Tag Archives: Paul

Use your gifts well (Romans 12:1-8) December 2, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Romans 12:1-8

Set – Romans 11-12

Go! – Romans 9-12

Romans 12:1-8
¹ Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship. ² Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.
³ Because of the grace allotted to me, I can respectfully tell you not to think of yourselves as being more important than you are; devote your minds to sound judgment since God has assigned to each of us a measure of faith. ⁴ For in the same way that one body has so many different parts, each with different functions; ⁵ we, too—the many—are different parts that form one body in the Anointed One. Each one of us is joined with one another, and we become together what we could not be alone. ⁶ Since our gifts vary depending on the grace poured out on each of us, it is important that we exercise the gifts we have been given. If prophecy is your gift, then speak as a prophet according to your proportion of faith. ⁷ If service is your gift, then serve well. If teaching is your gift, then teach well. ⁸ If you have been given a voice of encouragement, then use it often. If giving is your gift, then be generous. If leading, then be eager to get started. If sharing God’s mercy, then be cheerful in sharing it.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The words I gave Paul to share with you tell you so much about how I want you to live. Today everyone wants to think they are independent and can do everything themselves. But you can’t. Just admit it. You can’t do everything. In fact, you can’t do most things. I gave you a few gifts and talents that I want you to share with the world. I gave others skills and talents you need.

I separated the talents and skills necessary for successful living to different people for a reason. I want you to need each other. I want you to become interdependent just as the parts of your body are interdependent. Your brain cannot operate outside your body, nor can your body operate without your brain. You can live without your limbs, but considered handicapped when you do because your body can’t do the things it is designed to do. Each of your internal organs serve vital functions that when they cease to function, you cease to function well and often you die.

So it is with My church. I designed you to be interdependent as people. For My church to operate effectively and efficiently, I need all My church’s members to use the skills and talents I gave them to pull together for a common purpose – to spread the good news of My salvation. I want each of you to understand the importance of bringing others into My church. Each person coming into the community of My fellowship adds to the effectiveness of the spread of My message to the world. As the right skills add to the spreading of the message, more and more will come to the saving knowledge of My sacrifice for them. But I need you.

Also, I want you to know I don’t need spectators. I didn’t give you the skills and talents you have to just sit and watch. I want you engaged in the mission I gave My church. I intend for all participate in that mission. When I made Adam, his job satisfied him, but it wasn’t easy. He cared for every plant and every creature I created. Not an easy job, but a satisfying one. Only after the fall did the job become unsatisfying to him because of his disobedience.

The mission I give you as a part of My church will satisfy you when you work at it with the skills and talents I entrusted to you when I made you. When you do the tasks I give you to do, you will wonder at the joy you experience. You will know the kind of satisfaction Adam had when he fulfilled the tasks I gave him to do at the end of My creation.

So use what I give you. Be satisfied with the gifts, skills, and talents I give you. Then use them well. As Paul says, if I give you the gift of teach, teach well. If the voice of encouragement, use it often. Use whatever I have given you to build My kingdom. You won’t be disappointed.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Choose Christ (Romans 6:15-23) December 1, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Romans 6:15-23

Set – Romans 6-7

Go! – Romans 5-8

Romans 6:15-23
¹⁵ So what do we do now? Throw ourselves into lives of sin because we are cloaked in grace and don’t have to answer to the law? Absolutely not! ¹⁶ Doesn’t it make sense that if you sign yourself over as a slave, you will have to obey your master? The question before you is, What will be your master? Will it be sin—which will lead to certain death—or obedience—which will lead to a right and reconciled life? ¹⁷ Thank God that your slavery to sin has ended and that in your new freedom you pledged your heartfelt obedience to that teaching which was passed on to you. ¹⁸ The beauty of your new situation is this: now that you are free from sin, you are free to serve a different master, God’s redeeming justice.
¹⁹ Forgive me for using casual language to compensate for your natural weakness of human understanding. I want to be perfectly clear. In the same way you gave your bodily members away as slaves to corrupt and lawless living and found yourselves deeper in your unruly lives, now devote your members as slaves to right and reconciled lives so you will find yourselves deeper in holy living.²⁰ In the days when you lived as slaves to sin, you had no obligation to do the right thing. In that regard, you were free. ²¹ But what do you have to show from your former lives besides shame? The outcome of that life is death, guaranteed. ²² But now that you have been emancipated from the death grip of sin and are God’s slave, you have a different sort of life, a growing holiness. The outcome of that life is eternal life. ²³ The payoff for a life of sin is death, but God is offering us a free gift—eternal life through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

So once you thought you were free to do whatever you wanted but found you were slaves to your selfish desires that led to nowhere. Fulfilling those base desires in sinful ways are the road to death and you know it. They might bring temporary pleasure, but you know the pleasure doesn’t last and in the end you fall further into a pit of guilt and sorrow and slavery to those selfish desires. That path always leads to misery and death. But I give you a different path.

