60IN60 Day 28 - Sun Jan 29

It’s Day 28 and we’re in John 10.

Remember that your daily reading in the Bible isn't about gaining information - it's about changing your life to be more like Christ. That means that you need to take action on what God speaks to you about. 

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 10 - He's not just offering adequate life; He's offering us abundant life.

Help:

- Verses 34-36 - This is a difficult saying. Unfortunately, it's really not an explanation that can be succinctly stated and I really don't have sufficient space here to explain it. Some answers take a whole sermon!

If you want to read the chapter online, here’s a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 27 - Sat Jan 28

It’s Day 27 and we’re in John 9.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 6-7 - I like how Jesus' healings are not cookie-cutter. They happen different ways in different situations, just as He works differently in each of our lives.

Help:

- Verse 3 - Even in the midst of tragedy and heartbreak, God is working to bring something redemptive out of it.

If you want to read the chapter online, here’s a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 26 - Fri Jan 27

It's Day 26 and we're in John 8.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 31 - This is what God expects of us. Obeying His teaching is not optional for a believer. 

Help:

- Verse 6 - What did He write? We don't know. One of the more interesting suggestions is that He was writing the sins of the men holding the rocks.
- Verses 58-59 - By using the phrase "I am," Jesus was equating Himself with God. 

If you want to read the chapter online, here’s a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 25 - Thurs Jan 26

It's Day 25 and we're in 1 Timothy 6.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 6-8 - How badly do we need to heed these words in the culture in which we live? We have everything and we're still not content.

Help:

- Verses 1-2 - In other places, Paul advises slaves to get their freedom if they can, but he also puts a great emphasis on living out their faith even within their bonds.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 24 - Wed Jan 25

It's Day 24 and we're in 1 Timothy 5.

One reason to be in the Bible regularly? It provides the answers to life's most pressing questions: "Why am I here?" "What value does my life have?" "What does God want out of me?" "What does a life well spent look like?" For all the time we spend daily on trivial things, it's essential that we spend some time on the big questions.

 

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 22 - We bear part of the responsibility when we put the wrong people in leadership positions. That's one reason we need to be careful and prayerful about those choices.

Help:

- Verse 9 - There was a list of widows who received financial help from the church and Paul is here talking about the requirements for being on that list.

- Verse 12 - "previous pledge" - Apparently getting on this list involved taking a pledge, perhaps to devote yourself to more prayer or something like that.

- Verse 23 - Timothy had some medical problems and Paul advises him to use a little wine to help with that.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 23 - Tues Jan 24

It's Day 23 and we're in 1 Timothy 4.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 7 - "discipline yourself" - Spiritual growth doesn't happen by accident.

Help:

- Verse 10 - Jesus is the Savior of all people because He died to make it possible for everyone to be forgiven, but there is obviously a sense in which He is especially the Savior for those of us who have accepted His sacrifice.

- Verse 12 - "youthfulness" - Timothy was relatively young.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Comments and Questions:

- "I Timothy 3:8-13 - My experience, when it comes to choosing deacons in churches, is basically the divorce factor - if the man has been divorced, he's out; if he hasn't been divorced, he's in. Then there's the ceremony, the ordination, etc.  But I don't think I've ever witnessed the deacon's wife be involved in the process.  This scripture plainly points out requirements for her too.  Why isn't the wife of a potential deacon examined for her role? Why isn't she questioned before the church? I've known some deacon's wives that were not anything like this Scripture describes." - It's important for us to consider the Biblical requirements for the roles that you've mentioned. Sadly, in many cases, those passages aren't even referenced in the process of seeking people to fill those roles. I don't really have a good explanation as to why we don't do better, except that no one within the church is pushing us to be more deliberate about pursuing the Bible's standards. I would add that a similar situation often happens with pastors as well. There are Biblical passages that lay out the standards for a pastor and yet in many situations a pastoral search committee will spend much more time considering what they want or what the church wants in a new pastor rather than prayerfully considering what the Bible says a pastor should look like.

60IN60 Day 22 - Mon Jan 23

It's Day 22 and we're in 1 Timothy 3.

One problem that regularly bothers me as I read is a wandering mind. A word in the text will make me think of something that I have to do that day and my mind is off to the races, leaving the Bible behind. I've found it helpful to have something near me that I can make a note on when that happens so I can write down that thing I need to do later and get back to concentrating on the reading in front of me.
 

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 2-13 - As it lays out the requirements for being a pastor (overseer) and deacon, we need to remember that we need to be careful in choosing people for those roles.  I've seen too many situations where they were chosen with no thought to the Biblical requirements.

Help:

- Verse 1 - "Overseer" means pastor.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Questions and Comments:

- "I Timothy 2:9 - I like to dress up for Sunday service. I don't work a job to wear dress clothes (and that's almost a thing of the past) and I don't have many occasions to 'dress up'. I like wearing nice jewelry that I have been gifted or inherited. It isn't to flaunt, nor do I feel like everyone should wear their 'Sunday best' to come to church. But, am I sending the wrong message ?  Do Christians give the impression that clothes worn to church are important ?

When I was in high school, my church hosted a youth rally. We invited our friends from school. Some of the girls said they couldn't come because they didn't own a dress (in the 70's if a girl went to church it was in a dress). So our church girls decided we would wear pants so our friends would be comfortable at the youth rally.  And then we got reprimanded by the youth leaders for wearing pants in the church. I know my thoughts on that incident - shame on the youth leaders.

I know why I dress the way I do for church, because that's the way I want to. But after 50 years, are Christians still sending the wrong message about dress ?  And wearing a dress doesn't always fit this Scripture; I've seen short, tight, low cut neckline dresses that are far from modest." - The issue you raise is one that is still a consideration for many thinking about coming to church: do I need to dress up? And, as you note, especially for women: do I need to wear a dress? There are a lot of facets to this question, but I will just limit myself to a couple comments. First and foremost, the most important thing about "getting ready for worship" is not getting our clothes right but getting our heart right. Sadly, many of us put more attention on our appearance than our heart. Second, I think it's easy to fall into legalism on this issue. You can only wear these kinds of clothes! No, I think you can only wear these kind of clothes! We need to remember that there is quite a bit left unsaid on this issue. (And, by the way, I agree with about the youth leaders.)

- "I Timothy 2:11 -  I have friends whose church will not allow a woman to teach a Sunday school class, VBS, or youth group with boys or young men in it. They separate the boys and girls so a woman will teach only girls. A very strict interpretation of this verse."