60IN60 Day 44 - Tues Jun 16

It's Day 44 and we're in 2 Timothy 2.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 5 - We need to strive spiritually, not sit around lazily.

Help:

- Verses 11-13 - What's each statement mean? a. "died with Him" - Part of salvation is that we in our belief participate in His spiritual death, so we "die" spiritually and are raised to newness of life; b. "deny Him" - This would be unbelievers, not believers; c. "faithless" - If we drift away from Jesus, He will draw us back.

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:

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant: 2 Timothy1. "'Hold on to the example of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.' Just as Timothy heard from Paul, we must hold onto the scripture and study it. Many false doctrines are out in the world. Forget the Health, Wealth and Prosperity Theory —  there’s the Replacement Theory, Liberation Theory on down to believing astrology and psychic hotlines are dangerous. Christians who don’t study are fair game."

- "Would you comment on Paul's personal 'entrusting' in verse 12 and his similar advice to Timothy in verse 14? Is this act of 'entrusting', with the aid of the Holy Spirit, applicable to all believers?" - Although the same word ("entrusting") is used in v. 12 and v. 14, there are two different actions discussed. First, in v. 12 it speaks of what Paul entrusted to God: "He [God] is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day." The "day" in question is the day of judgment. What Paul is saying here is that all the sacrifices he has made for Christ will receive their due reward. He is not worried about Christ failing to "hold onto" what he has earned or to properly reward him for his service to the Kingdom. So he does these things not receiving an immediate reward but he's not worried about it - he knows that God is able to "guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day." It won't be lost or misplaced or forgotten. He can trust Christ with all that. (A related example would be how most people don't get paid each day at their job. Instead they trust their employer to hold their money for two weeks and be faithful to honestly pay them their paycheck.) Second, in v. 14 it speaks of "the good deposit that was entrusted" to Timothy. That speaks to the truth of the gospel that has been given to Timothy to go and share with the world. Paul encourages Timothy to guard/protect/hold onto what has been given to him. Timothy is to do this "with the help of the Holy Spirit" (v. 14). So this is a call for Timothy to faithfully share what was handed to him by Paul. Preach the truth, share the gospel, don't water it down or change it. Third, are both these true for us as well? Most definitely. As we serve God we have to entrust our ultimate rewards to God and serve without immediate repayment. And we have been given a gospel that we need to faithfully preach without changing it.

60IN60 Day 43 - Mon Jun 15

It's Day 43 and we're in 2 Timothy 1.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 7 - "power and love and discipline" - That's what the Christian life should look like.

Help:

- Verse 6 - Some spiritual gifts are given at the moment of salvation. Others can happen at special times, such as the laying on of hands.

- Verse 10 - "abolished death" - He has abolished spiritual death.

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

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

Your Comments and Questions:

- Exodus 18 - "'thousands, hundreds, fifties, ten...' I always thought it interesting how Jethro instructed Moses to divide his judges.  I'm assuming those who judged over thousands would have the less serious cases, like a lower court, deciding squabbles among neighbors or allotting grazing grounds. Am I correct or do I have this backwards?" - It's the opposite. The person with less authority would be judge over 10 people; the person with slightly more authority would be over 50 people and would presumably handle the more complicated cases that the "10 person" judge couldn't handle. That would continue all the way up to the judges over 1,000. The appeal from those judges would go to Moses. It all makes good administrative sense.

60IN60 Day 42 - Sun Jun 14

It's Day 42 and we're in Exodus 20.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 19 - So many times we want to have someone else do our talking to God for us, rather than have that personal relationship ourselves.

Help:
- Verses 5-6 - The idea that the fathers' sin brings iniquity down three or four generations is hard to understand. The best way that I've come up with to grasp the idea is to think of it like this: I think of the statement less as God punishing and more as a statement of the way life works. When I live my life for something other than God, my kids are going to pick up on that and, very likely, are going to live lives that reflect what I've taught them. Therefore, my sinful life is going to reverberate down through multiple generations. Maybe not a perfect explanation, but the best one I've come up with so far.

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 41 - Sat Jun 13

It's Day 41 and we're in Exodus 19.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 18 - When God shows up, you know it.

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

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

60IN60 Day 40 - Fri Jun 12

It's Day 40 and we're in Exodus 18.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 15-16 - He was acting like every request was his responsibility . . . and it was too much for him to handle.

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 39 - Thurs Jun 11

It's Day 39 and we're in Exodus 17.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 2 - Hey, didn't He just take care of your need? Quit whining!

Help:
- Verse 11 - The point of this is, of course, not that there was anything intrisically important in Moses holding up his hands, but that Israel would clearly understand that the victory was not because of their military prowess, but because of God's might.

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:

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant. Exodus 15. "Good to be reminded how song and dance were central to the celebration of the Lord. They knew how to express gratitude. And when things turned sour, they knew how call out for help. I need to be better at both."

60IN60 Day 38 - Wed Jun 10

It's Day 38 and we're in Exodus 16.

If you come across something in your reading that doesn't make sense at first, be quick to re-read and to ask questions. If I can help answer anything, drop me an email.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 3-4 - More whining instead of asking God to supply. Why are we so quick to blame God instead of asking Him to take care of our problems?

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

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

Your Comments and Questions:

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: Exodus 15. "These 'through the wilderness' passages always fascinate me. The chosen people complain about everything, eventually despising the manna and asking for meat, missing the onions in Egypt (onions!), and finally making a golden calf. Small wonder that Moses asked God to take his life rather than deal with them. A British journalist named William Norman Ewer once wrote:

'How odd

Of God

To choose

The Jews'

Having said that, I'm convinced we all need the same amount of patience."