I offer you the path of righteousness and holiness. I offer you My sacrifice to cover the penalty for your sins. I offer you the free gift of eternal life. Paul talks in these words about slavery to one of two masters. You can choose slavery to self and sin which leads to eternal death or you can choose slavery to Me which leads to peace and eternal life.

The problem with the terms Paul uses in today’s culture is the negative connotation the word slavery brings. The term is correct, but remember in Paul’s day, most slaves volunteered their service to their masters as a permanent means of survival. There existed the aristocracy and the poor with not much in between. There was no middle class. You were rich or poor. You had fairly significant assets or lived in poverty hoping to eat the next day. And unlike today in the west, there existed few ways to break out of the caste in which you were born. The rich and their children remained rich, the poor and their children remained very poor.

Slavery indentured an individual and sometimes a family to the aristocracy, but it meant a home to live in, clothes to wear, and food to eat every day. In return, the family labored. Sometimes the labor was in fields, sometimes in homes, sometimes in the manufacture of goods or bookkeeping or through other varied skills. But in a time when bartering in the economy played as great a role as exchanging coins, slaves exchanged their labor for the necessities of life in a society in which jobs were often scarce.

Were some masters harsh to their slaves and servants? Yes. Most were not. Slavery existed as a way of life. Did I want slavery to be the means by which humankind existed? No. But neither did I want sin to exist in My world, but it does. In a flawed, sinful world slavery has existed as long as you have existed. And ultimately, you are slaves to your own selfish desires, sin, or you are slaves to a higher power, Me. One leads to death, the other leads to eternal life. Which sounds like the better deal to you?

So if eternal life is the better choice, why do so many think they know better than Me and choose to live by their own selfish path instead of living according to My will? The wise will choose the path to eternal life. Choose Me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

To please God, love (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12) November 29, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Set – 1 Thessalonians 4; 2 Thessalonians 3

Go! – 1 Thessalonians 4-5; 2 Thessalonians 1-3

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
¹So finally, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus, we ask you, we beg you to remember what we have taught you: live a life that is pleasing to God as you are already doing. Yes, we urge you to keep living and thriving in that life! ² For you know the instructions we gave you, instructions that came through the Lord Jesus. ³ Now this is God’s will for you: set yourselves apart and live holy lives; avoid polluting yourselves with sexual defilement. ⁴ Learn how to take charge over your own body, maintaining purity and honor. ⁵ Don’t let the swells of lustful passion run your life as they do the outsiders who don’t know God. ⁶ Don’t violate or take advantage of a fellow believer in such matters. As we told you before and warned you: the Lord will settle the score with anyone who does these things. ⁷ Here’s why: God does not call us to live impure, adulterous, scandalous lives, but to seek holiness and purity. ⁸ If you ignore this message, then you’re not only rejecting us but you’re rejecting God, the One who has given His Holy Spirit to live in you.
⁹ Now there’s no need for us to send you instructions on caring for your faith family because God Himself has already taught you how to love outside yourselves. ¹⁰ And it’s evident you learned that lesson well by the way you love all the people of Macedonia. Brothers and sisters, we urge you to love even more ¹¹ and make it your goal to lead a peaceful life, mind your own business, and keep your hands busy in your work, as we have instructed you. ¹² That way you will live peacefully with those on the outside, and all your needs will be met without depending on others.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Paul summed up his teaching with a good motto you should remember. Live a life that is pleasing to Me. He goes on to tell give you a few examples of what that means, but the bottom line rests in that simple motto. Live a life that is pleasing to Me. Too many times I see people trying to live their lives to please other people instead of pleasing Me. They look to make other people happy.

The problem is that it doesn’t work. You can make a few people happy, but when you make one person happy you make others mad. You can never please everyone. People are too fickle in their emotions, wants, and wishes. No matter what you do to please them, it will never be enough. People will always want something more. So you cannot please people. You’ll find yourself disappointed and frustrated in your efforts.

