60IN60 Day 25 - Thurs Jan 31

It’s Day 25 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.

Questions You Have:
- "your thoughts on John 9:41... My commentary does not address that verse... "We see therefore your sin remains"..... .???" - Because they were claiming to be experts in the Law and to understand what the morally right thing to do was, their guilt was greater.  When I know what is right and wrong, there is a greater responsibility.

60IN60 Day 24 - Wed Jan 30

It’s Day 24 and we’re in John 8.

We have lots of excuses for why we don't read the Bible: "I'm too busy," "I don't know where to start," "I tried it once and got confused," "I just never got around to it." I hope "60IN60" helps you to be able to overcome those excuses and experience a rewarding time in the Word.

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.

Where God Spoke To You Through The Chapters:
- "I know a lot of people who are experiencing or have experienced depression. I know meds and a good psychiatrist, in addition to talk therapy with a psychologist or counselor is always necessary in the beginning, but prayer is such a huge part of healing as well. Psalm 30, to me, is the ultimate "Heal me, oh Lord," prayer and praise once He's done so. Both my siblings have been completely healed of depression/bi-polar disorder. God did that! He turned their weeping into rejoicing and their wailing into dancing. It's such a testimony and this psalm captures it perfectly and gives hope to those who are still dealing with it."

60IN60 Day 23 - Tues Jan 29

It's Day 23 and we're in Psalm 31.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 9-10 - Such an honest description of the grief we go through.  The Bible is honest about life.

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.

Where God Spoke To You:
- "This reading really spoke to me. And it's something as humans, we all fall prey to.

 

30:5 For his anger lasts only a brief moment,

and his good favor restores one’s life.

One may experience sorrow during the night,

but joy arrives in the morning.

30:6 In my self-confidence I said,

“I will never be upended.”

(From the NET bible)

 

Verse 6 clued me in to what the Psalmist was dealing with, maybe a little too much self-confidence, pride, and a big ego? I can look back over my life and see that God withdraws his protection from me when I get too full of pride and think that I can do it all on my own. I am thankful for his good favor and that he always restores. Maybe one of these days I will learn to not let sinful pride get in between God and I. :-)"

60IN60 Day 22 - Mon Jan 28

It's Day 22 and we're in Psalm 30.

As you read, listen for where God wants to speak to you. What jumps out to you? What speaks to situations you're dealing with right now?

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 5 - It may be bad for a while, but the joy is on its way.

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 21 - Sun Jan 27

It's Day 21 and we're in Psalm 28.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 1 - We've all prayed that prayer: "God, if you don't come through for me, I'm going down."

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 20 - Sat Jan 26

It's Day 20 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.

Questions From You:
- "After reading tonight's bible verse [1 Timothy 3], the standards for a deacon appear very strict in the early church. Please explain the Bible verse that speaks to the qualifications of a deacon stating that he should be a 'husband of one wife' and how does a women qualify to become a deacon in the modern church. Can a divorced man truly be a deacon or are they talking about polygamy?" - Let's take those in turn. 1. The standards are high.  One of the problems often today in churches is that in many churches the only thing that's considered from the list is the divorce question.  The larger qualifications need to be carefully considered before inviting someone to be a deacon.  It needs to be the most mature people within a church.  2. Concerning the "husband of one wife" (1 Timothy 3:12) comment, there have been a whole host of interpretations of that down through the years: a. It's about polygamy and it's saying he should not be in a multiple marriage; b. It's saying deacons should not have been divorced except for reasons allowed in the Bible; c. It's saying deacons should not have been divorced under any circumstances; d. It's saying single people should not be allowed to be deacons; e. And it gets more obscure from there.  3. Concerning women deacons, this is also a source of disagreement.  Some argue that the passage here presumes that the deacon is a male.  Others point out that there are references to deaconesses in the New Testament (with some presuming that's a separate role than deacon and some saying their female deacons).  4. Christians have disagreed on these issues for a long time and that's why different churches handle these issues differently.  "Let each be fully convinced in their own mind."

Your Comments On Previous Chapters:
- [From the Exodus chapters] "I hadn't thought about it previously, but I recently watched a special on TV about proving how all the plagues could be scientifically 'proven.'  'River ran red LIKE blood. But there is a common algae plume called the Red Tide. This makes the river, or any water, look red like blood. Why did this happen? The ash changes the PH level of the river allowing the algae to bloom.' You can find at least two more explanations (volcanoes and fish dying so the blood turns it red), but this only discusses the river, not wells, jars, or buckets. I wish I could go to the producers of the show and point that out to them to show them it really was a miracle and not all miracles can be explained with science...they're just miracles. "

60IN60 Day 19 - Fri Jan 25

It's Day 19 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 18 - Thurs Jan 24

It's Day 18 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.

