Author: Larry Soape

Re: Verse reading–1 Timothy 6:3-19 (day four)  It is not enough to just avoid the temptations of life…we have to fill our lives with good to keep the void in our character from backfilling.  Verse 11 says, “But flee from these things you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”  Pursue…it is a relentless pursuit that doesn’t give up, a determined, unrelenting vocation.  Our goal is to overtake and conquer these character qualities.  Paul is encouraging Timothy to spend his life focused on the truth of a right relationship with God.  Time spent in pursuit of riches is misguided and lost time.  We are chasing after a mirage.  Focus on God…do good, be rich in good works, and be generous and ready to share.  These qualities form a foundation that is stable and strong…you will find true life…not a drifting ghost of deception from the father of lies.

Re: Verse reading–1 Timothy 4 (day four)  Verse 7 admonishes us to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness.  Why is this important in our lives?  Spiritual discipline is what is known as a value added exercise.  There is more benefit than just the immediate.  Godliness holds promise for our lives to come.  When Christ returns and establishes His kingdom, godliness in our lives will bear fruit in His eternal kingdom.  Eternity is hard for us to comprehend in our finiteness, but it will far exceed our few years on earth.  What an investment!  God has given us a way to impact our eternity.  Our hope is in Him and our heart’s desire is to obey Him.  Godliness in our lives may well impact others’ eternity as well.  Our example could lead to their salvation.  It is so important that Paul says we are to be ‘absorbed’ in godliness.  What a challenge…discipline yourself for godliness!

Re: Verse reading–1 Timothy 3:1-13 (day four) There is a model for growth inherent in the church. Just like a baby is born, unable to do much at all, and they grow and mature to walk, talk, think, and reason…so the believer develops and grows in godliness. Paul writes to Timothy that there are standards to be met for one who aspires to be a pastor. There are also standards for a deacon to be chosen to serve. What if a believer does not want to be a pastor or a deacon? Are there standards for him? Yes! We all have expectations of how we live our life for Christ. God’s Word gives us instructions for how we should grow and mature in our walk with Christ. Our standards are not necessarily lower than a deacon or a pastor, they are still a part of our growth potential. We may not have matured yet to that level or standard or we may not have been called to serve in those capacities. We are to be like Christ, though…there is no higher standard.

Re: Verse reading–Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-9 (day four)
In Genesis 2:24, it says “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”  Sounds like God is talking about the marriage relationship, doesn’t it?  He is actually talking about Christ and the Church.  The role of Christ in the Church is a great mystery.  During the time of the old covenant, God’s people knew nothing of the church…they knew nothing of the relationship of love, respect, protection, and leadership between Christ and the Church.  With the new covenant, God revealed His plan for the Church and for drawing all men to Him.  Everything changed.  Not only did the Church change, but so did marriages.  We began to see how the relationship should look like.  Husbands should love their wives as they loved themselves and wives should respect their husbands.  From the beginning, God has had a plan.  Are we honoring God with our marriage?