60IN60 Day 27 - Sat May 30

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 May 29

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.

Your Comments and Questions:

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant: 1 Timothy 6 - "Where God Spoke to me:  '. . . protect what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thereby have gone astray from the faith.' Comment: Once you’ve learned the truth, once you’re convinced that Jesus is who he says he is, shut your ears to the speculations and/or ridicule of others. Protect your faith. Nourish your faith. Your biggest critics are the ones who don’t have a clue." 

60IN60 Day 25 - Thurs May 28

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.

Your Comments and Questions:

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: "Constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have been following. The spirit is fed by steady reading of the Word and  a sound doctrine is imperative for saving faith. Reading the Bible daily keeps you grounded, and out of the way of 'other gospels' that are appearing more and more in these latter days. Reading scripture daily is nourishment for the spirit. I watched my grandmother read the Bible daily growing up, and now I do the same.  Therefore,  I’m not tempted to explore 'another gospel,' I’m quite certain that the Bible, as we have it, is what God intended us to have and therefore don’t go exploring texts such as The Revelation of Thomas, The Revelation of Peter,  the Apocrypha or other obscure texts claiming to throw 'new light' on the character of Jesus. And I pray that I will never be moved."

60IN60 Day 24 - Wed May 27

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.

Your Questions and Comments: 

- "Does the verses on overseers and deacons mean only one wife (not two or more as in that day) or does if reference divorce (which is Biblically approve in the case of adultery)?" - There are arguments for each option but I think the stronger one is that it references divorce. If Karen and I divorced I would resign as a pastor. (To my knowledge that's not a strong possibility right now, but I haven't talked to her in a couple hours!)

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: 1 Timothy 1 - Where God Spoke to Me: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost. Yet for this reason I found mercy . . . ." Why: Paul is speaking here; the depth of his humility revealed when he calls himself the “foremost “ sinner. Yet, without St. Paul, Christianity wouldn’t have spread as it did. Years ago, I had a class in Mythology. The Professor was either an agnostic or an atheist, for she said, “If the Greeks  had had an evangelist like St. Paul, we might now be worshipping Zeus.” I didn’t know what to do with that statement then or now. 

60IN60 Day 23 - Tues May 26

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.

60IN60 Day 22 - Mon May 25

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.

60IN60 Day 21 - Sun May 24

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.