10/30 1 Thessalonians 1-5

Two verses in today's reading jumped out at me.  Chapter 2:8  ⁸We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us
Not a strength of mine.  I do pretty well with the church attendance, Bible study and giving, but not so good with the sharing my life part.  That requires time and sacrifice.  However, as we have talked about so many times in Life Group, it is in the sharing of our lives that we will truly make the connections to change a lost world.




Chapter 4:11-12 ¹¹Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, ¹²so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders. . .   Monday night, Denny mentioned that seldom would be the time when we would have a discussion with an unsaved person about justification, sanctification or glorification.  This verse points to how right the Denster was.  It is our daily lives that the unsaved world sees day in and day out.

P.S.  Kathy- 4:13-18  We are praying for your family in Iowa during this time. 

10/28 Philippians 1-4

The Holy Spirit must be working on a very specific area of my life.  Consistently over these past several days of NT90, I am drawn to verses where Paul addresses how important is our thought life in living out the Christian life.  Philippians 4:8- Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- let him think about these things.

As I spent some time thinking about this verse and the other "thought" verses from recent readings, I began to realize that the VAST majority of the times I sin, it is because I have allowed my thoughts to stray from T.N.R.P.L.A.  Too much time spend replaying how a person has mistreated me- I gossip.  Too much time spent dwelling on how rough my day was at work- I am not a patient listener for Kristi when she needs to talk about her day.  Too much time worrying about finances- I fail to give generously.

If my thoughts were T.N.R.P.L.A., what a difference that would make in my actions and reactions.

What are your thoughts on today's reading?

10/27 Ephesians 4-6

My entry of 10/26 entry touched on the wonderful truth that, as Christians, we have the freedom and confidence to be able to go to God directly.  No earthly intercessor is necessary.  That is an exciting truth, but is of little consequence if I fail to take advantage of it.

Yesterday there were two or three tough situations at work.  Did I utilize that "freedom and confidence" to take the challenges to the Lord?  Not so much.  I did my best to deal with the situations on my own strength.  The author of James writes in chapter 1 ²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  Yesterday, I was that man.

My prayer for today is that I will not only read God's word, but put it into practice in my life.  Paul writes in Ephesians 6:23a to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions will all kinds of prayers and requests."  If I can just remember to do this one thing, I will be way ahead of yesterday.

What are your thoughts on today's reading?

10/26 Ephesians 1-3

I am sure many of you have either asked someone or been asked, "If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive (they would be alive for dinner I presume), who would it be?"  Bill Gates?  Abraham Lincoln?  Jesus Christ?  John Lennon?

Today's reading reminded me that I can have dinner, lunch, brunch and breakfast with the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe.  The omnipotent, omniscience God of eternity past, present and future is on-call 24/7 for those who have believed in and trusted in his son, Jesus Christ.

In Ephesians 3:12 Paul writes, "In him (Jesus Christ) and through faith in him, we can approach God with freedom and confidence."  Freedom to go to our Heavenly Father whenever we need him and with whatever is troubling us.  Freedom to offer him praise and thanks whenever the mood strikes us.  Confidence that he is able and willing to "work for the for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28.

How exciting and reassuring is the knowledge that we can, with freedom and confidence, approach El Shaddai, God the Sustainer.


If you could choose one person, past or present, to have dinner with, who would it be?

10/25 Galatians 1-6

I don't have a very vast repertoire of scripture committed to memory, but one that I have filed away in my gray matter is found near the end of Galatians.  Galatians 5:22 lists the fruit of the Spirit.  It is interesting to note that the list is the fruit singular, not Fruits plural.  If I am a believer then I am endowed with all the traits listed in verse 22- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

What is frustrating is that even though I possess all the fruit of the Spirit on so many occasions I do not exercise these qualities.  Maybe that is what Paul is referring to in Philippians 2:12 when he admonishes us to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling. . ."

My prayer for each day should be that the fruit of the Spirit is a bit more evident in my life than the day before.


What are your thoughts on today's reading?

10/23 2 Corinthians 10-13

Does anyone remember the old Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom?  The show which ran from 1963 to 1971 would show faithful sidekick Jim wrestling a water buffalo to the ground while Marlin Perkins watched the action from the safety of the Range Rover.

I thought of Jim and the water buffalo when I read 2 Corinthians 10:5b ". . .and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."  So often my quiet time will get derailed when thoughts of work creep in.  Many have been the times I allowed thoughts of past sins and misdeeds to derail the joy Christ longs for me to have.  Thoughts can be a powerful thing and are not easy to master.  When those negative, joy-robbing, quiet-time-distracting thoughts start to creep in, I need to remember Paul's admonishment to take captive of my thought life and make it obedient to Christ.  