Pleasing people won’t matter in the end, anyway. It’s not people who will judge your actions when you give an account of yourself at the end of time. I will be the one to judge you, not them. People cannot judge fairly. Only I can. So you will give an account of yourself to Me and Me alone. So if that is true, then why would you want to please people instead of pleasing Me. Wouldn’t you want to please the one who will judge your performance in the end?

So, there we are. Paul’s summation. He got it absolutely right. Please Me and your life will be on the right path. You will love others if you live to please Me. You will live a holy life if you please Me. You will live a moral life to please Me. To please Me, you will live generously and care for the needs of others. You will avoid sexual immorality and learn how to take charge of your own body. You will do all those things Paul talks about if you live a life to please Me.

In doing all those things, though, you’ll find it won’t be a burden to you, because in pleasing Me you’ll find you do it because of love, not duty. You’ll find love the driving factor in your life as you love Me and others. It’s a life of love that pleases Me, you see, not a life of rules and duty. So as you do the things I’ve talked about, you’ll love unconditionally. You’ll love Me and you’ll love others. You’ll love more than you can dream you can. You’ll please Me in doing so because I am love. And that’s it. Love to please Me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Remind yourself and others about giving (2 Corinthians 9), November 17, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Corinthians 9

Set – 2 Corinthians 9-10

Go! – 2 Corinthians 7-10

2 Corinthians 9
¹ There’s nothing further I could add about your efforts for God’s people in Judea. ² I know you are ready. I bragged on you throughout Macedonia, telling them how the people in Achaia have been prepared since last year; and your passion has been contagious. ³ Still I thought it would be best to send these brothers and sisters ahead to help you finish the final details so all my bragging wouldn’t be for nothing. ⁴ If some of the Macedonians decide to travel with me, all of us would be more than embarrassed if we arrived and you weren’t ready to give after the way we’ve been going on about you. ⁵ So to help you get your previously promised gift ready, it made sense to me to ask the brothers and sisters to go on ahead so you will have all the time you need to put it together as planned and so it doesn’t look thrown together or coerced.
⁶ But I will say this to encourage your generosity: the one who plants little harvests little, and the one who plants plenty harvests plenty. ⁷ Giving grows out of the heart—otherwise, you’ve reluctantly grumbled “yes” because you felt you had to or because you couldn’t say “no,” but this isn’t the way God wants it. For we know that “God loves a cheerful giver.” ⁸ God is ready to overwhelm you with more blessings than you could ever imagine so that you’ll always be taken care of in every way and you’ll have more than enough to share. ⁹ Remember what is written about the One who trusts in the Lord:
He scattered abroad; He gave freely to the poor;
His righteousness endures throughout the ages.
¹⁰ The same One who has put seed into the hands of the sower and brought bread to fill our stomachs will provide and multiply the resources you invest and produce an abundant harvest from your righteous actions. ¹¹ You will be made rich in everything so that your generosity will spill over in every direction. Through us your generosity is at work inspiring praise and thanksgiving to God. ¹² For this mission will do more than bring food and water to fellow believers in need—it will overflow in a cascade of praises and thanksgivings for our God. ¹³ When this mission reaches Jerusalem and meets with the approval of God’s people there, they will give glory to God because your confession of the gospel of the Anointed One led to obedient action and your generous sharing with them and with all exhibited your sincere concern. ¹⁴ Because of the extraordinary grace of God at work in you, they will pray for you and long for you. ¹⁵ Praise God for this incredible, unbelievable, indescribable gift!

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Don’t you like what Paul does for the Corinthian church? They promised to support the Christians in Jerusalem with an offering and Paul reminds them he is coming to collect it so they won’t be embarrassed should he get there and they not have it ready for him. How embarrassing would that have been had he shown up and they only had the few dollars they had in their pockets after they’d had the opportunity to collect for a year to help the people in Jerusalem.

At least now they had a couple of months to get their act together in case some of them had forgotten. Have you ever been put in that position or put someone else in that position? Let’s talk about you first. Have you ever made a promise to support something I put on your mind and then just sprinkled some change on it because you forgot until the last minute?

Perhaps it would help to put a jar on your dresser and put all your change, ones, or fives in it every day depending on what you pledged. Don’t worry, I bless cheerful givers. Maybe a savings account that a percentage of your paycheck goes into so you never see it so you don’t miss it will take care of an annual pledge to something I want you to support. For you tech-savvy, send yourself a future email each week or each month in advance of the deadline for the offering to make sure you’re on track with your giving.

