It's Day 46 and we're in 2 Timothy 4.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 11 - Paul and Mark had a huge disagreement years before this, so Paul's request in this verse is a sign of reconciliation.
Help:
- Verse 6 - Just a colorful way of saying that he recognizes that the end of his life is approaching quickly.
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 45 and we're in 2 Timothy 3.
Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 5 - "holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power" - Lots of that all around us today.
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:
- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants. Exodus 19. "A foreshadow of the transfiguration. I love discovering Jesus in the Old Testament."
- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants. Exodus 20. "This is, to me, a very personal event. God speaks directly. Naturally most folks are wary, especially having come from a country where the priests determined what the gods said and what was the appropriate response. This is like Dad times a million. And his commands are not difficult, although through sin we make them so. It’s just one of those, 'Okay kids, I’m going to make it as easy as I can' moments. And yes, they want Moses to do the work, but then Moses has a pretty good track record with God, around that time, and they really don’t want to piss off the creator of the universe. I think it took them a while for the idea of individual prayer to kick in."
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.
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.
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.
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.
It's Day 40 and we're in Exodus 18.
