CalvaryBoise: Jan 5
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Live What You Believe
(1 Corinthians 15:29-58)
Paul now builds on the logical evidence he gave in verses 12 through 28 for faith in Christ and His resurrection. Having made clear that he has no room in his life to preach and teach what he cannot logically defend, he now adds another personal example. Basically he says, Look, if I wouldn't teach what I couldn't verify, how much less would I suffer for something I'm not sure is true? (v. 13-19, 30-32).
Paul then points to the difference between stars and planets as well as the diversities of creatures on land and in the sea. Each one's existence is based on its ability to survive in its environment. Paul says it's only logical that God will do the same in giving us resurrection bodies designed for eternal life. Next, he uses the example of a seed. When planted, a seed looks very different from what that seed will become. This, he says, is a clear picture of what will happen at our physical death. We too are buried at death like a seed. But, also like a seed, we will rise above this earth in our resurrection bodies just as Jesus did.
It is because of this fact that we are exhorted to live what we believe with a passion that abounds in God's work. There is no logical justification for anything less (v. 58). Stop today and look at your life. How you live is the surest way to know what you genuinely believe. If the investment of your heart, mind, and resources is not being used by God to prepare yourself and others for eternity, then you obviously don't really "believe" what you believe. Do something about it now. Begin to build a firm foundation for your faith as Paul did. When you do you will find yourself propelled into being God's voice and hands of salvation to a world that stands at the edge of eternity.
NKJV Bible Text
1 Corinthians 15:29-58
29 Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead? 30 And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? 31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"
33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits." 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
| Effects Of Denying The Resurrection (v. 29-34) v. 29 Baptized For the Dead – This has consistently been a difficult passage to interpret because it seems out of harmony with what is generally taught about baptism. It sounds as if a person could be baptized for a person's salvation who is already dead. That a person would feel it was necessary to do so seems rooted in the belief that baptism is the means of salvation. Therefore, is person had died who had not been baptized you could secure their salvation by doing so on their behalf. This concept of baptismal regeneration is not taught in scripture. At Corinth, there seems to have been the practice of being baptized for those who had died prior to baptism. This is only one of several guesses on this obscure passage. However, Paul does not sanction this practice, he simply refers to it to show how inconsistent their actions are if there was no belief in a resurrection for the believers who had died. v. 30 Stand In Jeopardy – Paul asks those who doubt the resurrection to give a logical reason why he should be willing to live in constant danger to proclaim it if he knew it wasn't really true. v. 31 I Affirm – In Greek this word was used when a person sought to swear something to be true or to make an important and strong statement in regards to an issue. The Boasting – Paul points out that the glory and boasting he has in Jesus Christ is rooted in his willingness to suffer a daily death to everything that would keep him from proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, it was only because of this attitude and for this reason that the people he was writing to ever became believers. If they denied the resurrection, they were denying one of the truths that propelled Paul to come and preach to them and lead them to Jesus Christ. | v. 32 Manner of Men – Paul makes reference to fighting wild beasts, which most likely involved some punishment he was given for preaching the gospel at Ephesus. Some, however, see this as a figurative statement because as a Roman citizen he would have been legally protected from this type of judgment. However, he makes it clear that he did not place himself in such danger because of any natural motivation of man but because he was willing to proclaim the truth of the gospel at any cost. What Advantage – Paul tries to impress upon those who doubted the resurrection that to make one's self vulnerable to such dangers simply to proclaim lies was logically not worth the risks. v. 33 Do Not Be Deceived – Paul seeks to open the eyes of those he is trying to restore to spiritual soundness. Paul warns that the teaching they had come under that questioned the reliability of the resurrection would soon result in a corrupted and misguided life. Beliefs do ultimately manifest themselves in behavior. Evil Company – Paul uses a common proverb used among the Greeks that originated with Menander, a Greek poet. The warning is obvious. If these believers continue to allow bad doctrine to influence them, their walk with Christ would be undermined. v. 34 Awake to Righteousness – This word for awake was commonly used by Greeks to refer to someone who was waking up from a deep sleep or sobering up from being drunk. Not Sin – Paul again links bad doctrine with a bad life. Your Shame – It was a disgrace on the church that there was such a pervasive ignorance about God as revealed in their doubt about God being able to resurrect the dead. |