There are a lot of creative ways to remember to give to others. Use them.

Now suppose you have a cause for which I’ve asked you to ask others to give. Give them some time to collect. As you know, most today live from payday to payday, so give them advanced warning that you will ask for them for a particular cause. Then give them reminders just before you collect so they, like the Corinthians, will not be embarrassed when you arrive to see their generosity.

Paul’s words to the Corinthians saved a lot of people a lot of embarrassment and reminded them that I love generosity toward those of My children who need it. I love to see you giving cheerfully to ministries that do good for others. Don’t be embarrassed about asking or giving money when it is for Me and My causes. Just think about how to do it so you and others can plan so that giving just happens.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Focus your faith (2 Corinthians 5:1-10), November 16, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Set – 2 Corinthians 5-6

Go! – 2 Corinthians 3-6

2 Corinthians 5:1-10
¹ We know that if our earthly house—a mere tent that can easily be taken down—is destroyed, we will then live in an eternal home in the heavens, a building crafted by divine—not human—hands. ² Currently, in this tent of a house, we continue to groan and ache with a deep desire to be sheltered in our permanent home ³ because then we will be truly clothed and comfortable, protected by a covering for our current nakedness. ⁴ The fact is that in this tent we anxiously moan, fearing the naked truth of our reality. What we crave above all is to be clothed so that what is temporary and mortal can be wrapped completely in life. ⁵ The One who has worked and tailored us for this is God Himself, who has gifted His Spirit to us as a pledge toward our permanent home.
⁶ In light of this, we live with a daring passion and know that our time spent in this body is also time we are not present with the Lord. ⁷ The path we walk is charted by faith, not by what we see with our eyes. ⁸ There is no doubt that we live with a daring passion, but in the end we prefer to be gone from this body so that we can be at home with the Lord. ⁹ Ultimately it does not matter whether we are here or gone; our purpose stays fixed, and that is to please Him. ¹⁰ In time we will all stand in judgment before the throne of the Anointed, the Liberating King, to receive what is just for our conduct (whether it be good or bad) while we lived in this temporary body.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I know sometimes you would like to see Me with your eyes and have your entire future laid out like a road map so you could see everything your path holds. But I don’t work that way. I operate in a different realm. I want you to put the facts you see aside at times and operate with faith. You have it. You have plenty of faith for your salvation. You have enough to follow Me and perform the tasks I have planned for you. You have enough faith to move the mountains that rise in front of you.

Paul recognized faith as an important aspect of our relationship. He also knew everyone has faith, just sometimes focused in the wrong direction. Paul’s faith focused on Me and the path I laid out for him. He knew I would not fail him and so whether he lived or died, Paul was content with the life I chose for him.

You have faith. You exercise it every day. You might not think about it, but you do. You have faith the water will come through the pipes when you turn on the faucet to take a shower in the morning. You have faith the lights will work when you flip the switch on the wall. You have faith your car will start when you turn the ignition. You have faith your boss will pay you on payday. You have faith.

You probably have faith in others also. You probably have faith in your doctors. You probably have faith in your mechanic. You probably have faith in many if not most of your co-workers to do their jobs as you do yours. You probably have faith in many people when you stop to think about it. So you have faith. Faith is faith, it’s a question of what and who you have faith in.

So let’s go back and think about your faith in Me. Why is it so hard for you to exercise faith in God? Why is it so hard to believe I can do all things? Is it easier to believe all of this vast universe just happened or that I created it? You know, it’s the difference in believing a master watchmaker can assemble the parts of a watch or putting all the parts in a bag and shaking it until a watch comes out. The only change is I also made all the pieces…from nothing.

But that’s faith. It’s believing even though you don’t see it. You don’t see electricity, but you believe in it because of the power it holds. You don’t see the wind, but you believe in it because you see the results of it blowing. You don’t see the explosive power of gasoline, but you believe it will power your car. Why else would you pump it into your gas tank when it’s empty? So look around. How could all of this come into being without a Master Designer? Think about the odds that a planet could sustain life in the universe and that you can hear or read these words. Think about the complexity involved in that seemingly simple act. It is a miracle.

