Study Questions for Picture It

Study Questions for Probe It!

1. Day 15—Turn to pg. 47 in the 40 Days workbook. Using the Probe It method of Bible study meditate on Mark 8:34-38 and record your insights. / Saving my life and being ashamed of Jesus and His words in this adulterous and sinful generation would definitely be sins to confess. However, if I lose my life, for Jesus and the gospel He promises me that I will save it. The attitude that this world is what matters has to change; what good does it do to gain the whole world but lose one’s soul? The priority must be Jesus and the gospel. To follow Jesus I am commanded to deny myself, take up my cross – God’s will for my life – and follow Him, making Him my focus at all times. He is the example for my life because He denied Himself, He took up His cross, and followed the will of His Father. While there is no specific prayer in this passage, I still must pray to have the attitude that He is my all in all and that this world must have no influence on my life. It is His approval that I seek and nothing or no one else’s. The error that must be avoided is that of thinking that following Jesus will mean an easy road; far from it, it will be a life of self-sacrifice, of putting His will ahead of everything in my life. I must avoid the mindset that making life here on earth good is the goal; rather the goal is to live in such a way that life forever is good. The truth is that if I lose my life for the sake of Jesus and the gospel I will save it, and there is nothing that a man can give in exchange for his soul. When it comes down to it, we want to save our lives more than anything else. The praise in these verses is that Jesus did give up everything that I might have life, that all might have life. I must respond with a life of worship in all that I think, say and do.
2. Day 15—With the insights you gained from question 1 write down specifically how you can apply them to your life. / My response to Jesus’ definition and call to follow Him must be to surrender all I am and all I have to Him. I must make Him, His words and the gospel the most important thing in my life, the focus and priority of my life. I must think long-term, not short-term, spending my life in service to Him and the gospel so that I will lay up treasures in heaven rather than on the earth. This life I live will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last as the saying goes. It must be about Him now, because forever it will be about Him.
3. Day 16—Turn to pg. 49 in the 40 Days workbook. Using the Probe It! method of Bible study meditate on Mark 9:33-35 and record your insights. / The obvious sin to confess is that of pride and comparison; following Jesus is not about me, it is about Him. It is not about me being better than someone else; it is about us supporting one another in our commitment to exalt Christ. The promise is that if I will be the servant of all then I will be considered as first in the kingdom – this is the way to be at the right hand of Christ. The attitude to change is that of thinking that if others think I’m great then my world is good and that being first is most important. The reality is that being last is actually first in God’s kingdom. Wanting to be first is a self-centered approach and it is false. It is what God thinks that matters. The command to obey is to be a servant of all. Jesus is my example as the Servant because His concern was to do the will of the Father, not to promote Himself. The prayer to pray is that I would have the heart of a servant – to simply look to God for what He would have me do and to think of others rather than myself. Although His actions as a servant did promote Him, it wasn’t for that purpose. The error to avoid is seeking my recognition like the disciples, wanting to be the one that people look up to. When I do this it divides me from my brothers and sisters and accomplishes nothing good. This is about promoting Jesus, not me. The truth to claim is that if I serve I will be viewed as great in God’s eyes; I will be like Jesus who was the servant of all. The thing to praise God for is that He would use me as the servant to carry out His will, just as He Himself was the Servant of all. I get to continue in Jesus’ footsteps.
4. Day 16—With the insights you gained from question 3 write down specifically how you can apply them to your life. / I must today look at the needs of those around me and be in tune with God’s leading, then willingly do what He is leading me to do through these impulses. I must not even consider what will make me look good, or better than the next guy. I must not allow the recognition of others to bother me, but be glad when they are lifted up for serving the Lord. I must immediately confess any wound to my pride and seek to serve in obscurity.