There are times I feel like Marlin Perkins in this video clip when it comes to mastering my thoughts.

10/22 2 Corinthians 6-9

Hmmm. . .  What's wrong with this picture.  The title of this post is 10/22, but the posting date is 10/23.  Would you believe that the computer got the posting date wrong?  Nah, didn't think so.  What transpired yesterday is what happens to me so many times in my Christian life.  I didn't quite get around to what I knew I should have.  I read yesterday's passage, but, well, then other things came up.  Nothing "sinful" mind  you.  A movie on t.v.  A bit of the Rangers/Yankees game.  It was Friday night, I was tired and my derriere was attracted to the couch like iron filings to a magnet.

Nothing I did was actually "sinful".  Or was it?  James 4:17  Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do, and doesn't do it, sins.  The good I was being led to do last night was spend more time in God's word.  I let the things of this world become more important than the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Sorry I didn't address the reading passage for the 22nd.  What thoughts did you have on 2 Corinthians 6-9?

10/21 2 Corinthians 1-5

Perseverance paid off for me this morning.  As I made my way through the first 98% of today's reading selection, nothing had jumped out at me.   Figured it was going to be one of those get-through-it-because-it-is-my-duty days.  Then chapter 5, verse 17 rolled into town.  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"  The King James Version is how I remember this from my days in First Baptist Church, Bolivar, MO. ¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

The verse reminded that because I am "in Christ" I no longer have to continue in those presalvation thought patterns and habits.  Will some of them continue to be a problem?  Most likely.  Will I ever have a day when I don't have a thought or act in a way that disappoints God?  Highly unlikely.  But as a new creation, I no longer have to be controlled by the "old things".

Praise be to God for creating a new creature in me because the old creature sure needed recreating!

What are your thoughts on today's reading?

10/20 1 Corinthians 14-16

Spiritual gifts, prophecy, speaking in tongues, women's silence in church-  all topics that Satan loves to use to divide the Church, and all are topics Paul covers in today's reading.  Is it not hard to see why there are  between 20,000 and 30,000 denominations which call themselves Christians. http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/a120.htm

However, Paul gets to the heart of the matter in chapter 15  ³For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,   That is where the rubber hits the road, not whether women should keep their heads covered in church, not the length of a man's hair, etc.  The dying world needs to know that our sins are covered under the blood of Christ and that He is a risen, living savior capable of dealing with all of our hurts, disappointments and loneliness.   He can also be the source of joy, peace and contentment, if we will allow Him in our hearts.  Let the theologians argue the other points of Paul's writings.

What are your thoughts on today's passage?

10/19 1 Corinthians 10-13

The last chapter in today's reading is what many refer to as the "Love Chapter".  It has been read at countless weddings, and rightly so.  If all marriages embraced the attitudes set forth in the chapter, there were be far fewer divorces, fights and unhappy husbands and wives.  However, chapter 13 takes on a whole new light when linked with chapter 12.

In chapter 12 Paul is reminding the church at Corinth about spiritual gifts and how each member of the body of Christ has a unique and individual service/gift to offer.  The last verse of chapter 12 is "And now I will show you the most excellent way."  When chapter 13 is linked to chapter 12 through the last part of verse 31, we see that Paul was admonishing Christians to treat other believers in this manner.  Chapter 13 covers a much wider range of people that just husband and wife.

Do we have time for the fellow Sunday School class member who needs to talk about the struggles he/she is going through--for the FIFTH time.  (13:4 Love is patient.)      How do we react when a coworker gets a promotion we were hoping to get. (13:4 It [love] does not envy.)    What about when our boss is short with us for the 5th time that week?  (13:5 It [love] keeps no record of wrong.)

Applying the love principles may be more challenging outside of the home, but think about the transforming effect we could have on the world if we made a conscious effort to live out chapter 13 not just in our homes but also in the workplace and church pews.

What are your thoughts on today's passage?

10/18 1 Corinthians 6-9

  Paul references many interesting topics in today's reading.  Christians suing each other, singleness/marriage, divorce and pastoral salaries are just some of the of the topics Paul addresses in this section of Corinthians.  Many of these topics are too weighty to address in a 10 minute blog submission.  


Near the end of Chapter 8, Paul speaks of our duty to weaker brothers/sisters in Christ.  I have included the passage below.
⁹Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? ¹¹So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. ¹²When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.


Are there things I do, ways I act, jokes I tell that, while perhaps not forbidden in scripture are causing an unbeliever at work or a weaker Christian to "stumble"?  One example is my tendency to lose my temper on the tennis court.  Cursing is not a part of my McEnroe repertoire, but I am still prone to an angry shout or toss of the racquet.  Several of the guys I play tennis with are not church goers and one in particular is antagonistic to the Christian faith.  My child-like displays of temper are certainly not the proper reflection of Christ in my life.  I have a duty to modify that behavior as to bring glory to God.  Are there things in your life that are a stumbling block for others?  