Now why is it so hard to have faith in Me? I AM. That’s enough.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Listen to Paul (1 Corinthians 7:1-9), November 10, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 Corinthians 7:1-9

Set – Job 39; 1 Corinthians 7

Go! – Job 39; 1 Corinthians 7-8

1 Corinthians 7:1-9
¹ Now to the topics you raised in your last letter. Some have said, “It is better for a man to abstain from having sex with his wife.” ² Well, I disagree. Because of our tendency to embrace immoralities, each man should feel free to join together in sexual intimacy with his own wife, and each woman should join with her own husband. ³ Husbands and wives have reciprocal duties. Each husband has the responsibility to meet his wife’s sexual desires, and each wife should do the same for her husband. ⁴ In marriage neither the husband nor the wife should act as if his or her body is private property—your bodies now belong to one another, and together they are whole. ⁵ So do not withhold sex from one another, unless both of you have agreed to devote a certain period of time to prayer. When the agreed time is over, come together again so that Satan will not tempt you when you are short on self-control. ⁶ I am trying to encourage you and give you some wise counsel, so don’t take this advice as a command. ⁷ I wish that all of you could live as I do, unmarried. But the truth is all people are different, each gifted by God in various and dissimilar ways.
⁸ To those who are unmarried or widowed, here’s my advice: it is a good thing to stay single as I do. ⁹ If they do not have self-control, they should go ahead and get married. It is much better to marry than to be obsessed by sexual urges.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The culture of the first century was obsessed with sex. If you look at the archeological discoveries of the first century you’ll see just how obsessed those who did not follow Me were. Their markets were filled with aphrodisiacs. Their frescos depicted sexual scenes. Their statues elicited sexual excitement. Even their temples were filled with male and female prostitutes to satisfy their gods desires as they performed sexually before their altars. Orgies were part of the debachery of the wealthy’s parties. It was everywhere.

But in the middle of this mess, I sent My Son to come and give a different message. My disciples carried that message across the known world. Paul wrote about it to the Corinthians. I want My children to respect the laws of sexuality I put in place from the very beginning. I instituted the sanctity of marriage between couples. I invented sex. It’s how I meant to propagate the species. For the human race, I meant for you to enjoy the intimacy with your spouse. Satan perverted the relationship like he does so many things, though. He lies to you and tells you it’s okay to have sex outside marital relationships. It’s not. I never intended it that way.

Experimentation was never part of My plan. Partner swapping wasn’t on My mind. Extramarital affairs didn’t cross My mind. Abuse, rape, perversion, sexual relationships outside of marriage all against My chain of thought when I created man and woman and the sexual relationship between them. It was and is a special intimacy between husband and wife. Period. That’s how I designed My creation.

So listen to Paul. Don’t just think about what He says, but do it. I inspired him to write those verses to the Corinthians. Your culture isn’t much different than those in Corinth and Rome. Always looking to find ways to satisfy your base desires. Always looking for pleasure and happiness in the wrong places. Wanting instant gratification. Thinking money and things can satisfy you. Just look at your advertisements. “Sex sells,” the marketers say. And they use it generously.

Your culture mimics those of the first century in so many ways. Listen to Paul and take heed of what he says. It will save you a lot of heartache. It will salvage relationships. It will help your marriage and teach your children respect for the opposite sex. Listen to him and do what he suggests. They are My words he writes, after all.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Serve others (1 Corinthians 4:1-5), November 9, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Set – Job 38; 1 Corinthians 4

Go! – Job 38; 1 Corinthians 4-6

1 Corinthians 4:1-5
¹ Rather than power brokers, think of us as servants of the Anointed One, the Liberating King, caretakers of the mysteries of God. ² Because we are in this particular role, it is especially important that we are people of fidelity and integrity. ³ It makes little difference to me how you or any human court passes judgment on me. I even resist the temptation to compare myself to the ever-changing human standard. ⁴ Although I am not aware of any flaw that might exclude me from this divine service, that’s not the reason I stand acquitted—the only supreme judge, our Lord, will examine me in the proper time. ⁵ So resist the temptation to act as judges before all the evidence is in. When the Lord comes, He will draw our buried motives, thoughts, and deeds (even things we don’t know or admit to ourselves) out of the dark shadows of our hearts into His light. When this happens, the voice of God will speak to each of us the only praise that will ever matter.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

I asked you yesterday why you go to church. Today I want to ask you another question. Why do you do good things for other people? Look deep inside you and answer the question honestly. Do you do it because it makes you feel good? It should make you feel good. That’s a great motive for doing good for others. One of the best ways to get out of the mully-grubs is to do something nice for someone else expecting nothing in return. I made you that way. I made you to enjoy doing good for others, so you will experience that warm feeling that puts a smile on your face when you perform acts of kindness for others.

