you learn from the psalm based on your study so far?

Having pigeon-holed, outlined, examined the keywords, and considered the original context, what lessons do you get out of the psalm for your own life? List them and test them against the psalm to see if they really are there.

Step #8: Examine how the psalm is used in the New Testament to see if there is a greater New Covenant/Messianic meaning

In many cases, the New Testament writers quoted the Psalms and demonstrated that while the psalm had a meaning in the original historical context, God had a greater meaning behind the psalm that was not understood until the revelation of Jesus Christ. This is not necessarily the idea of double meaning or dual fulfillment. This is the concept that in Jesus, the meaning of the psalm is intensified and made more full. I often refer to this as a greater fulfillment or an ultimate fulfillment.

Please, don’t discount the meaning in the original context and just skip to the ultimate meaning in Jesus. If you do that, you’ll gain insight into the nature of Jesus, but you may miss the personal help and direction the psalm can give you for your life. At the same time, don’t stop with simply having figured out the meaning in the original context. If you do, you may gain help in your daily life, but you’ll miss the truly awe-inspiring nature of the prophetic nature of the psalms and exactly how Jesus fulfills all that God revealed in the Old Testament.

In this step, I exercise some caution. While there may be some psalms that seem Messianic, and we can develop some interesting points, I’m leery of supplying my own Messianic meaning to a psalm. I tend to only supply that meaning if the New Testament writers pave the way to find that meaning.

 

I hope this was helpful. Let me know if it is. Also, let me know what you do to help you study the psalms. Make sure to leave a comment with your suggestions and helps.

And, once again, I encourage you to download my study example of Psalm 8 to see these steps and the mapping worked out in a real-life Bible study example.

P.S. I know this may shock you. But there are absolutely no affiliate links in this post. I don’t get any kickbacks from anyone for sharing the links in this post. However, I’d sure appreciate it if you’d check out some of the links in the sidebar and purchase stuff to your heart’s content. Hey a blogger’s got to make a living somehow, right?

The moment you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. “Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer” has finally hit the stands. Just in time for the New Year, you can now read the full story of Steve and Sarah, a Christian couple who woke up one Sunday morning in a spiritual rut.

Steve and Sarah didn’t really know what to do next. They just didn’t want to continue on in the rat-race of just going to church as usual. They thought maybe they just needed a change of scenery. Maybe a new church would do the trick. Providentially, one of their shepherds, brother Davis, checks in on them and challenges them to a “High Voltage Prayer Challenge”–thirteen weeks of prayer. You can read their story and face the “High Voltage Prayer Challenge” with them.

“Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer (The Classbook)” takes some of the major themes found in it’s predecessor Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer (plus a couple new lessons) and presents them in a format perfect for a small group study or a quarterly Bible class. Or go through the study with a friend, with your family, or on your own.

The great thing is this is a downloadable pdf. You don’t have to wait for shipping. Simply purchase the license option you want, download and print your copies. For more info, visit the product page, click the banner above or the box below.

Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer (The Classbook)

The story of Steve and Sarah, a Christian couple in a spiritual rut. Learn about the power of God through prayer as you read their story and work through the challenges and questions they face as they figure out the place prayer really has in their spiritual lives.

God’s Way Works is excited to announce the latest class book in our Bible Class Material department–Ezra: Rebuilding God’s House, Restoring God’s People.

Would you like to know more about the post-captivity period of God’s Old Testament nation Israel? I’ve often found that even good students of the Bible have not studied this part of Biblical history in depth. That is a travesty because Ezra gives some valuable insights into restoring God’s plan and pattern for His covenant people. In this material, you and/or your class can learn about the rebuilding of the temple following the Babylonian captivity, learn of the stellar example set by Ezra, and discover the  the restoration of God’s people after they had intermingled with the foreign nations.

What really sets this class apart from many others is the special effort made to bridge the gap between the mere history described in the Biblical text and the practical help we need to serve God today. This will not be simply a dry look at historical information. It will provide the seeds of lively discussion about what it means for our lives today.

This class book contains 12 lessons and 1 Review lesson. Many congregations have special events scheduled that eat up one week of classes in any given quarter. If that happens to you, then you can burn the review lesson. If not, then you have enough material to teach each week of the normal Bible class quarter.

