Tag: Christianity

Posted 15 October 2006, back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Isaiah 66
NT: Philippians 3:4-21
Ps: Psalm 74
Pr: Proverbs 24:15-16

Today´s notable verses:

Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD. “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.

Isaiah 66:2 (NIV)

⁷ But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…

Philippians 3:7-10 (NIV)

Philippians 3 might possibly be my favorite chapter in all of the Bible. Paul reveals a passion for intimacy and identification with Christ and an understanding of both the cost and reward of that identification with amazing depth and eloquence. I think this paragraph succinctly and powerfully illustrates the life of the believer – a perspective to which each one of us should pray to attain.

…for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.

Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)

As Christians, we understand that we are saved by grace – that it must be so, because we are imperfect, sinful humans. We fell before we were in Christ, and we continue to fall even after we are saved – because we are still human. Being Christian does not make us perfect; rather, we are made aware of our own sinfulness, and through Christ we are given the ability to pursue righteousness contrary to our inherent sinful nature.

And this thought brings me back to the verse from Isaiah quoted above. God esteems the one who in humility recognizes his own sinfulness and need for God, who being contrite in spirit truly expresses regret for his sin and desire to live differently, and who understands the ultimate result of a life of sin and reveres God as soverign.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Isaiah 62:6-12, Isaiah 63-65
NT: Philippians 2:19-30, Philippians 3:1-3
Ps: Psalm 73
Pr: Proverbs 24:13-14

Today´s notable verses:

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26 (NIV)

I like these two verses, taken together. In them, we recognize that we are both created and formed by God, and also strengthened and sustained by Him. In both cases, we are formed and sustained in order to carry out God’s purposes and His will. The ever-present battle for the believer is to overcome pride with humility, and to transform self-centeredness into Christ-centeredness. Such verses as these help us to maintain a proper perspective, in order that we might better in humility place God as Lord of our lives and center of our focus.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Isaiah 60-61, Isaiah 62:1-5
NT: Philippians 1:27-30, Philippians 2:1-18
Ps: Psalm 72
Pr: Proverbs 24:11-12

Today´s notable verse:

¹ If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:1-4 (NIV)

Great words from Paul here! Because of our identification in Christ and all that accompanies it – encouragement, comfort, love, fellowship, tenderness, compassion – we are compelled to be like-minded in love, spirit, and purpose. That spirit is the Spirit of Christ – the Holy Spirit – and that purpose is the work of Christ. We are to be Christ-centered and Christ-focused. This focus naturally replaces our tendency toward self-centeredness. As in the words of John the Baptist, “He must become greater; I must become less.”

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Isaiah 57:15-21, Isaiah 58-59
NT: Philippians 1
Ps: Psalm 71
Pr: Proverbs 24:9-10

Today´s notable verses:

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Isaiah 58:6 (NIV)

This is the beauty of Christianity: our piety is revealed not in our observance of rituals or outward shows, but in sacrificing ourselves for the sake of others – in bringing to others the spiritual and physical freedom we have found for ourselves in Christ.

¹⁶ He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.
¹⁷ He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

Isaiah 59:16-17 (NIV)

First, we see here the recognition that none but God Himself could accomplish the redemption of humanity and our reconciliation to righteousness. Not other heavenly beings, and certainly not man himself, but God alone. Second, I must say, I never before today knew that Paul borrowed from Isaiah in his Armor of God passage in Ephesians 6. Yet again, we see the beautiful consistency between Old and New Testament.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

I absolutely love this philosophy! Our ultimate gain is not found until our death, yet while we remain alive we have the unique opportunity to demonstrate and allow the power of God to work in our lives through Christ.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Isaiah 54-56, Isaiah 57:1-14
NT: Ephesians 6
Ps: Psalm 70
Pr: Proverbs 24:8

Today´s notable verses:

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:4 (NIV)

Now that I am eagerly expecting my first child, I pray that I am able to raise him (or her) up in the training and instruction of the Lord, without exasperating him. I pray that my training and instruction are carried out with love and patience, and that this child – and all our future children – will be directed to God, and to His most perfect, High Law – that is, love.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Posted 28 September, back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Isaiah 51-52, Isaiah 53:1-12
NT: Ephesians 5
Ps: Psalm 69:19-36
Pr: Proverbs 24:7

Today´s notable verses:

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Isaiah 52:7 (NIV)

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…

Ephesians 5:25 (NIV)

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Ephesians 5:28 (NIV)

Much is said of what Paul instructs wives with respect to their husbands: that wives are to submit to and to respect their husbands; but not much seems to be said of Paul’s instructions to husbands: to love their wives as Christ loved the church (i.e. love to the extent of giving one’s life for another), and to love their wives as themselves. Wives who submit themselves to their husbands deserve to have husbands who are likewise submitted to Christ, and who love their wives as themselves, willing to give up their very lives for their wives. This is how I want to love the woman who is soon to be my wife – and how I will strive every day to love her.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Isaiah 48:12-22, Isaiah 49, Isaiah 50:1-11
NT: Ephesians 4:17-32
Ps: Psalm 69
Pr: Proverbs 24:5-6

Today´s notable verse:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Posted 26 September, back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Isaiah 45:11-25, Isaiah 46-47, Isaiah 48:1-11
NT: Ephesians 4:1-16
Ps: Psalm 68:19-35
Pr: Proverbs 24:3-4

Today´s notable verse:

Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

Isaiah 45:22 (NIV)

² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:2-3 (NIV)

I love verse three. I wish this verse were the objective of what has become such a factioned and segregated Christian body. No matter our differences of interpretation, opinion, or belief (some of which, granted, are significant), as long as we all profess salvation through and Lordship of Jesus Christ, then we are all united. Christianity needs to concentrate more on that which unites us, rather than that which divides us.

¹¹ It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹² to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV)

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Today´s reading:
OT: Isaiah 43:14-28, Isaiah 44, Isaiah 45:1-10
NT: Ephesians 3
Ps: Psalm 68:1-18
Pr: Proverbs 24:1-2

Today´s notable verse:

¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)

Some of the most powerful prayers in the Bible are found in Paul’s epistles. This one, and one we will get to in a few days, are two of my favorites. This prayer always reminds me of a man whom I consider to have been a pillar of faith in my life: Ken Ellis, founder and director of Adventures In Missions, a short-term, youth mission organization. Ken lost a battle with cancer while I was in college, and is now with Christ in glory, but whenever I read this passage I think of him. During training camp for the mission teams, Ken would often preach passionately from this passage, striving to instill in each young missionary the desire to know Christ – through the Word and through prayer – so intimately as to fulfill this prayer for their lives. Aside from my own parents, Ken probably had more impact on my spiritual development and maturity than anyone. I thank God for the time I had Ken in my life, and for the mighty way in which God used him in my life, and in the lives of so many young people.

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.

Posted 24 September, back-dated.

Today´s reading:
OT: Isaiah 41:17-29, Isaiah 42, Isaiah 43:1-13
NT: Ephesians 2
Ps: Psalm 67
Pr: Proverbs 23:29-35

Today´s notable verse:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today.