Maybe you do good expecting something in return. It’s not the good feeling you expect, though. You’re looking for something in return. You want to barter good for good. Maybe you’re hoping the good you receive is more than the good you get. You’re looking for a profit in good deeds. That’s not the way to go about life. But some people go about doing good for just that reason. I’ll bake you a cake if you’ll invite me to dinner. I’ll mow your yard if you’ll paint my house. Get the idea? That’s how too many of you go about your business of doing good works. There’s this hidden barter system you’re looking for. That’s not in My plan of doing good for others. Just do good because it’s the right thing to do without expecting anything in return.

Maybe you figured out that you might not get anything back for doing good but you do it because you heard Me tell you to do it. Well, you’re getting closer to the right reason for doing good for others, but you’ll resent them or Me if that’s the reason you’re doing good for others. You’ll see your acts of kindness as tasks to perform instead of acts of love and servanthood to your fellow man. Eventually you’ll just stop doing things for others because you’ll burn out. There will be no joy in your efforts and you’ll stop either because of your anger toward those receiving your service or your anger at Me.

My hope for you, however, is that you’ll learn the secret Paul talks about. He discovered the joy of serving Me. The things you do for others is not really about doing things for them after all. It’s about doing them for Me. You do things to them on My behalf. You’re serving Me when you serve them. So serve Me. Don’t expect anything from those on earth you serve because it’s not them you’re serving. It’s Me you’re serving so they don’t owe you anything. You’re not doing anything for them in the first place, you’re doing it for Me. That’s the attitude I want you to have.

Then you can think about the rewards you might get in return if you want to. You shouldn’t. I’ve already given you life and when you serve Me diligently you gain life eternally and life abundantly. What more do you want? But if you want to think beyond that, how about that next breath? Or your next heartbeat? What about the food you eat and the water you drink? Maybe you want to think about your brothers and sisters in Me that come along beside you in your times of need. Think about the blessings that come your way day after day. Do you need more reward for serving Me? What about the sins for which I went the cross for you? Is that enough? Hmmm…

Remember, your service to others is really service to Me. How much do you want to do for Me? What if I want you to pass it along to others? Well, I really don’t need your help, but they do. How about a little service, please? I’ll enjoy watching it.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Why do you go to church? (1 Corinthians 3:10-23), November 8, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 Corinthians 3:10-23

Set – Job 33; 1 Corinthians 3

Go! – Job 34-37; 1 Corithians 1-3

1 Corinthians 3:10-23
¹⁰ Like a skilled architect and master builder, I laid a foundation based upon God’s grace given to me. Now others will come along to build on the foundation. Each serves in a different way and is to build upon it with great care. ¹¹ There is, in fact, only one foundation, and no one can lay any foundation other than Jesus the Anointed. ¹² As others build on the foundation (whether with gold, silver, gemstones, wood, hay, or straw), ¹³ the quality of each person’s work will be revealed in time as it is tested by fire. ¹⁴ If a man’s work stands the test of fire, he will be rewarded. ¹⁵ If a man’s work is consumed by the fire, his reward will be lost but he will be spared, rescued from the fire. ¹⁶ Don’t you understand that together you form a temple to the living God and His Spirit lives among you? ¹⁷ If someone comes along to corrupt, vandalize, and destroy the temple of God, you can be sure that God will see to it that he meets destruction because the temple of God is sacred. You, together, are His temple.
¹⁸ Don’t let anyone deceive himself. If any one of you thinks he is wise in matters pertaining to this world, he is going to be really disappointed. In fact, one must be deemed a fool by worldly standards in order to become truly wise ¹⁹ because the wisdom of this rebellious and broken world looks like foolishness when put next to God. So it stands in Scripture, “He catches the wise in their deceitful plotting.”²⁰ And the Scriptures add, “The Lord knows the highest thoughts of the wise, and they are worthless.” ²¹ So there is no reason for anyone to boast in human leaders. You already have it all. ²² So whether it is Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life or death, the present or the future—it all belongs to you. ²³ You belong to the Anointed One, and the Anointed One belongs to God.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Why do you go to church? Is it to hear the message of the preacher? Is it to hear the music present by the choir or choral group? Is it to study under a particular teacher? Just why do you attend where you attend? It really is an important question to ask yourself every once in a while. If you only go because of the pastor or the music or the studies presented or some particular program, you’re there for the wrong reason. You’re even there for the wrong reason if it’s because you think they have the doctrine that fits the way you believe.