Ezra: Rebuilding God's House, Restoring God's People

This is a 13 lesson adult Bible class book covering the Old Testament book of Ezra with a special emphasis on restoration.

Download a Sample

If you’d like to check out the Student Workbook before you purchase, feel free to download the free sample, which includes the Introduction, Table of Contents, and the first 3 lessons. Just click the link below to access the free sample.

Check out the first 3 lessons!

Downloadable PDF

“Ezra: Rebuilding God’s House, Restoring God’s People” is a downloadable pdf file that you will be able to download immediately upon payment. You will be able to print your own copies and use them personally, in your small group, in your Bible class, or with your entire congregation depending on the licensing option that you purchase.

Licensing Options

Make sure you checkout the different licensing levels below.

Buy your Personal License for $4.97. That allows you to print one copy of this material for your personal use. Of course, you can purchase multiple personal licenses. However, if you want to print more than 14 copies, you’ll want to consider one of our other licensing options.

The Small Group License is $69.97 and gives you the license to print up to 20 copies (that’s only $3.50/copy).

The Bible Class License allows you to print up to 40 copies and is only $99.97 (that’s only $2.50/copy).

The Congregational License gives you the license to teach this class as often as you want and print as many copies as you want from now until Jesus returns within one congregation (this license is not transferable to congregations other than the one for which you originally purchased it even if paid for by an individual). This amazing deal is only $199.97.

Ezra: Rebuilding God's House, Restoring God's People

This is a 13 lesson adult Bible class book covering the Old Testament book of Ezra with a special emphasis on restoration.

Check Out Our Other Material

In addition to Ezra, you can check out our other materials available to you here at God’s Way Works. For instance, you can check out our class book on Grace: God’s Power to Overcome Sin by simply clicking the picture to the left. Or click on My Store to check out the other materials we have available at this website.

We are at war. We may not be able to see the advance of infantry, armory, and cavalry; but we can see the advance of heathenism, hedonism, and individualism. We may not be able to see bombed and burning buildings; but we can see broken and battered homes. We may not be able to see prisoners of war caught in torture camps; but we can see sheep without a shepherd, distressed and downcast, caught in cults, false teaching churches, and dead-end philosophies. We may not see the injured, crippled, and maimed lying in hospitals; but we can see the walking wounded, lying down spiritually because they have no strength to go on. We are at war. And as such, we must learn how to suit up for battle.

We’ve all heard lessons about the armor of God. We all know from Ephesians 6:10-17 that we need to put that armor on in order to stand up against the battle we’ll face today. The tempter is coming after us. How can we get prepared? I’m sure there are all kinds of things I could write about under this heading. But today, I want to show just one thing. The only way to put the armor on is to be in God’s Word.

Ephesians 6:14-17 says:

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…

Have you ever noticed how intricately linked the Word of God is to God’s armor? Sure, we all know that the sword is God’s Word. Sadly, for a long time, that was the only part of the armor I noticed was connected to God’s Word. But consider the rest in a new light.

1. Belt of truth–”Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
2. Breastplate of righteousness–”All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for … training in righteousness” (2Timothy 3:16).
3. Gospel of peace as shoes–”Of this you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel…” (Colossians 1:5b).
4. Shield of faith–”So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
5. Helmet of salvation–”…and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).

There you have it. There is only one way to put on God’s armor. Be in God’s Word. Dr. Phil, Stephen Covey, John Maxwell, Chicken Soup for the Soul all have their uses and benefits. But none of them will put God’s armor on you. If you want to face the battle prepared today, don’t just read your paper, your e-zines, your favorite blogs. Get in the Bible.

Help us out on here by letting us know what you do to stay in the Word and how it helps you in a practical way.

I received lots of great feedback here and offline regarding the idea for my upcoming prayer class. The class will be entitled “Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer,” basically because that’s what I call everything I do about prayer. Maybe I should be more creative with titles. But hey, when you start with something that works, you might as well stick with it. I’m more than halfway done with the class book that I’ll use here at Brownsburg. Thought I’d share a sample and see what you think about the way it is shaping up.

Help me out again by checking out this sample with the introduction and first three lessons. Let me know what you think of the flow and how I brought the actual class discussion questions into the story.