60IN60 Day 17 - Wed Jan 23

It's Day 17 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.

60IN60 Day 16 - Tues Jan 22

It's Day 16 and we're in 1 Timothy 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 9-10 - A reminder that as we come into church it's not our fancy clothes that God's interested in.

Help:

- Verses 11-12 - A variety of interpretations have been offered down through the years, including: a. This was only for the time of Paul and is not applicable to today; b. This means that women shouldn't be pastors; c. This only has to do with the particular church Timothy was ministering in at that time, where perhaps the women were not particularly spiritually mature.

- Verse 15 - This is an obscure verse that's meaning is not clear.

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 15 - Mon Jan 21

It's Day 15 and we're in 1 Timothy 1.

What's the Bible say about the book you're reading today? "All Scripture is. . . profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Reading the Bible will make your day more "profitable."
 

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 6 - "fruitless discussion" - Still a popular thing today.  Debating religion for the sake of proving yourself right is largely a waste of time.

Help:

- Verse 18 - "the prophecies previously made concerning you" - Prophecies had been made when Timothy was younger about how God would use him.

- Verse 20 - "handed over to Satan" - These men had pursued what was evil, so Paul essentially released them from God's protection and asks God to allow Satan to have his way with them.  The goal is for them to repent and return to the truth.

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.

Questions You Have:
- "Basically idle thoughts, and probably irrelevant, but I’m curious. Moses and Aaron turned all the water to blood, even what was in jars and buckets. So what water was there for the sorcerers and magicians to turn to blood? And how long did it stay that way? Did God immediately turn it back to water and then let the sorcerers turn it to blood and leave it that way so the Egyptians would have to search for water? 7 days (Chapter 8)? Or was the 7 days just the length of time before God sent Moses to Pharaoh again? Does Scripture give us the answer, or does it just let us guess?" - It would seem from verse 23 that they got some water from digging wells, so I would presume that's where the Egyptian magicians got their water from.  It doesn't tell us how long the water stayed that way.  One potential answer is seven days (v. 25) although it doesn't specifically say the water changed back then.  Another (in my mind more likely answer) is that it took however long was necessary for the water/blood to flow away.  In the Nile, for instance, the water/blood presumably flowed to the Mediterranean and was replaced by water from way upstream.  This would also go along with the fact that there doesn't say that God specifically changed the blood back into water.

60IN60 Day 14 - Sun Jan 20

It's Day 14 and we're in Exodus 7.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 11, 22 - This is a reminder to me that the forces of evil can duplicate some of the amazing things that God can do.  I shouldn't be too impressed by the miracle in and of itself.

Help:

- Verse 1 - "I will make you as God to Pharaoh" - That simply means that Moses would be God's chosen representative before Pharaoh, not that God was going to make Moses into a "mini-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 13 - Sat Jan 19

It's Day 13 and we're in Exodus 6.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 9 - Sometimes people struggle to believe that's what God is offering could be real because their current situation is so bad.

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 12 - Fri Jan 18

It's Day 12 and we're in Exodus 5.

If it's hard to understand what you're reading in the Bible, make sure you have a translation that's a good fit for you. Reading the King James (a great historic translation) can be particularly difficult because of the antiquated language. Among the good options available today: New International Version (good all-around translation), English Standard Version (good all-around translation), New American Standard (a more literal translation, closer to the original manuscripts), and New Living Translation (a translation that focuses on readability and understandability).

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 7 - Sometimes the first step toward God's deliverance looks like a step backward.  Things don't always immediately get better.

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 11 - Thurs Jan 17

It's Day 11 and we're in Exodus 4.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 1 - How many excuses can we come up with as to why we shouldn't do what God is calling us to do?

Help:

- Verse 21 - Does this mean that God was overriding Pharaoh's free will?  I think it was a combination of two things: Pharaoh was inclined to be hard-hearted toward Israel and God orchestrated the situation to accentuate that.

- Verses 24-26 - This is an obscure and weird passage that has stumped scholars for centuries.  I can't really say that I have a good answer to what's going on here.

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 10 - Wed Jan 16

It's Day 10 and we're in Exodus 3.

Going back to Monday's email fail for a second, remember that if the email doesn't come, you can still see the daily information at 60in60Bible.org.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 11 - I think we all have moments of doubting that God could do something significant through us.  Ultimately, though, it's about how big He is, not how great we are.

