It's Day 28 and we're in Job 3.
Where God Spoke To Me:If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
It's Day 27 and we're in Job 2.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 13 - This is the main thing Job's friends get right: sitting and sympathizing with him. Once they open their mouths, things start to go off-track.
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: "When I was 20, Job was my favorite book of the Bible. The beginning troubles all of us, I think, because we want a world just by our standards. Chapter One says that pain is not equitable. God governs, but not everything we experience is God’s will. The rest of the book depicts ordinary folks trying and most failing to make sense of that. Job was once rich because he was righteous, they imply, and now his fall is a sign of grave sin. In the end, God justifies Job but, given his largesse to Job, never quite dispels the idea that righteous people get lots of stuff."
- A comment from a 60IN60 participant. 1 Corinthians 7. "Some of this seems a bit naive—like the idea that eschewing marriage will make one more attuned to God. But what I focus on is his claim that marriage between a Christian and an unbeliever is not a terrible thing. The believer by his/her presence and prayer can be the salvation of the non-believer. This was the sort of marriage my parents had, and my mother certainly thought that part of her role was the salvation of my father. This passage was comforting."
- A comment from a 60IN60 participant. 1 Corinthians 7. "This is another passage I wish Paul hadn't written."
It's Day 26 and we're in Job 1.
Job is the classic story of a righteous man dealing with the unfairness of life. We're going to read the opening three chapters, which are then followed by numerous chapters of Job's "friends" giving their opinions on why he's suffering. We'll skip those and pick up with God's response in chapter 38, then finish with Job's response in chapter 42.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing really jumped out to me here.
Help:
- Verse 6 - This seems unusual to us, but one of Satan's main titles is "The Accuser." He accuses us before God.
- Verses 6-12 - This can be troubling to read because it seems like Job is caught up as a pawn in this divine "bet." Philip Yancey makes the great point that what's actually happening is not that Job is being mistreated by being used by God as a pawn, but rather that he's being honored by God by being His fighter in this battle. God is "betting" His reputation on Job's faithfulness.
If you want to read the chapter, here's a link.
If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.
It's Day 25 and we're in 1 Corinthians 7.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 19 - What matters? Keeping God's commands.
Help:
- Verse 1 - What he means by this is (as he explains) that if you are not overcome by sexual temptation by being single there are many spiritual advantages to being single in the sense of being able to devote yourself more fully to working for God and not being distracted by family life.
- Verse 7 - Paul has the ability that I just commented on (see verse 1).
- Verses 10-11 - This is a hard teaching, but one that needs to be studied in the context of the other New Testament passages on divorce. That's too much to handle here, but if anyone wants more information, I can refer you to additional resources.
- Verse 14 - This is little obscure, but I think the point he's making is: being around someone who is a Christian can have a sanctifying influence, so if you're willing to stay married to the non-Christian, do so because (among other reasons) it'll be a good influence for them spiritually.
- Verse 37 - Obviously, in their culture the father had greater authority over his household than is true in our culture.
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.
It's Day 24 and we're in 1 Corinthians 6.
One reason to be in the Bible regularly? It cuts through the clutter. We are surrounded by tons of information, but so much of it is essentially irrelevant to a meaningful life. The Bible speaks to the issues that matter.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 19 - An amazing thought: we have been made into the dwelling place of God. The Holy Spirit taking up residence within us.
Help:
- Verses 2-3 - "saints will judge the world" - This might mean that Christ will allow us to assist him in Final Judgment (perhaps by offering testimony of what we saw and heard in this life) or that on the New Earth we will rule (an alternate meaning for the Greek word for "judge") with Him.
- Verse 7 - It's scary to think how far away this thinking is away from our normal way of operating. That doesn't speak well for us. Paul basically says we'd be better off being wronged that suing a fellow Christian.
- Verses 12-13 - In Christ I have liberty - there is not a narrow list of "you can do" and "you can't do." I am to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. However, the fact that I have freedom on many issues doesn't mean that exercising that freedom would always be spiritually beneficial.
- Verse 15 - Because the Holy Spirit has taken up residence within us (see verse 19), we have become a temple of God. If we have sex with a prostitute, there is something about the physicalness of that sin that makes it worse than normal.
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.
It's Day 23 and we're in 1 Corinthians 5.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 9-12 - We reverse this so often: we are quick to judge those outside the church and quick to excuse sin within the church. We need to recognize that the world is doing what you would expect them to do in their condition: sinning. (That doesn't excuse it, but it shouldn't surprise us.) We need to also recognize that God has called us to have high spiritual expectations for each other within the church and push each other in that direction.
Help:
- Verse 3 - "passed judgment" - This throws some people off because all they reference about Christians and judgment is the Sermon on the Mount's "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" (Matthew 7:1-5). They don't read the rest of the verses: Jesus immediately uses the example of getting the plank out of your eye so that you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. That's an act of judgment and discernment - seeing what's wrong and helping him remove it. See also John 7:24 - "Do not judge by appearance, but judge with a righteous judgment." See also all the passages in Paul's writing that speak of church discipline. We are not to be callously or hypocritically judgmental, but we have to use judgment and discernment in our Christian lives.
- Verse 5 - This is the act of asking God to remove the "hedge of protection" that normally a Christian would have against Satan. It is, essentially, asking God to allow this Christian to experience the consequences of his sin in the hope that it will lead him to repentance.
- Verse 6 - A little bit of pride can puff up a whole church.
- Verse 7 - He's telling them, "Throw out the old way of thinking where you think you're really something spiritually and bring in a new understanding of how everything you have spiritually is through the power of Christ."
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 Questions and Comments:
- "In your comment you said, 'Father, I want to see Your church overflowing with evidence of Your power, not merely talking about You.' How would our church be different if it were overflowing with his power? What would we see?" - I think it's easier to answer this question looking at the American church in general. There are a number of ways that this might manifest, but two large categories stand out. First, numeric growth. Most American churches are plateaued or declining in attendance. In other parts of the world (Africa and Asia, for instance) there is rapid growth, as many people express faith in Christ. Second, spiritual depth. People with a passion to know Christ as deeply as possible who prioritize spiritual growth in their lives. Certainly there are some in that category, but the number is not impressive. A final comment: before I die I would like to see a move of God among the American church that is so substantial and impressive that everyone who sees it says, "Wow! That had to be from God!"
It's Day 22 and we're in 1 Corinthians 4.
An encouragement as you read today: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8).
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 20 - "not a matter of talk but of power" - Father, I want to see Your church overflowing with evidence of Your power, not merely talking about You.
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.
