60IN60 Day 30 - Tues Jan 31

It’s Day 30 and we’re in John 12.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 9-11 - So often, once we get something in our minds, we stick with it, even to ridiculous ends. I need to follow the truth wherever it leads and not try so hard to hold onto to my pet ideas.

Help:
- Verse 8 - This is not an excuse to disregard the poor, just a statement of fact about the fallen world in which we live.
- Verses 20-26 - It's odd that His disciples come to Him with this straightforward question and goes off on this tangent. What's going on? I think I'd paraphrase it like this, "The time for talking is past. To really see a harvest, something greater is going to have to happen and the time for that is now. I have to die in order to open up new life."
- Verse 34 - "lifted up" - Just another way to say that He was on the cross.
- Verse 40 - The original Greek makes it clearer that this is not something God is doing by mere fiat, but this is what they have chosen for themselves and God is letting it happen.

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 29 - Mon Jan 30

It’s Day 29 and we’re in John 11.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verses 21, 32 - I like the fact that they could be honest about their questions and disappointments with Jesus and He doesn't condemn them for 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 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."

60IN60 Day 21 - Sun Jan 22

It's Day 21 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 20 - Sat Jan 21

It's Day 20 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.

60IN60 Day 19 - Fri Jan 20

It's Day 19 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 18 - Thurs Jan 19

It's Day 18 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 17 - Wed Jan 18

It's Day 17 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 16 - Tues Jan 17

It's Day 16 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 15 - Mon Jan 16

It's Day 15 and we're in Exodus 3.

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 14 - Sun Jan 15

It's Day 14 and we're in Exodus 2.

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 13 - Sat Jan 14

It's Day 13 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 12 - Fri Jan 13

It's Day 12 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 11 - Thurs Jan 12

It's Day 11 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.

60IN60 Day 10 - Wed Jan 11

It's Day 10 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 9 - Tues Jan 10

It's Day 9 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.

Your Questions and Comments:

- John 3:3 - Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” - "I've always ready this verse to mean if someone is not born again, they will not go to heaven. But verse 2 talks about not seeing signs (miracles).  Could verse 3 be referring to someone who is lost (not born again) as not being able to see miracles and signs ?  Such as a miraculous physical healing and credit being given to a doctor or medicine alone.  Or something being explained as 'lucky' or a 'coincidence'. The unsaved are blind to seeing things in the kingdom of God, happening here on earth.  Just something I'd never thought about before, is this an  accurate interpretation?" - Interesting ideas. When I read verses 2-3 what I think is the main part of the interaction is something like this. In v. 2 Nicodemus is saying, "I see the signs You're doing and because I'm a religious expert I know that God is involved in that." And Jesus replies in v. 3, "No one knows anything spiritually unless they are born again." I think Jesus is essentially saying, "You're not an expert - in fact, you don't even have the most basic spiritual thing correct."

60IN60 Day 8 - Mon Jan 9

It's Day 8 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 7 - Sun Jan 8

It's Day 7 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 6 - Sat Jan 7

It's Day 6 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 preexistent 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 have a question or comment about the chapter, email me at butcher@ymail.com. 

60IN60 Day 5 - Fri Jan 6

It's Day 5 and we're in Psalm 32.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - So many deal with their sin by trying to hide it.  God repeatedly recommends confession as the path to dealing with your sin.  It's just harder in a way, I guess, so people avoid it.

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

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

60IN60 Day 4 - Thurs Jan 5

It's Day 4 and we're in Psalm 31.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - The words here that are quoted by Jesus on the cross puts the rest of the chapter in a different context.  It emphasizes the sacrifice and struggle Jesus went through.

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

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

Your Comments and Questions:

- Revelation 21: "So much misinformation about heaven. Such as:  when we die we become 'angels' in heaven; grandparents look down on us from heaven; we live for eternity 'up there'. Looking forward to reading the book you recommended."

60IN60 Day 3 - Wed Jan 4

It's Day 3 and we're in Psalm 30.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 5 - It's a beautiful idea that our weeping may last through the night but "joy comes in the morning."  As long as I walk with Christ, there is always hope.

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

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

60IN60 Day 2 - Tues Jan 3

It's Day 2 and we're in Revelation 22.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 12 - "according to what he's done" - Salvation is by grace, but God then gives me the power and resources to live a victorious life.  What are the works in my life saying?

Help:
- Verse 4 - "His name will be on their foreheads" - This seems odd. I'm sure it will make more sense when we see it.  I do have to say that we don't seem to have a problem wearing companies' logos all over our hats and shirts, so it can't be that weird to us.
- Verse 11 - I don't think this is saying, "I want the one who is sinning to keep doing it."  I think He's saying, "The time is not yet come for all this to happen, so there is still time that the one who sins to keep doing 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 1 - Mon Jan 2

It's Day 1 and we're in Revelation 21. 

There's a little overlap between the last round of "60IN60" and this one, so today is Day 1 of a new cycle.

 Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - "all things new" - When you see the brokenness that's all around us in this world, this is good news.

Help:
- Verse 1 - There will be a new heaven and new earth.  This is part of the re-creation. 
- Verse 2 - The New Jerusalem is our eternal home.  Many presume that we spend eternity in heaven, but the final two chapters make it very clear that our eternal home is the New Jerusalem.  If you would like to read more about this, the best book I've read explaining what the Bible actually says about heaven is Randy Alcorn's Heaven.  Rather than making up sentimental nonsense, it actually explains what the Bible says.
- Verses 24, 26 - "the nations" - This is an intriguing couple of verses.  (See also 22:2.)  This is after the Final Judgment in chapter 20 and yet we have references to nations being on the earth.  Perhaps this is who we will rule with Christ?

 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 56 - Sun Jan 1

It's Day 56 and we're in Revelation 20.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 10 - His defeat is certain.  It just hasn't happened yet.

Help:
- Verse 1 - The setting here is the final battles at the end of the world.  At the end of the chapter we have the final judgment.
- Verse 4 - This is not true for all believers, but for those on earth at that time.
- Verses 11-15 - This is the final judgment.

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.