Again, I really want feedback on whether or not you think this approach to Bible class or small group study material is something you would want to be part of.

Thanks for your help.

Download the sample here.

Let me know what you think by commenting below.

Have a great week!

Perhaps one of the most misunderstood aspects of Christianity is grace. We all think grace is amazing. We all want grace. We all love grace. However, many of us wonder what grace really is. Some Christians seem to cheapen grace, seeing it as a get-out-of-jail free card. Others seem to discount it, seeing it as something for the weak. What is it really? How much should we rely on it? As Philip Yancey asked, “What is so amazing about grace?”

Sadly, the folks who cheapen grace and the ones who discount it have the exact same problem. They think that grace is God’s power to overlook sin. But that is not the case at all.

I can tell you unequivocally that God does not overlook sin. God knows every sin committed by every person in every time. God has not ignored it, overlooked it, or swept it under the rug. Not at all.

Rather, God dealt with it. God paid for it. God handled it. God saw it all and paid the price. According to Romans 5:6-8, God sent His Son at the right time to die for weak, ungodly sinners like me. God saw that sin had to be dealt with and He did. That is God’s grace.

You see, grace is not God’s power to overlook sin; it is God’s power to overcome sin.

Don’t miss that. That is powerful.

Grace is not God giving us freedom to sin; grace is God giving us freedom from sin.

The turning point for my understanding of grace came in Romans 7:7-8:1. I struggled and struggled with what this passage was saying and how it applied to me as a Christian. To be honest, it seemed to be saying the very opposite of what I thought the rest of the Bible said. Was it saying that a person could just keep on sinning if he wanted to, and God’s grace would save him?

Then it hit me. What was Paul saying? Paul wasn’t saying that he wanted to sin but God would deliver him anyway by grace. Paul wasn’t saying that he was pursuing sin but there was no condemnation for that because he was in Jesus. Paul said he didn’t want to sin. He wanted to be righteous. He was pursuing righteousness. He loved God’s will. He was pursuing God’s will. But he kept messing up. He had been in bondage. He pointed out there is only one recourse for the person who wants to be holy but keeps on sinning. That recourse is Jesus Christ and the grace that comes through His death. Jesus will deliver us from our sins.

Grace is not God’s permission for us to continue in sin; grace is God’s power to overcome sin.

If you want to keep on sinning, then I’ve got nothing for you. However, if you want to quit sinning but keep on struggling, if you’ve been striving to pursue God’s law but are discouraged because you keep falling short, then spend some time studying God’s grace. His grace has exactly the power you are looking for to grow and provide you with the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus.

That is why my good friend and shepherd Dave Roberts and I have put together a brand new workbook studying “Grace: God’s Power to Overcome Sin.”

We wanted to cut through all the garbage that was out there and find the biblically balanced approach that can really provide Christians with the real confidence God’s grace is intended to give us.

This simple workbook takes the student through 12 lessons about grace. And when I say 12 lessons, I mean twelve lessons. We didn’t go for “overwhelming;” we went for simple. We only want to teach you 12 things about God’s grace and how we should respond to it.

You can check out a sample of the first three lessons to learn more. Or go to my product page to find out more about the book.

You can go through this workbook all on your own or take a small group, Bible class, or a whole congregation through it. We provide licensing for each level. If you are taking others through this study (or even if you are going through this by yourself), you may want to check out our Leader’s Guide.

This is no fill-in-the-blank guide, giving you simple answers. Rather, it provides insight into every lesson with special help to overcome danger zones that might bog down any class or small group discussion.

You can check out a sample of the first three lessons in this book as well.

Both books are offered to you as downloadable pdf files. You can purchase them and within seconds start studying God’s grace for your life.

If you or someone you know needs more confidence in salvation, more security in Jesus, more growth in grace, then this is a great study for you. Get your own copy today. Pass on this good news to others by clicking the share button to the left or at the bottom of the post.

Get your copy of “Grace: God’s Power to Overcome Sin” today and start building your confidence in Jesus Christ right now.

Grace: God's Power to Overcome Sin (Student Workbook)

Want to know more about Grace? Have you seen Grace abused too much, either by making it cheap or by acting like it doesn't really help the Christian? If so, then this student workbook is just what you are looking for.