So why do you go to church? The only acceptable answer is to worship Me. Any other answer makes the church a social club. You might as well go to the Elks Lodge or the local Lions’ Club. Find yourself another place that does good things for people and go there. If your goal when you come through the door of the sanctuary of your church isn’t to meet with Me in worship, then you’ve missed the reason for coming together as brothers and sisters.

All the physical ministries of the church can be carried out by other organizations in your community and probably are. The Food Bank collects and distributes more food to the hungry than you’ll ever feed in a lifetime at your church. The Red Cross provides shelter for the homeless in disasters worldwide and does it better than a church could ever think about doing it. Doctors without Borders provides health and healing for the sick and injured in ways your local church could not begin to approach. And the list goes on.

Sure, you do some things in your community, but so do other organizations and they probably do it better, so why do you come to church? Search your heart. Do you come expecting to see Me every Sunday? Do you even come every Sunday? Do you prepare yourself to visit with Me when you arrive? Have you prayed and met with Me through the week so that when you join your brothers and sisters you’re ready to celebrate My coming together with you in worship?

Some of those Paul wrote to in Corinth forgot why they came together. They began to follow people instead of Me. They came together to do good things instead of coming together to meet with Me. They thought they could reach Me by ministering to others. They got it backwards, though. Reach out to Me first and I will help you reach out to others. Your ministries will never succeed until you worship Me first. Until you follow the path I lay before you, your efforts will be in vain. Your wisdom is meaningless compared to Mine.

So ask yourself again today, why do you come to church? Do you know the answer? There will be a test. I want you to pass. Make sure you have the right answer when I return.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Sow generously to reap a great harvest (Galatians 6:1-10), November 7, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Galatians 6:1-10

Set – Job 31; Galatians 6

Go! – Job 32-33; Galatians 5-6

Galatians 6:1-10
¹ My spiritual brothers and sisters, if one of our faithful has fallen into a trap and is snared by sin, don’t stand idle and watch his demise. Gently restore him, being careful not to step into your own snare. ² Shoulder each other’s burdens, and then you will live as the law of the Anointed teaches us.³ Don’t take this opportunity to think you are better than those who slip because you aren’t; then you become the fool and deceive even yourself. ⁴ Examine your own works so that if you are proud, it will be because of your own accomplishments and not someone else’s. ⁵ Each person has his or her own burden to bear and story to write.
⁶ Remember to share what you have with your mentor in the Word.
⁷ Make no mistake: God can’t be mocked. What you give is what you get. What you sow, you harvest. ⁸ Those who sow seeds into their flesh will only harvest destruction from their sinful nature. But those who sow seeds into the Spirit shall harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. ⁹ May we never tire of doing what is good and right before our Lord because in His season we shall bring in a great harvest if we can just persist. ¹⁰ So seize any opportunity the Lord gives you to do good things and be a blessing to everyone, especially those within our faithful family.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

There’s a lot to learn from these few verses, but there are few that really abide by them today. It’s easy to let these words slide passed in your busy world and your culture of isolation where you don’t want to meddle in anyone else’s business. But My direction to you is to love each other. If you do, you’ll be burdened when one of your brothers or sisters slips away. You won’t want to see them fall. You’ll want to help them up, not talk about them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Love reaches out to help and gently restore those who have fallen away from the path I’ve set for you. Love asks you to carry each others burdens and not let your brothers and sisters go through the trials of life alone. But too often I watch those in My church sit idly by as My children suffer alone and in silence. Sometimes the suffering is well known, but no one steps up to help. What has happened to My love in you? Why does it not reach out like I did to minister to those in need?

Paul tells you well. You reap what you sow. You get back what you give. When you help others in their time of need, you receive the same in return. When you withhold you help, you can expect the same to happen to you. This law of reaping what you sow happens throughout all of nature and is true within the body of Christ as well. Help lift the burdens of others when their load becomes too heavy and you’ll find they will come along side you to help you carry your burdens along your journey of life as well.

I want you to stay dependant on each other. I want you to need each other to carry you through the tough times of life. I want you to help each other so the loads you carry can be shared instead of trying to carry them alone. Life goes so much easier that way. You can share the burdens and lighten the loads. You can help each other when you travel across those rough roads in life so that you can keep each other from stumbling and falling. And if you do fall, someone is there to help you up.