5. Day 17—Turn to pg. 51 in the 40 Days workbook. Using the Probe It method of Bible study meditate on Mark 10:17-31 and record your insights. / The sin to confess in these verses is valuing money or possessions over Jesus and the gospel. In our materialistic society (which has influenced the church) it is easy to love our “things” more than Jesus. As hard as it is to give everything we have to Jesus we are promised that with God all things are possible and that God will give us what we need in this life –a hundred times more in houses, farms, parents and children, along with persecutions – and eternal life in the age to come. This refers to spiritual blessings of sharing in common and a spiritual family in this life and life forever in heaven. The attitude to change is that of thinking anything in this life matters as much as Jesus and the kingdom; He is everything. The command to obey is to sell everything to follow Jesus. We may not literally need to do this, but symbolically we must give all we have to Jesus; it must be at His disposal and we must trust His direction and His supply if we give it up for Him. The example to follow is that of the disciples; they had given up everything to follow Jesus. Jesus is also a good example in that He didn’t allow the young man to call Him “good” without questioning his sincerity. Jesus wasn’t looking for acclaim, but genuine faith, so He challenged the young man’s thinking. The prayer to pray would be that we would give all we have and all we are to Jesus, trusting Him to take care of us however He directs. The error to avoid is to think that we can negotiate with God, that we can give “all” to Him, but keep one thing back for ourselves. He wants, demands, everything if we are to truly follow Him. The truths to claim are that everything we give up for Jesus will be replenished and that many who are first in this life will be last in the life to come, and vice versa. This is something to praise God for, because He is no respecter of persons and will make all things right in the age to come. We can also praise God that He will reward us for all we do for Him sincerely; we have nothing to worry about if we follow Jesus.
6. Day 17—With the insights you gained from question 5 write down specifically how you can apply them to your life. / The most glaring application is that of giving everything up for Jesus and the gospel. This obviously applies to my money and possessions, but it also applies to my comfort, my plans, my ambition, my approval ratings, my time, my relationships and family. I do not have the right to hold onto these if they are in the way of my devotion to Christ and His message. My life must be all about Him and the gospel, even though it may lead to persecution (even by those who are religious). He is worthy of my complete surrender.
7. Day 18—Turn to pg. 53 n the 40 Days workbook. Using the Probe It! method of Bible study meditate on Mark 11:25 and record your insights. / The sin to confess is obviously unforgiveness. The previous direction to pray with faith is now linked with an attitude of forgiveness in order to pray successfully. The promise to claim is that if I have a forgiving spirit then I will be forgiven. While this could be taken as works-based theology (if I forgive, I will be forgiven), the reality is that unless I have the willingness to forgive others I have not understood and received the forgiveness and love of God. So, until I realize that forgiveness is a gift based on the fact that I have been forgiven as a gift, I will not forgive others and will not have personally experienced God’s forgiveness. The attitude to change is that of unforgiveness; how can we who have been forgiven so much, be unwilling to forgive – and then expect forgiveness from the Father? It makes no sense. So, my unforgiveness doesn’t “cause” God’s forgiveness, but it allows me to receive God’s forgiveness. The command to obey is to forgive others, out of obedience, even when my feelings haven’t caught up yet. I have been forgiven; I must forgive others whether I feel like it or not. The example to follow is that of the Father; He forgave me even when I was His enemy. He was not concerned that I wouldn’t reciprocate; He simply loved me and therefore did not hold my sin against me. It shows the nature of true forgiveness, too; it seeks to bring reconciliation and restoration in the situation rather than waiting for the other person to change. Forgiveness has a cost to it, as well as faith that the other person can change with God’s help. The prayer to pray is that of forgiveness: “I forgive them – prayed to God – and for God to forgive them, too, just as Jesus did. The error to avoid is that of holding something against someone as I pray. This may not be an overt grudge or desire to get even; it may simply be to have a resentment or an attitude of disgust or indifference. I am not to have anything “against” anyone. I may not “like” them, but I must choose to love them. Otherwise I have something “against” them. The truth to claim is that if I do have such a forgiving attitude I will be experience God’s forgiveness. God sets Himself against the proud, the unforgiving, but He gives help to the humble. It requires great humility to forgive in truth, but when I do God is there to lift me up and be in full fellowship with me. This is clearly something to praise God for, to be able to have pure fellowship with Him simply because He has chosen to not only forgive me, but to make the way for forgiveness through the sacrifice of His Son at the cross.
8. Day 18—With the insights you gained from question 7 write down specifically how you can apply them to your life. / I must look at every person that I not only have grudges against, but also those that I avoid or dislike, to see if I really have something against them. I do not easily admit I have grudges and most of the time to not think I do. But if I will consider those I don’t really want to be around I will discover that many of them have done or do things that somewhat offend me. I must choose to forgive them for that and instead enter into a relationship where I can 1) accept them as they are or 2) help them see a place they need to change and help them change that. I must actively love them, not just talk about it. I also find that my unforgiveness is often born of fear that they won’t get the consequences they deserve if I forgive them. But that is God’s business, not mine; I have no right to pass the sentence on them. My responsibility is to love and forgive them, although I may have to set certain boundaries for a period of time in order to preserve myself. The ability to forgive is an act of God’s grace and power; I must call on Him to help me do that, and then trust that He will take care of them and me.