Grace: God's Power to Overcome Sin (Leader's Guide)

Are you leading a small group, Bible class, or congregation through a study of "Grace: God's Power to Overcome Sin"? Then this Leader's Guide is an indispensable help in making sure the discussions stay on track and each lesson is fully learned.

I am totally psyched up about a Bible study tool I purchased this weekend. I not only purchased it for me, but I purchased one for each of my kids as well. I have no doubt this tool is going to take my personal study and my family study to the next level. I couldn’t wait to get back here and share this with you. The tool is called the Journible™.

What is a Journible™?

The Journible™ is a tool created by Rob Wynalda as part of “The 17:18 Series” and published by Reformation Heritage Books. It’s greatness completely rests in its simplicity. It’s a journal. But not just any journal. It is a journal inspired by Deuteronomy 17:18-20.

“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.”

Every king was supposed to handwrite his very own copy of God’s law. You can imagine how that might help him actually remember God’s will and keep it.

According to Revelation 1:6, Jesus has made us “kings and priests to His God and Father” (NKJV). If we are kings under God’s new covenant, perhaps following God’s law for the kings of the Old Covenant is pretty good advice for us. Why not handwrite our own copy of God’s Word?

Sample Pages from the Journible for Proverbs

Why Would I Ever Want to Write My Own Copy of the Bible?

I know what you are thinking, that will take for ever. Actually, if you copied one chapter of the Bible every week day, it would take about 4 1/2 years. Given sick days and vacations, and maybe taking a few extra days to copy Psalm 119, you can have this done in about 5 years. But that is a lot of time. You are probably looking at 1200 hours of work.

Don’t think of it as 1200 hours of work to accomplish the goal of handwriting your own copy of the Bible. Think of it as simply taking time each day in God’s word to really think about it and retain it. You’re not trying to get a job done in a certain amount of time. You are just trying to take each day to grow a little closer to God.

Handwriting the Bible will help you remember and retain the meaning, if not the very words. It will cause you to slow down and think about what you are reading. It will keep you from scanning the text just to get through the day’s reading.

Additionally, you will have a keepsake and legacy for your family. This is especially great because, as you see in the picture above, the left hand side of each page opening is actually a place for taking your own notes. What a great gift to hand to your kids some day. Here is a copy of the scriptures complete with your notes and what the text taught you and meant to you.

Why Journible™?

At this point, you might be saying, “I love this idea, but I’m just going to go get a notebook and do this myself.” And you can. That may be the thing for you to do. However, there are a some reasons to go ahead and buy the Journible™.

1. It is very durable. Lot’s of notebooks have cheap bindings and easily ripped pages when they are used as much as you are going to use the Journible™. These are quality bound books that will last for a long time and endure a lot of use.

2. Better paper. The paper is thicker in the Journible™ than in most notebooks, which makes them last longer.

3. Will look good on the shelf. This is the real reason I took the plunge instead of just getting a notebook. The nice binding will look great on the bookshelf as you build your own handwritten Bible library. You’ll have a shelf of easily identifiable books instead of some ring bound notebooks or composition books shoved onto the shelf somewhere.

4. Enough space. If you just buy a notebook, you never know how much you’ll actually fit into that notebook. For instance, you may have a 150 page notebook and by the time you get to Proverbs 23 discover you actually need 175 pages to fit the whole book in. Wynalda has actually spaced out the verse numbers on the pages to insure that you have enough room to include all the book (or books in some cases) in your Journible™ for that Bible book.

5. Study prompts. You may notice some light gray text on the left hand page in the picture above. That is a study prompt. The Journible™ contains these lightly written study prompts. You may use them if you wish to help you begin your study of different passages, writing what you learn in response to them below. Or you may simply write through them or ignore them, depending on what you want to do with your own note-taking.

Wynalda also addresses this in the video below.

If you can’t see the video in your e-mail or rss feed, here is the link to the post so you can watch there.

What’s Available?

This series is still under creation. But right now you can get a Journible™ for Psalms (two volumes), Proverbs, John, and Romans. The following books are also available combined into one volume: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Also, in another one volume combination: 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews. Finally, in another one volume combination: James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John, and Jude.

By the time you get these sections copied, I’m sure there will be more.