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 9 - Tues Jan 15

It's Day 9 and we're in Exodus 2.

Feedburner did not send the email out yesterday when it was scheduled.  I'm not sure what the problem was exactly, but it was on their end.  Sorry for any inconvenience.  That's the first time that's happened.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 5 - Even in the midst of something intended for evil, God is able to work so that His chosen servant is raised both with a Hebrew heritage and with a knowledge of the inner workings of Pharaoh's household.

Help:

- Verse 12 - Moses' thoughts were in the right direction (protecting the Hebrews), but he went about it the wrong way (in his own power).

- Verse 25 - Not saying that God had been distracted, but rather that their cries and prayers finally were sufficient to merit His move.

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 8 - Mon Jan 14

It's Day 8 and we're in Exodus 1.

We'll come back to John.  We're going to visit different parts of the Bible during our 60 days: gospels, New Testament epistles, Old Testament stories, Psalms, Proverbs.  Each brings something different to the table.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 8 - "who did not know Joseph" - You can't rest on the way things used to be.  It's a new day and you have to face what's in front of you.

Help:

- Verse 1 - The context of this, for those who don't know, is that Israel has long been in Egypt and now God is going to bring them up to the Promised Land.

- Verse 15 - Because there were so many Israelites, either (a) these were the two midwives in charge of all the others or (b) the Israelites didn't normally call on the midwives at birth.

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 7 - Sun Jan 13

It's Day 7 and we're in John 7.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 17 - Obedience has to come first, then assurance and confidence follows.

- Verse 38 - I love that image - God overflowing from within us.

Help:

- Verses 8, 10 - Jesus means, "I'm not going to go up at the start of the festival and be the big presence you want me to be."  Instead, He went up secretly, waited until later in the festival, and then did a little teaching.

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 6 - Sat Jan 12

It's Day 6 and we're in John 6.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 15 - Jesus didn't trust people's instincts to lead to the right thing.  Why do I sometimes?

Help:

- Verse 29 - This isn't saying that we just have to say we "believe" in Jesus and then we can go live our lives any way we want.  To truly believe in Jesus, I must then act on what He said to do (i.e. follow His teachings) because I believe that what He said is true is really true.  That's required to actually believe in Jesus.

- Verses 51-56, 60, 63 - This is the original "hard saying" from Jesus.  These are tough words.  The best way I think to understand it is that Jesus sacrificed His body and blood in my place, so therefore I have to receive that into my life in order to experience new spiritual life.  Obviously, we tie these words into what we celebrate at communion.

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:

- "I never thought about Jesus' disciples doing the baptizing versus Jesus doing it. I guess I just always pictured Jesus doing it. Did he baptize at all?" - There is no indication that Jesus ever baptized anyone.  It appears He had His disciples do that.

60IN60 Day 5 - Fri Jan 11

It's Day 5 and we're in John 5.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 13 - Most healers would gather a big crowd and publicize what they did.  Jesus quietly does it, then slips away without telling the man His name.  I like it.

Help:

- Verse 18 - We use the term "Father" so often in prayer that we take it for granted, but that was not something the Jews back then did.  They considered Jesus using that term to be provocative.

- Verse 29 - This is not saying that we're not saved by grace, but rather that our actions are going to reveal the true state of our heart - whether we've been changed or not.

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 4 - Thurs Jan 10

It's Day 4 and we're in John 4.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 14 - "a well of water springing up to eternal life" - Nice image - I like the idea of God being within us and flowing out of us.

- Verse 34 - Is that what satisfies me?

Help:

- Verses 48, 50 - Jesus speaks those challenging words in verse 48, but then the man shows that he is willing to take Jesus by faith (and not by signs) by walking away without having seen the miracle.

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.

Questions You All Shared:
- "Is simple belief enough? Seems to me repentance is what really generates the new birth. Of course you won't repent if you don't believe, but many claim belief, and even salvation, but still continue without any change in their behavior." - Great question.  I think it all comes back to the way we understand the word "belief."  I think a lot of people today define "believe" as saying out loud "I believe Jesus is the Son of God who died for my sins" and that saying I "believe" that makes me a Christian.  But then nothing changes in their lives.  I would argue that believing in Jesus means that believing in what He taught and then doing what He said to do.  If you tell me the building is on fire and I say I believe you but I don't flee the building, is that real belief or just empty words?  One of those essential teachings (in fact, one of His primary messages) was "repent."  But I also need to pursue obeying all of His teaching because I believe in Jesus.

