Category: Religion

Posted December 9, 2006; back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Jeremiah 51:1-53
NT: Titus 2
Ps: Psalm 99
Pr: Proverbs 26:17

Today´s notable verse:

⁶ Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. ⁷ In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness ⁸ and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

Titus 2:6-8 (NIV)

Great words of wisdom from Paul to Titus, regarding admirable, exemplary character traits for Christian young men: self-control, integrity, seriousness, and sound speech. Since I am in this category, it is good to reflect on these traits, and to strive to emulate them in my own life.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Posted December 9, 2006; back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Jeremiah 49:23-39, Jeremiah 50
NT: Titus 1
Ps: Psalm 97-98
Pr: Proverbs 26:13-16

Today´s notable verses:

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.

Titus 1:15 (NIV)

“To the pure, all things are pure…” – one one hand, this principle could be misconstrued as naivety; however, I think it more analogous to the programmer’s mantra: “garbage in, garbage out”. Just as to an immature boy or “dirty” old man everything has a perverted innuendo, to a Christian everything should be pure and righteous – that is, purity and righteousness should be the “filter” through which we form our point of view. The thoughts of the immature boy or “dirty” old man dwell on prurient interests, just as such people view, read, and talk about those same interests. To the contrary, for the Christian, Paul admonishes an opposite direction:

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

When our external stimuli and our internal thought life coincide with this admonishment from Paul, we will begin to understand what he means when he tells Titus, “To the pure, all things are pure…” Once we understand this principle, we will also understand its inverse and why it is also true. Understanding these principles helps us better understand our world and the people in it.

That said, understanding these principles is not a license to naivety. We are called to be both innocent and wise, which sometimes requires us to follow the worldly thought process in order to understand the worldly conclusion to that thought process. If we are called to demolish worldly arguments (II Cor. 10:5), then we must know how to deconstruct those arguments and counter them with godly wisdom.

Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 97:10 (NIV)

In addition to the consistency of this verse with the earlier reading from Titus, I can’t help but think that Paul had this verse in mind when he wrote what I listed as a notable verse yesterday, in II Timothy 4:18 – “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.“

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Posted December 9, 2006; back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Jeremiah 48, Jeremiah 49:1-22
NT: II Timothy 4
Ps: Psalm 95-96
Pr: Proverbs 26:9-12

Today´s notable verse:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

II Timothy 4:7 (NIV)

Should my grave have an epithet, I want it to be this declaration from Paul – to state with the same confidence that I walked every step of the path God laid out for me, and that I did so by His grace, firmly established in faith.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

II Timothy 4:18 (NIV)

Paul wrote these words shortly before his death – and even in the face of that certain death, he maintained his eternal focus. I pray that I will face all of life’s struggles likewise. This past year has not been the easiest, in a lot of ways; but I thank God that He has seem me through each struggle. Not only that, but even in the midst of such a difficult season, God has blessed and enriched my life beyond measure. I pray also that my life brings Him glory, as did Paul’s life.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Posted 2 December, 2006; back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Jeremiah 44:24-30, Jeremiah 45-46, Jeremiah 47:1-7
NT: II Timothy 2:22-, II Timothy 3
Ps: Psalm 94
Pr: Proverbs 26:6-8

Today´s notable verse:

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

II Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Posted 2 December, 2006; back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Jeremiah 42-43, Jeremiah 44:1-23
NT: II Timothy 2:1-21
Ps: Psalm 92-93
Pr: Proverbs 26:3-5

Today´s notable verse:

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

II Timothy 2:1 (NIV)

We have been studying the concept of grace a great deal in our BSF study of Romans. One of the things that struck me recently was our incorrect view of grace as merely a passive influence upon our lives. To the contrary, grace is both active and powerful. Grace has the power to overcome the claim of sin upon our lives, and gives strength to the believer both to resist the influence of sin and to endure life in a fallen world. Praise be to God, for the wonderful gift of His grace!

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today, which asks:

think we have a catch-22 here! Someone correct me if I’m wrong here in verses 4 & 5 – “When arguing with fools, don’t answer their foolish arguments, or you will become as foolish as they are. When arguing with fools, be sure to answer their foolish arguments, or they will become wise in their own estimation.” So do we not answer their foolish arguments…. or do we? 🙂 I can see the wisdom in both verses in different circumstances…

The NIV reads this way:

⁴ Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you will be like him yourself.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.

I think the former verse means that one should not answer a fool in the same manner as his folly, while the latter verse means that one should answer a fool according to the content of his folly. The former is a matter of style or delivery; the latter is a matter of content. In other words, it is wise to attempt to disabuse a fool of his foolishness – to attempt to correct his foolish thinking – yet it is unwise to do so with the same foolishness with which the fool expresses that thinking.

Today´s reading:
OT: Jeremiah 39-41
NT: 2 Timothy 1
Ps: Psalm 90-91
Pr: Proverbs 26:1-2

Today´s notable verse:

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

II Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Jeremiah 37-38
NT: I Timothy 6
Ps: Psalm 89:38-52
Pr: Proverbs 25:28

Today´s notable verse:

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

I Timothy 6:6 (NIV)

What an eloquent statement of the Christian worldview: constantly pursuing the betterment of one’s character, while always being content with one’s circumstances. In so doing, we allow God to work through us freely, and not only thus participate in the advancement of His kingdom here on earth, but store up eternal reward for ourselves. Love not the pursuit of money, but the pursuit of the character of God.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Posted 21 October 2006, back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Jeremiah 35-36
NT: I Timothy 5
Ps: Psalm 89:14-37
Pr: Proverbs 25:25-27

Today´s notable verse:

¹ Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

I Timothy 5:1-2 (NIV)

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Posted 21 October 2006, back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Jeremiah 33-34
NT: I Timothy 4
Ps: Psalm 89:1-13
Pr: Proverbs 25:23-24

Today´s notable verse:

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

I Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

I often meditated upon this verse as a teenager, yet I believe Timothy was near – and just slightly older than – my current age when Paul wrote these words to him. So, I should continue to meditate upon these words! I pray that I am able, through Christ, to continue to set a good example to my fellow believers, and especially to my wonderful, soon-to-be wife and the blesed child we are eagerly expecting.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Posted 21 October 2006, back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Jeremiah 31:27-40, Jeremiah 32
NT: I Timoty 3
Ps: Psalm 88
Pr: Proverbs 25:20-22

Today´s notable verse:

Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
He^[a] appeared in a body,^[b] was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

[a] Some manuscripts God
[b] or in the flesh

I Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

This statement sounds like a very simple statement of belief – perhaps an early doctrinal creed? (I admit, my church history is lacking here.) I included the footnotes here, because I think “God appeard in the flesh” is consistent with the preceding phrase “mystery of godliness”. Whether implicitly, as the NIV translates, or explicitly, as the footnotes expound, Paul’s clear point is that Jesus Christ was God come to earth in human form.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.