10/16 1 Corinthians 1-5

Sometimes I am hesitant to witness or get into a spiritual discussion with an unbeliever because I don't have all the references, facts and arguments of an apologist.  I think that if I am not able to refute all the arguments against the Christian faith, it is best not to even bring up the topic.

After reading today's passage, I realize that dog won't hunt.  Paul writes in chapter 1  ²²Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,²³but we preach Christ crucified: . . .    Nothing fancy or eloquent.  Just the fact that Christ died for me and because of his sacrifice, I am a changed person, now and for eternity.

And in chapter 2 Paul writes,  ¹When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  Paul didn't allow his lack of "superior wisdom" to keep him from sharing the gospel message.

I just hate it when my reasons for not witnessing are revealed to be nothing but just lame excuses.  RATS!

What are your thoughts on today's reading?

10/15 Romans 12-16

At times today's reading seemed as if there were two different authors.  Chapters 12, 14 and 15 seemed much less theological and cerebral and more simply written.  Short, simple sentences with a clear message- unlike some of what was written by Paul earlier in Romans.  For me, on a Friday at the end of a long week, this was a relief.

However, the simplicity of writing did not mean a simplistic message.  Chapter 12 reminds us of how we each have a unique gift or way of serving the church.  Chapter 13 discusses the importance of submitting to governmental authority.  Do not judge others based on their actions is a focus of Chapter 14.  Chapter 16 reminded me that Romans was literally just a letter written to a group of believers.  Paul probably didn't think that his writings would be foundational for the Church 2000 years later.  He ends the book of Romans by giving props to his peeps- Pheobe, Titus, Timothy, etc.

What I took away from today's reading was found early in Chapter 12.   ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ³For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.  It is easy for me to allow my thought life to be a hindrance.  Either I worry about things I ought not to worry about, or I fall into a judgmental way of thinking.  These two verses reminded me that before I go to work, before I interact with students, before I start on any work or service project, whatever it is, I need to make sure things are right between the ears.

http://www.scripturestudies.com/Vol1/A3/a3_ex.html  This link give a good explanation of "sober judgment".

What are your thoughts on today's reading?

10/14 Romans 8-11

If you heard a whirring this morning from southwest Springfield, it was my head spinning on its axis as I tried to comprehend all that Paul wrote about in today's reading.  Everything from the rejection of Israel as God's chosen people to predestination.  All sorts of subjects that have been debated for years by minds much greater than mine.

However, I did have moments of clarity as I read Romans 8-11.  Verses 8:26,34 are verses that I find encouraging.  26-In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.   Ever had one of those days or periods in your life when things seem so out of control that you don't even know where to begin to pray?  Luckily the Holy Spirit does know what we need and is interceding for us with God the Father.

Then Paul writes in verse 34, that Jesus Christ himself is interceding with God on our behalf.  34- Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. We don't have to have all the answers, or even know the right questions.  Two/thirds of the Trinity are up in heaven acting as our intercessors with God the Father.  For me, that is some very comforting knowledge.

What are your thoughts on today's reading?

10/13 Romans 4-7

I am posting this on the 12th, but it is the reading for the 13th.  Mark your calendars!  It will most likely be the only time I am ever ahead on the reading.

Paul must have been one smart cookie.  I find myself having to read, reread and then read out loud portions of Romans in an attempt to comprehend what he is saying.  Even still, there are passages that leave me scratching my head.

What was encouraging for me in today's reading was near the end of Chapter 7.  In verses 15-25, Paul writes about his continuing struggle with sin.  If Paul, who was a super saint, missionary and apostle, struggled with sin, how unrealistic it would be for me to think that I would ever be free from that same struggle.

What are your thoughts on today's reading?

10/12 Acts 28-Romans 3

Acts 28 picks up at the point where Paul and his shipmates have washed ashore on the island of Malta after a storm has destroyed the ship.


Acts 28:2-6 are the verses where a lot of the snake-handling churches base their belief.  Not sure I would want to apply those particular verses to my worship experience!
  


^{Romans 2:9}There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; ¹⁰but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 


The text in red jumped out at me this morning in light of our discussions from last night.  Kevin mentioned that if we were not careful six months from now, we could be having the same discussions about who to help, how to help them, etc.  For me verse 10 simplifies that discussion somewhat.  Each one of us is responsible for "doing good".  That may look different for each one of us, but the "glory, honor and peace" accompany the "doing" not the talking about.


I know I am often times guilty of talking about what needs to be done and neglect the doing.  I guess it's time to put feet and hands to my words.


What are your thoughts on today's reading?