A Glorious Body
35 But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
| A Glorious Body (v. 35-49) v. 35 How Are The Dead – Paul states the main arguments that were raised against the resurrection. First, it does not seem possible that the physical matter of a person could be collected after it has decomposed into the earth. Secondly, how could a body be reconstructed with nothing but decomposed dust? Foolish One – Paul sees this argument against the possibility of a resurrection as a denial of a commonly observed fact in nature, which is seen in the process of seeds. v. 36 Unless It Dies – Paul answers the first argument from the function of seeds. A seed placed in the ground must begin to decompose. It dies before it will begin to come alive and start to grow. v. 37 Body That Will Be – Paul reminds them that the seed that goes into the ground looks much different than what will eventually grow from the seed. In like fashion, the resurrection will produce a new body that will be much more glorious than what went into the grave. v. 38 God Gives – The genetic makeup of each seed that is given by God produces amazing results. | That Pleases Him – God has ordained the beautiful diversity of plant life, revealing the pleasure He derives from their awesome colors, shapes and functions. v. 39 All Flesh – This answers the second argument against a literal resurrection in regards to what a resurrection of the body would be like. Paul seeks to show that just as there are different physical bodies given in nature that are best suited for their function, so God should be seen as capable of giving a new resurrection body best suited for eternity. Furthermore, even in nature there are examples of something dramatically changing its bodily form (e.g. the caterpillar that becomes a butterfly). v. 40 Celestial Bodies – the various planets, stars, etc. of the universe Terrestrial Bodies – the various forms and bodies on earth The Glory – Paul points out the difference in form and function of the bodies of heavens and on earth. v. 41 One Star Differs – Paul points out the vast differences among the celestial bodies. |
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
| v. 42 So Also – Now that he has given examples to answer the arguments against the feasibility of the resurrection, Paul applies this logic to the resurrection. Sown in Corruption – First, Paul shows how the human body, like a seed, is placed in the ground. It is done so in a state of decay as it returns to dust. Raised In Incorruption – The promise of the resurrection is a new body that knows no form of decay or imperfection. v. 43 Sown In Dishonor – The process of death is completely out of character with what God had originally desired for mankind. The weakness, the inability to do the simplest of tasks, brings a form of dishonor to even the greatest of men and women as stakes brings its claim on them. Raised In Glory – The resurrection body will have a glory that will even surpass that of Adam and Eve before the fall. We will be given bodies that share in the likeness of Jesus' resurrection body (v. 49). Sown In Weakness – the culmination of the gradual aging process as our bodies begin to wind down toward death In Power – The perfect bodies we will receive will have the ability to function at a level of power that is hard to imagine. However, we do know that our bodies will not restrict us in any way from experiencing all God has prepared for us in eternity. | v. 44 Sown a Natural Body – the physical body that is adapted to the environment of earth. Spiritual Body – the body we will be given that will be adapted to a life in the realm of the spirit for eternity v. 45 First Adam – Through Adam, the human race has been given a life that enables man to exist as a living entity. Second Adam – Jesus is the originator of a new race of humanity that is endowed with a life that is not bound to the earth, as was Adam. It is destined to live in the realm of the spirit for all eternity. v. 47 Of the Earth – Adam was literally made from the dust of the ground. Lord From Heaven – In contrast, Jesus is seen as not limited to the earthly realm, because for all eternity He has known a life in the heavens. The heavens here are a reference to the spiritual realm. v. 49 Image Of – Having laid out the contrast between the first and second Adam, Paul declares that the resurrection will give us a body that is in the image of Jesus. |
Our Final Victory
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
55 "O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?"