I intend for you to help each other. That’s part of the extension of My grace and mercy. I give you My grace so you can extend it to others. I share My love so you can share it. If you try to hoard it for yourself, you’ll find that My love and My grace will wither away and die in your life. You must give it away to sustain it in yourself. Only through giving of yourself to others, only in extending the grace I give you, only in sharing love can you really keep and grow the love and grace I’ve give to you.

Sow generously. When you do, you will reap a great harvest. Don’t be afraid to give grace and mercy to those around you, especially to your brothers and sisters in Me. You’ll never be sorry you did. Will they give to you in return? It really doesn’t matter. I will and that’s what really matters.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Don’t let prejudice get in the way (Galatians 3:15-29), November 6, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Galatians 3:15-29

Set – Psalms 120; Galatians 3

Go! – Job 30-31; Psalms 120; Galatians 3-4

Galatians 3:15-29
¹⁵ My dear brothers and sisters, here’s a real-life example I can give you: With a last will and testament, when all the property is accounted for, the document is signed, witnessed, and notarized; and afterward no one can make changes to it. ¹⁶ In a similar way, God’s promises established a binding agreement with Abraham and his offspring. In the Scriptures, it is carefully stated, “and to your descendant” (meaning one), not “and to your descendants” (meaning many). Therefore, in these covenant promises, God was not referring to every son and daughter born into Abraham’s family but to the Anointed One to come. ¹⁷ What this all means is that the law given to Israel comes along some 430 years after the promise made to Abraham; so it does not invalidate the covenant God previously agreed to or in any way do away with His promise. ¹⁸ You see, if the law became the sole basis for the inheritance, then it would put God in the position of breaking a covenant because He had promised it to Abraham.
¹⁹ Now you’re asking yourselves, “So why did God give us the law?” God commanded His heavenly messengers to deliver it into the hand of a mediator for this reason: to help us rein in our sins until the Offspring, about whom the promise was made in the first place, would come. ²⁰ A mediator represents more than one, but God is only one. ²¹ “So,” you ask, “does the law contradict God’s promise?” Absolutely not! Never was there written a law that could lead to resurrection and life; if there had been, then surely we could have experienced saving righteousness through keeping the law. But we haven’t. ²² Scripture has subjected the whole world to sin’s power so that the faithful obedience of Jesus the Anointed might extend God’s promises to everyone who has faith. ²³ Before faith came on the scene, the law did its best to keep us in line, restraining us until the faith that was to come was fully revealed. ²⁴ So then, the law was like a tutor, assigned to train us and point us to the Anointed, so that we will be acquitted of all wrong and made right by faith. ²⁵ But now that true faith has come, we have no need for a tutor. ²⁶ It is your faith in the Anointed Jesus that makes all of you children of God ²⁷ because all of you who have been initiated into the Anointed One through the ceremonial washing of baptism have put Him on. ²⁸ It makes no difference whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a freeman, a man or a woman, because in Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King, you are all one. ²⁹ Since you belong to Him and are now subject to His power, you are the descendant of Abraham and the heir of God’s glory according to the promise.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Paul reminds you I am the God of all people. It doesn’t matter the color of your skin, the language you speak, the country of your birth. I am your God. Whether you bow to Me our not, I am still your God. One day you will bow, but I trust you do so now. Those who believe in Me for the forgiveness of their sins, will never die, but will live with Me forever. Those who do not, will forever live alone in eternal punishment.

Since I’m the God of all people, shouldn’t you also love all people? Everywhere, I see the prejudice of humankind rising. I had hoped with increased knowledge through the centuries that you would learn to get along with each other, but it hasn’t proven true. Instead, increased knowledge seems to increase the prejudice between you. Races and nations continue to debate the superiority and inferiority of one another. Each touts its own prowess over others wanting to gain more instead of being satisfied with what I have given them.

Humankind has forgotten you have what you have because I allow it. I made you and gave you the abilities and talents resident within you. I gave you the lands you occupy. I gave you the minerals, the environmental conditions, the wealth or lack thereof. I gave you the opportunities to serve others. The question is what you have done with the things I gave you. But I am still your God. And I can take away all you have gained. With a flood, a wildfire, a hurricane or tornado all can be lost in an instant. And I control them all. Remember, I am your God.

Put your faith in Me. Remember I can give and I can take away. There is no need for prejudices. I made all humankind and everything I make is good. Every race, every nation, every person I make is good. Each person then creates their own choices and pathways, but I make them good originally. Share My word with everyone. Love everyone. Share My grace and mercy with everyone. Don’t let prejudices get in the way.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.