9. Day 19—Turn to pg. 55 in the 40 Days workbook. Using the Probe It! method of Bible study meditate on Mark 14:3-9 and record your insights. / The sin to confess is that of looking down on the woman for her act of generosity to Jesus. It is not my place to judge the actions of another if they are not in direct violation of the Word. Also, the attitude they had towards Jesus was that He was not worthy of such a sacrificial act; this is also sinful. The promise in this verse regarding the woman is that her generous love would be well-spoken of in memory of her whenever the story was told. This tells me that any act of love towards Jesus will be admired by those who love Him (but not by those who don’t). The attitude to change is that an exhibition of love to Jesus is unimportant and not worthwhile since it doesn’t accomplish something practical. Purely showing love to Jesus is a valuable act in and of itself. The command to obey is to let others alone in the way they show love to Jesus; instead of judging them we should follow their example of just freely loving Jesus. The prayer to pray would be to be able to love more like this woman did; not regarding my possessions but thinking of all Jesus has done for me. The error to avoid is that anything of value has a practical outcome. Some things have value in the motive for which they are done. Having a quiet time is an example of that; nothing outward is accomplished, but it shows love to spend time with the Lord. It is the one thing that is necessary, that of simply loving Jesus. The truth to claim in this passage is that the highest and best use of material possessions is to show love for Jesus. Sometimes that may be in giving them away for the poor, as He told the rich young ruler, or sometimes it may be in simply giving them to Jesus as an expression of love. But love must govern our use of possessions. It is worth praising God that He allows us to express our love to Him through such mundane means. We really have no way of repaying Him for His great sacrifice to us, but He does accept a heart of genuine love.
10. Day 19—With the insights you gained from question 9 write down specifically how you can apply them to your life. / This story instructs me to look at my heart, about how much am I motivated by all Christ has done for me. I must ask if I am willing to give generously out of my great love for Jesus, or if I give measured gifts designed to keep me feeling like I have done what I was supposed to do. I must also not allow myself to judge the gifts of others, but rather praise God for their actions born of love. There is no better way to glorify God that to show an act of extravagant love; this will not only please Him, but will motivate others to do the same for Him.
11. Day 20—Turn to pg. 57 in the 40 Days workbook. Using the Probe It method of Bible study meditate on Mark 15:33-39 and record your insights. / The sin to confess is that of crucifying Jesus; our sins are what put Him on the cross. There is no direct promise to claim in these verses. The attitude to change is that of derision spoken by those who mocked, wondering if Elijah would rescue Him. It is easy to mock the power of God – until He shows how great His power is. There is no command to obey directly here either. The examples to follow are that of Jesus, who gave up His life and experienced extreme suffering that we might have forgiveness and life. Also, the centurion observed Him and declared openly that surely Jesus was the Son of God. The prayer to pray is that we would believe in Jesus who is the Son of God and follow in His footsteps. The error to avoid is that of thinking that Jesus was an imposter and that we are in control of Him. He is Lord and is in control of all things. He sometimes allows us to make decisions to reveal to us our sinfulness or faith, but He is always in control. The truth to claim is that God does turn away from sin, as He did with Jesus on the cross. He also has opened the way into His presence, as symbolized by the His tearing in two the veil of the temple. There is also the important truth that He really did die, a fact that makes the resurrection have meaning and value. Finally, the truth is that He is the Son of God. The thing to praise God for is that Jesus did die on the cross for our sins so that we could have life.
12. Day 20—With the insights you gained from question 11 write down specifically how you can apply them to your life. / The greatest application is to not be blinded to the truth of who Jesus is because of my pride or unwillingness to submit to Him. I must bend my need to Him and follow Him with my life. I must be willing to suffer as He did in order to bring others into a saving relationship with Him – because this is why He went through all this. I must also use the access I have into the presence of God on a daily, regular basis. This is the greatest daily privilege we have, that of experiencing intimate fellowship with the God of all things.