What a Great Tool

Apart from simply memorizing the entire text yourself (which will probably be the subject of another post), I can’t imagine a better tool for studying the Bible than paying such attention that you handwrite your very own copy of the text. Though I know you will need to dig deeper to gain greater understanding, can there really be a better way to gain understanding than or aiding in retention than penning the words of God in your own hand?

Be the king God has called you to be. Write your own copy of God’s Word. Whether you use the Journible™ or not is up to you. But I’m so excited to have started writing my own copy of God’s Word and I wanted to let you know about this great tool.

Below is another video of Rob Wynalda explaining how the Journible™ can be more than a personal tool, it can be your own personal legacy.

*By the way, this post does contain affiliate links. What kind of recommender would I be if I didn’t show you how to purchase this great tool? Oh yeah, here are some more:

I guess it’s been a couple of months ago now that my wife asked me to start having Bible studies with each of the kids. My initial thought was, “What? Are you kidding me? Do you know how much work I have to do each day?” I couldn’t believe she was asking me to add this in to my day. Sure, I want to have some family time in the Word each week, but add in three Bible studies?

I wondered if she had forgotten that we had just moved to work with a new congregation. I was busy trying to meet people. I was establishing new studies with people, trying to visit with guests in the congregation. Not to mention we had moved from a congregation in which I had to preach once a week and now have to preach twice (I know, I know, most of you other preachers are playing the violin and weeping for me). How could she ask me to do this?

I was conflicted. In fact, I felt guilty. I knew this should be something I wanted to do. After all, I am the dad. My job is to lead my family. My job is to raise my kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. But at first, all I could see was the sacrifice of my time and how it would get in they way of my “job.”

Then something hit me. If one of my neighbors called up and asked for a Bible study, I would be all over that. If a visitor in the church asked for a study, I would jump at the chance. If anybody in the congregation asked me to have a study with their family and their children, I’d be making all kinds of room in my schedule. Why? That’s my job. It’s what I do. It’s who I am. I study the Bible with people. I’m always looking for opportunities to do that.

Suddenly it became clear. I now have three opportunities to study every week with someone. These three people are extremely important to me. I want them to serve God more than I want anyone else to. Why on earth would I get upset about scheduling time with them to study the Word? Now, no matter what, I get to have at least three Bible studies per week. I get to share God’s word with three people. Sometimes we get a lot out of it. Sometimes it is a struggle. But this is my life. It’s what I do. I can hardly believe I was ready to miss out on the opportunity just because I was having a skewed perspective.

I bring all this up because I’ve met a lot of dads (and moms) who bemoan the fact that they have always wanted to be able to teach someone the gospel, to have personal work or evangelistic studies and help others get to heaven. They are sincere about that, but they consistently overlook the very people God gave them to teach.

Why not set up your first weekly Bible study? Why not do it with your children? You can do it with them as a group or work with each of them individually. Either way, if you’re looking for someone to share the gospel with, why not do it with your kids. They need it too.

And remember, God’s way works for your family.

We’ll get back to the series on loving ourselves next Monday, Lord willing. Today, I want us to ask a fundamental question about how we will live our lives. If we truly believe God’s way works, how do we discover God’s way?

A few years ago, the question “What would Jesus do?” was all the rage. It was on billboards, bracelets, and bumper stickers. Everyong was jumping on the bandwagon with it. And for good reason. It is a great question. When I’m making decisions about my actions, I need to consider what Jesus would do if he were in my shoes. Then I need to do that. After all, surely whatever Jesus would do is God’s way that will work for me. But there is a more fundamental question. Before I can actually answer that question, I need to ask another. You see, Jesus actually was here on this earth. He really did live and face the kinds of decisions I face. If I really want to know what He would do if He were in my shoes today, I need to ask, “What did Jesus do?” How did He live? How did He respond? How did He govern His life? That provides the foundation for asking what He would do in my shoes and then helps me decide what to do today.

Of course, we could start looking at each individual action, but as John 21:25 explains, the internet couldn’t contain the blog posts needed. Rather, lets consider some general governing rules Jesus lived by and made decisions by.

Jesus ONLY did what was authorized by the Father

John 8:28-29 says: “So Jesus said to them, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.’”

