Tag Archives: Read the Bible in a year

Daily Bible Study

December 12, 2018 Bible Study — Those Unwilling to work will not eat

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Thessalonians 1-3.

At the beginning and again near the end of this letter Paul speaks of prayer. He writes as part of his opening beginning that he will continue to pray for those to whom he is writing. Then, as he begins to conclude his letter he asks them to pray for him. This gives us an idea of Paul’s thoughts on the importance of prayer. I know that I do not pray as much, or as deeply, as I should.

Paul writes that the day of Jesus’ return will not come until after the “man of lawlessness” has been revealed. It is not clear to me if Paul is referring to a singular individual, or to a social phenomena. I am not eve< convinced that Paul was clear in his own mind on that. Paul transitions from discussing the “man of lawlessness” and Christ’s return to warning us that not only should we not be idle, but we should stay away from believers who live that way. I think that Paul was referring to two groups of people when he referred to those who lived idle lives; those who stopped working and sold all of their possessions because they were convinced that Jesus would return before all of their money was spent, and those who took advantage of the charity of others to avoid working themselves. Paul’s instruction to us is clear, and consistent with the teachings of the rest of the Bible, we should work hard in order to both care for ourselves and have enough left over to care for those who cannot care for themselves./p>

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2018 Bible Study — Loving Our fellow believers while facing persecution

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Thessalonians 1-5.

Paul commends the believers in Thessalonica for continuing in their faith in the face of persecution. He commends them for showing their love and concern for their fellow believers living elsewhere and for following the teachings of the Gospel. He reminds them that he had warned them about the coming persecution when he first preached the Gospel to them. In a way, this letter is passing the same warning on to us. If we are faithful to the Gospel, those who do not believe will seek to persecute us.

Paul instructs the believers of Thessalonica to live in a way which pleases God by staying away from sexual sins. Immediately after telling them to stay away from sexual sins he writes, “But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other,…” Which clearly shows that if we truly love those around us, we will not commit sexual sins. Sexual sins bring harm both to ourselves and to those around us.

Daily Bible Study

December 9, 2018 Bible Study — those who do the right thing for the wrong reason are still doing the right thing

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Philippians 1-4.

Paul writes how some people are preaching the Gospel because they are jealous of the honor Paul is receiving and wish to gain the same for themselves, or to gain wealth for themselves.  Paul’s response is that he does not care why people preach the Gospel, as long as the Gospel is being preached.   I remember years ago my denomination had an auto insurance program whereby those who were part of the Church could get a steep discount on auto insurance, but you had to attend Church regularly.  Someone I know made the comment that it was worth going to Church every Sunday for that discount.  Their mother-in-law told them that was the wrong reason to go to Church.  That is absolutely true, but someone else expressed what I believe Paul is saying here.  “I don’t care why he goes to Church.  I have faith that the Word of God can transform him.  Hearing the Word of God regularly will change his life.”  The man never did start going to Church and his life was not transformed, but I do not think his mother-in-law’s comments had anything to do with that.  I will echo what my friend said:

I do not care about the motives that lead someone to preach the Gospel and I do not care what motives lead someone to listen, I just want everyone to hear the message because I believe it has the power to transform, even those who do not wish to be transformed.

Paul goes on to express his attitude towards death, an attitude which we will share if we fully share his faith.  Paul writes that he is torn because it would be better for him if he died and went on to experience his resurrected body, but then he would no longer be able to serve Christ by serving others.  He was not just not afraid of dying but was looking forward to it.  However, he was unwilling to hasten its arrival because serving the Lord gave him joy.  As long as we live we should seek how we can serve and glorify God, but we should eagerly anticipate when he brings us home to be with Him.

Paul goes on to write that he seeks to know and emulate Christ. to become perfected as Christ was perfect.  However, he also makes it clear that he is not yet perfect and does not expect to be perfect until God rewards him with the heavenly prize.   It is easy to miss Paul’s point here.  Which is that, while embracing sinful behavior is evidence that someone is not saved,  striving   to do what is right does not make us better than those people.  All of this brings me to something I have come to realize about the heart of Paul’s message: when we sin we harm ourselves as much, or more, than we harm others.  If we love someone, we will point out when they are doing things which will harm them.

Daily Bible Study

December 8, 2018 Bible Study — Honesty and Love Preclude immorality and Sin

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ephesians 4-6.

Paul tells us to stop living as sinners, who are hopelessly confused, or as the NIV translates it, stuck in futile thoughts.   They have hardened their hearts and closed their minds because they are unwilling to give up lustful pleasures and impure activities. I love the way Paul explains how we should live our lives in chapter 4 verses 31 and 32.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Earlier in the chapter, Paul instructs us to stop telling lies and tell our neighbors the truth. I find it very telling that Paul links sexual immorality with being dishonest. Paul focuses on three categories of sin, sexual immorality, impurity, and greed. Paul warns us against those who try to excuse sins: no matter what excuse you come up with, sin will still damage your relationship with God. There is a reason so many sins are done in secret, because no matter how far they push the boundaries of what is socially acceptable, they still want to go beyond that.

Paul tells us to carefully determine what pleases God and take every opportunity to do those things. Not only should we avoid worthless, sinful deeds, but we should expose them for what they are. Here Paul is referencing back to when he told us to tell our neighbors the truth, that involves telling them that certain activities are sinful and therefore worthless. The best part about this is that we will rarely have to verbally express this if we live as God desires. If we live a life of love, following Christ’s example, God’s light will shine out from us, exposing the darkness and sin around us. Let us wisely live according to God’s desires for us. We can find a joy superior to that which others find in inebriation by being filled with the Holy Spirit and praising God.