Paul, the Law, and Prayer

Patrick Schreiner recently posted links to a series of lectures by Brian Rosner on Paul and Law (including mp3 audio and pdf handouts). In addition to being a great resource for better understanding how to put your Bible together, one of the lectures stood out to me as an instant and helpful prayer guide.

So often we struggle to pray beyond “Lord be with/bless/heal/give wisdom to so-and-so.”  Those aren’t bad things to pray for someone. But it’s hardly the depth of what we see in the Bible.  Why not pray for the things God says he wants of his children?  In this way all of the Bible becomes our prayer book with any passage becoming a platform upon which we can praise God, repent of sin before God, or ask God for grace that we need.

Rosner gives us one little slice of this when he lists passages from Paul’s letter which describe how believers are to “walk” in this life.  Consider printing this or copying it into a note on your phone and praying this for yourself, your family, or anyone else on your prayer list for a few weeks.

Do not walk . . .

• as the Gentiles do (1 Cor 3:3; 2 Cor 10:2; Eph 4:17)
• in idleness (1 Thess 4:12)
• as enemies of the gospel (Phil 3:18)

Instead, walk according to . . .

• or by the Spirit (Rom 8:4; Gal 5:16)
• the apostolic example (Phil 3:17)
• the apostolic teaching (2 Thess 3:6)
• the truth of the gospel (Gal. 2:14)

As you walk . . .

• in Christ (Col 2:6)
• in love (Rom 14:15; Eph 5:2)
• in newness of resurrection life (Rom 6:4)
• in good works (Eph 2:10)
• as in the day (Rom 13:13)
• as children of light (Eph 5:15)
• by faith (2 Cor 5:7)
• wisely (Eph 5:15; Col 4:5)