60IN60 Day 3 - Wed Jan 9

It's Day 3 and we're in John 3.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 3 - "born again" - He's not offering a minor adjustment to our spiritual lives.  He's offering rebirth.

- Verse 20 - So true about why we shy away from God.  We have things we don't want to come to light.

Help:

- Verse 8 - The point here is that you can't see the wind but it still has an impact.  You can't see the Spirit, but he's still real and having an impact.

- Verse 14 - Moses raising up his staff (and people being saved by that from physical problems) is a picture of Christ being raised up on the cross (and us looking to that to be saved from our spiritual problems).

- Verse 25 - This question seemed to center around whether baptism was necessary for purification.

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 2 - Tues Jan 8

It's Day 2 and we're in John 2.

If you've got questions about your reading, I love answering those. Feel free to email me. Unless it's something personal, I'll usually anonymously share the question (and answer) in the following day's email so everyone can benefit from it.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 9 - I love the fact that with all the big important guests there the only ones who see the miracle are the servants.  God's not impressed with our power and position.

Help:
- Verse 10 - Despite what some Baptists will tell you, there is no way to have this story make sense without the wine that was made by Jesus being alcoholic wine.

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 1 - Mon Jan 7

It's Day 1 and we're in John 1.

You are not reading the Bible to gain trivia knowledge. You're reading the Bible for life change. Father, change our hearts to look more like Your's.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 39 - "Come and you will see" - That's a pretty good summary of what Jesus calls us to.  Come and walk with me and I'll show you what you need to know as we walk along.

Help:
- Verse 1 - "the Word" - The Word is Jesus.  That's just another name/title for Him.
- Verse 15 - What's John's statement mean?  To paraphrase it: Jesus came after me, in that my ministry started before His, but He was before me, in that He is preexistant because He's God.
- Verse 16 - "grace in place of grace" - This seems to refer to the fact that even before the fuller grace that we've received through Jesus, we received grace in God withholding His judgment because we were stick under the Law.  See verse 17.

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

If you want a PDF copy of the sheet of the 60 days of readings, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

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

60IN60 Next Round

We finished up with our 60 days yesterday.  I hope it was spiritually productive for you.

We'll be starting a new round of readings next Monday.

If you want to continue to do 60IN60: You don't have to do anything.  The updates will continue to come to your email.

If you don't want to continue to do 60IN60: Just click the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of this email.

Below are the readings for the new round.  If you'd prefer to have it on a one-page PDF, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Next round of readings:

1: John 1 (Monday, January 7)

2: John 2

3: John 3

4: John 4

5: John 5

6: John 6

7: John 7

8: Exodus 1 (Monday, January 14)

9: Exodus 2

10: Exodus 3

11: Exodus 4

12: Exodus 5

13: Exodus 6

14: Exodus 7

15: 1 Timothy 1 (Monday, January 21)

16: 1 Timothy 2

17: 1 Timothy 3

18: 1 Timothy 4

19: 1 Timothy 5

20: 1 Timothy 6

21: Psalm 28

22: Psalm 30 (Monday, January 28)

23: Psalm 31

24: John 8

25: John 9

26: John 10

27: John 11

28: John 12

29: John 13 (Monday, February 4)

30: John 14

31: Exodus 11

32: Exodus 12

33: Exodus 13

34: Exodus 14

35: Exodus 15

36: Exodus 16 (Monday, February 11)

37: Exodus 17

38: Exodus 18

39: Exodus 19

40: Exodus 20

41: 2 Timothy 1

42: 2 Timothy 2

43: 2 Timothy 3 (Monday, February 18)

44: 2 Timothy 4

45: Proverbs 19

46: Proverbs 20

47: John 15

48: John 16

49: John 17

50: John 18 (Monday, February 25)

51: John 19

52: John 20

53: John 21

54: Exodus 32

55: Exodus 33

56: Exodus 34

57: Acts 5 (Monday, March 4s)

58: Acts 6

59: Acts 7

60: Acts 8

60IN60 Day 60 - Thurs Jan 3

It's Day 60 and we're in Proverbs 18.

Congratulations!  You made it through the 60 days!  I hope it's been beneficial spiritually for you.  More information tomorrow about the next round.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 14 - It is the deeper pain.

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 59 - Wed Jan 2

It's Day 59 and we're in Proverbs 17.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 22 - Seen it so many times.

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

If you have questions or comments, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 58 - Tues Jan 1

It's Day 58 and we're in Proverbs 16.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 2 - It's not just enough to do the right thing - we need to do it for the right reasons.

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.