Responding to Christ

Re: Verse reading–John 11:17-44 (day four)
There are many responses to Jesus.  For those who have a relationship with Christ (Martha and Mary), the response was the same.  “If you had only been here, our brother would not have died!”  Trust.  For those who mourned with the family (the Jews), some were moved by His obvious love for Lazarus and some criticized Him for not saving His friend.  After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, some of the Jews believed in Him while others rushed to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done.  (Hint:  They were not witnessing to the Pharisees so they could believe!)  It is the same today…different people have different responses.  How we respond to Jesus is of critical importance.  For those who recognize who Jesus is (In verse 27, Martha says she has believed that Jesus was the Christ…sent from God.) and respond in faith and trust, they will have life.  That was why Jesus waited to come to Bethany…That others might believe!

Green Pastures

Re: Verse reading–John 10:1-21 (day four)
Happy New Year!  If you planned to do something in 2014, you are too late!  New Year’s is traditionally a time to start over…to do new things…to make course corrections.  John tells us in chapter 10 that good things happen when the sheep follow the shepherd.  Anyone other than the shepherd is there to steal, kill, and destroy.  The shepherd protects the sheep, provides for the sheep and lays down his life for the sheep.  Jesus says that if His sheep enter through His door, they will be saved…they will find rest and provision.  Jesus has the authority to bring about these new things in our lives.  Only our shepherd can do them.  As you consider those New Year’s resolutions, allow the Good Shepherd to direct your steps.  He will give you protection and find you green pastures.  Only He can do it.

Thanks for Scripture

Re: Verse reading–2 Timothy 4:1-8, 16-18 (day four)
Today is Thanksgiving…the day when every Christian is particularly thankful for the blessings from God. Gratefulness is a daily experience though…the fourth Thursday in November is no different than any other day of the year for giving thanks to God.  (That is, unless you count the massive amounts of food that accompany this day’s thanks!)  Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of God’s working in the history of America to provide a bountiful harvest for the early settlers.  We use it today to remind us of the myriad of gifts bestowed upon us by our creator God.  In our passage this week, Paul reminds us of the importance of God’s Word in our lives.  Paul says there will come a day when people will not accept the truth of God’s Word and will seek false teachers.  (Are we there yet?)  In many countries the freedom to even read God’s Word is non-existent.  As you are thanking God today for your blessings, make sure His Word is on your list of blessings!

Higher Perspective

Re: Verse reading–2 Timothy 1:6-14; 2:1-15 (day four)
I am writing this today at 6500 ft. altitude. It gives you a very good perspective of the landscape. In our Re:Verse passage this week, Paul is sharing a higher perspective of life to Timothy. The believer views life differently than others. We have a spirit of power and love and discipline. There is also suffering to endure. We are involved in the affairs of God instead of the affairs world. Diligence is a valued quality. Paul admonishes Timothy to not only live life in the reality of God’s Word, but to teach others to do the same. A life well invested in the Word of God is a life well lived.

In Pursuit

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.

Godliness

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!

High Standards

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.

Come to Save Sinners

Re: Verse reading – 1 Timothy 1:1-19 (day four)
It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,”  Who was Jesus?  Why did He come?  What do I have to do with Him?  These are the questions that each one of us must ask…and answer.  It is so easy to just ignore the questions.  If we never ask the questions, then we don’t have to face the answer.  Timothy was in Ephesus to help the church answer these questions.  Already, the church was straying from the Gospel taught by Paul.  They were justifying things that were contrary to righteousness.  When you reject God’s law, you can come up with excuses to justify behavior that has long been contrary to the standards of righteousness.  The more a culture turns away from the Word of God, the more darkness encroaches on the mores of society so that what has always been considered evil is now considered good.  Remember…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!

Leave, and Cleave

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?

New Self

Re:Verse reading–Ephesians 4:17-5:20 (day four)  Who is it that Paul is writing to?  Gentiles.  Or, more accurately, saved Gentiles.  He is telling the church in Ephesus not to walk as they used to walk…in the futility of their mind.  And why were their minds futile?  Because of the hardness of their heart.  It was their heart that directed their minds.  Darkness…callousness… ignorance…all of this was changed by the light of the Holy Spirit who came to dwell in their heart.  They were to now walk in a new life…they were changed by the presence and relationship with Christ.  Life was new and Paul admonished them to let their actions reflect their changed heart.  There was a reason why the Gentiles were rejected by God and Paul is teaching them to put aside any sibilance of those lifestyles so they could avoid the wrath of God.  Does your life reflect any of the unfruitful deeds of darkness?  All things become visible when they are exposed to light.  Allow the light of Christ to shine through you.