John 5:30 says: “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

What did Jesus do? He only did what was authorized by the Father. Understand how amazingly profound this is. If anyone throughout the history of man had the right to go out on his own and pursue his own authority, it would have been Jesus. John 1:1, 14, demonstrates that Jesus was divine himself. Yet, the incarnate God did not live from His own authority. He only did what the Father authorized. He only taught what the Father authorized. He sought the Father’s will and what was pleasing to Him.

Note clearly, Jesus didn’t say, “I only do what my Father has not prohibited.” He said He only did what the Father authorized.

If that is what Jesus did do, what then would He do if He were in our shoes today? I think He would only do what the Father authorized. What then should we do?

Jesus did what the Father told Him to

John 12:49-50 says: “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment–what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

Jesus did not act or even speak on His own authority. Rather, He only did what the Father authorized. But how did He determine what the Father authorized and therefore determine what to do and speak? He did what the Father told Him to. That seems simple enough. If the Father told Him to do something or told Him He could do something, He did it. That makes simple sense to me.

If Jesus did do what the Father told Him to, what would He do if He were walking in our shoes? He would do what the Father told Him to. What then should we do?

Jesus did what the Father established by His example

John 5:19-20 says: “So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. for whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise, for the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing.”

Jesus repeats that He does nothing based on His own authority. He doesn’t do what simply seems good to Him. He doesn’t do what He simply thinks is neat. He doesn’t do just what He likes to do. He only does what the Father authorizes. But how did He determine that? He watched the Father. He looked for good, positive, approved example. He didn’t think something was good and right just because He liked the idea. He knew it was good and right because He saw the example set for Him by the Father. If the Father exemplified something, then the Son knew He was authorized to do that, and He did it.

If that is what Jesus did do, what then would He do if He were in our shoes? He would follow the example God had left for Him. What then should we do?

Jesus did what He could infer using right judgment

John 7:24 says, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Jesus wasn’t talking about judging souls. He was actually commenting on a matter of authority, judging whether or not an action was right or wrong, authorized or unauthorized. If we begin reading in John 7:22, we learn that Jesus is explaining why He was authorized to heal the invalid of John 5:1-17 on the Sabbath. There was no command to heal on the Sabbath. There was no example of healing on the Sabbath. Therefore, Jesus did what appeared unlawful to the Jews by healing a man on the Sabbath.

Jesus argued that if the Jews could circumcise a boy on the Sabbath to keep the law of Moses, then He could heal on the Sabbath as well. The argument really is, “If you can make a body unwhole on the Sabbath, then I can make a body whole on the Sabbath. If you can remove a part of the body, then I can restore the body.” After making His argument, He said, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” That is, don’t judge what is right or wrong, what is authorized or not based merely on what you like, don’t like, what you think,don’t think, rather use a right judgment. Don’t judge something right or wrong, authorized or not simply based on what you think it looks like. Rather, use sound, reasonable, logical judgment.

Jesus knew He was allowed to heal on the Sabbath despite the prohibition of work on that day because he inferred using right judgment from the commands and examples found in God’s law.

If that is what Jesus did do when He was on earth, what would He do if He were in our shoes? He would do what He could infer from God’s commands and examples using sound, reasonable, logical, right judgment. What then should we do?

Why did He do it?

But why? Why did Jesus do all this? Why did God incarnate go through all the trouble of only doing what the Father authorized by His own directions, examples, and by right judgment based on those things? John 7:16-18 says:

So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.”

Jesus did not do this because He had to follow a pattern. Jesus did not do this because He was trying to be good enough. Jesus did not do this because He was trying to earn something. Jesus did this because He wanted to glorify the Father. He didn’t want glory for Himself. If He had wanted glory for Himself, He would have done whatever He thought was good based on His own authority.

Why do we do what we do? Are we trying to earn something or be good enough? That won’t work. Instead, we need to decide if we want to glorify God. If we want to glorify God as Jesus did, then we need to only do what the Father has authorized through His statements and examples, using right judgment to determine what we are allowed to do.

Do you want to glorify God?

Okay, okay, I understand that Bible study goes a bit deeper than determining the color of a balloon. At the same time, I think this video parable/analogy/illustration should cause us to stop and think.

Enjoy and remember, when you know the truth, the truth shall set you free.