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.

60IN60 Day 20 - Sat May 23

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 May 22

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.

Your Comments and Questions:

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: Exodus 6 - "Moses said this to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage." - Why: Sometimes when life has been hard for so long, it’s difficult to imagine it any other way. This is true in the case of the captive Israelites. They’d been downtrodden for 400 years, and couldn’t imagine life any other way. Despondency is a deep state of despair, a hopeless state. The Israelites couldn’t believe Moses because they’d lost their vision and had no courage to change. Perhaps the miracles (the plagues)  were  a sign for them as much as they were for Pharaoh. 

- A comment from one of our 60IN60 participants: Exodus 6 - Response: It appears in Exodus 6 that, while there is a Jewish people, Judaism is holding on by its fingernails. It is not surprising that no one listens to Moses. As we know from our own history, slaves may want to be free, but anyone who simply proclaims that he is the vehicle of God and promises freedom will be seen as a dangerous madman. Following such a person could easily get you killed. Moses needs a more persuasive voice. Enter Aaron. But the Jewish people also need to be organized, and God, in this passage, basically elects representatives for the tribes, probably out of a number of folks who saw themselves as representatives. It is these people Moses will speak to, given that no convention center for Jews is available. But Moses is already in negotiation mode, learning to become the guy who will later confront God when he feels God is becoming too impulsive. He’s just beginning to learn how to become God’s voice, and he’s beginning to learn how to become his people’s advocate, not just to Pharaoh but to God himself.