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
| Our Final Victory (v. 50-58) v. 50 Flesh and Blood – The physical, easily damaged body we presently have is not capable of dwelling in eternity in God's presence. Inherit – denotes the privileges we have coming to us because of what the death of Christ provided Kingdom of God – the rule of Christ as King, the realm of that rule and the resulting benefits of that rule and realm v. 51 A Mystery – Paul reveals what will happen to believers who are still alive when Christ returns, something that up to this point had not been understood or revealed. Changed – The transformation that will occur for those who are living will be the same as experienced by the resurrected dead. This may be what happened to Enoch and Elijah when both were caught up to heaven without having died. v. 52 A Moment – The root word in Greek here is "atomos." It refers to the smallest conceivable amount of something. Twinkling of an Eye – This is another way to convey the idea of a sudden instantaneous change. Last Trumpet – A trumpet was often used during battle to call men in an army together. This word picture conveys the thought of calling God's people to Himself. It will be the last trumpet for the believer, for we will thereafter be with Christ. (I Tess. 4:16-17) However, there will still be subsequent trumpet calls during the tribulation as recorded in the book of Revelation. v. 53 Must Put On – The spiritual, non materialistic aspect of man will be clothed in an indestructible body that is able to function for all eternity. v. 54 That Is Written – Paul gives the basic sense of Isaiah 25:8 as he applies it to the resurrection. | Death Is Swallowed – Death, the one thing that no man in history has been able to overcome, will not be the portion for those who share in the benefits of Jesus Christ. v. 55 O Death – Paul quotes from Hosea 13:14 to identify the powerful force of death. The Sting Of – The source and power of death is identified as the result of sin (Gen. 3:3). v. 56 Strength of Sin – The relationship between the law of God and the force of sin is further developed in Romans 7:9-13. There Paul shows how the law of God actually stirs mankind to challenge the law by violating it. The law gives no intrinsic power to keep it. v. 57 Gives Us the Victory – Paul gives thanks to God who not only has conquered death through the resurrection but the power of sin as well through Jesus Christ. v. 58 Therefore – Paul concludes his teaching on the resurrection with an exhortation to live our lives in the present in light of our future glory. Steadfast – "Hedraios" (Gk.) — an attitude of holding a firm position Immovable – "Ametakenatos" (Gk.) In the firm position we are to have in the truths of the gospel, we are to maintain an attitude that nothing can or should move us from the truth. Abounding – "Perisseao" (Gk.) — an overflow, something that exceeds what is necessary. Work of the Lord – The focus of our solid position in Christ is to enable us to have an abundant capacity to do God's will in the midst of this fallen world as we await the resurrection. Not In Vain – The resurrection is sure, and therefore the rewards of a life lived in God's purpose will not be lost at death but rather gained. In the Lord – The believer's labors are done on His behalf in the nature and power of Jesus. |
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A.W.Tozer: Jan5
January: Personal Life
Some things may be neglected with but little loss to the spiritual
life, but to neglect communion with God is to hurt ourselves where we
cannot afford it. The Root of the Righteous, page 9
January 5 Personal Life: Let God Alone But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. --James 1:4 God is saying, "I stand ready to pour a little liquid fire into your heart, into your spiritual being!" We respond: "No, Lord, please excuse me. That sounds like fanaticism--and I would have to give up some things!" So we refuse His desire, even though we want all the benefits of His cross. There is this thoughtful phrase in The Cloud of Unknowing: "He wills thou do but look on Him and let Him alone." Let God alone. In other words, let Him work! Don't stop Him. Don't prevent Him from kindling your heart, from blessing you and leading you out of a common state into that of special longing after Him. You don't have to coax God. He is not like a reluctant father waiting for his child to beg. The blessings are His to give and He waits for us to let Him work.... "Look on Him and let Him work, let Him alone." Get your hands down to your side and stop trying to tell God where to cut. Stop trying to make the diagnosis for God. Stop trying to tell God what to give you. He is the Physician! You are the patient.... Let Him work and your spiritual life will begin to blaze like the rising sun. I Talk Back to the Devil, 63-64. "Lord, I know there is a work You want to do in my life today. I'll try to stay out of the way, take my hands off, and let You work! I'll put my hands to my side even now as a sign that I'm going to let You alone today to do Your work in me. Amen."
Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest
OneYear: January 5th
You are invited to join us on the One Year Bible journey in 2011! We currently have over 13,150 people in 73 countries around the world signed up for our free weekly email filled with commentary, encouragement, and questions for reflection. To join us on the journey in 2011 click on this link for more details and to sign up! Genesis 11:1-13:4 ~ Matthew 5:1-26 ~ Psalm 5:1-12 ~ Proverbs 1:24-28 Old Testament - Today in Genesis chapter 11 we read about the tower of Babel! You can view the location of the tower at a high level below: I probably should not confess this, but I will - verse 4 made me smile and laugh at myself a bit, which really shouldn't be funny. This verse reminded me of myself at times: "Let's build a great city with a tower that reaches to the skies--a monument to our greatness!" This verse is obviously not one that made God happy, as we see in subsequent verses. And I guess I have to ask myself - are there times my life or areas of my life where I am attempting to build something that will be a "monument to my greatness"? And I'm afraid that the answer is too often yes. Or it surely has been in the past. I pray that I'm turning over the desire to "be great" over to God more and more these days. I pray that I am not seeking glory for myself - but seeking glory for God. But, I am afraid that sometimes I revert back to wanting to build a "monument to my greatness" in my work or volunteer activities or maybe even personal relationships. And this is pride. It was this pride that brought about the building of the tower of Babel - and it was because of pride that God stopped the building of the tower by giving the human race different languages. In your life today - are you seeking to build monuments of greatness for yourself? Or are you instead seeking to only glorify God? Below is an oil on panel painting of the "Tower of Babel" by Pieter Bruegel, circa 1563: Today is a big day in our readings! We are introduced to Abram & Sarai! Genesis chapter 12 is significant in that it transitions our Old Testament readings from being about the world at large to being primarily about a specific man, Abram, his family, and his descendants. Verses 2 and 3 are an amazing promise from God to Abraham: "I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you." This is a powerful promise that we will see played out throughout the rest of our Old Testament readings - and into the New Testament this promise continues and is fulfilled in Jesus - and continues in us as spiritual descendants of Abram today. I heard somewhere once that one way to paraphrase this promise is "I will bless you, so that you will be a blessing to others." And I think about that today for our own lives. If we have been blessed by God, is it possible that we have been blessed in part so that we will be a blessing to others? Do you believe that you been blessed by God? Are you passing along that blessing to others in your life? The brief story of Abram and Sarai in Egypt is a foreshadowing of what we will see later in Genesis and into Exodus - the descendents of Abram going into Egypt to escape a severe famine - and then ultimately leaving Egypt to the north "with all their household and belongings" (verse 20). I also was intrigued in our Matthew readings a couple of days ago that Jesus as a child went into Egypt, when Mary & Joseph fled Herod's decree to kill all boys 2 & under around Bethlehem. Egypt plays quite a supporting role in the Bible! Below is a map of Abram's journey that we read about today: Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Genesis titled "The Unity of Unbelief" is at this link,"The Call of Abram" is at this link, and "When Faith Fails" is at this link. New Testament - Okay... as I said above, today is a big day my friends! We are starting the Sermon on the Mount! Whoo-hoo! (are you cheering here with me?? :) And as we do, let me encourage you in a few ways on what we'll be reading here. First of all, personally, these 3 chapters of Matthew (5, 6, 7) have been transformative for me over the years. Before I had faith in Jesus, I would continually read these chapters and I kept thinking to myself - "This guy has got some wisdom! I like what he's saying!" And I do believe that the Spirit was no doubt working on me as I read these chapters. So, I do ask that you would be sensitive to the Spirit as you read The Sermon on the Mount. What is the Spirit speaking to you as you read? Which verses are really jumping out at you - maybe making you think about some areas of your life that might need some tidying up... I know that this happens to me every time I read the Sermon on the Mount. It's probably because of reading chapter 5 today, and the Beatitudes, that I went into my pride / Tower of Babel thing above... :) Here's my other big request for you as you read through the Sermon on the Mount - and really all of the gospels. Try to experience what you are reading as something more than just "historical" teachings or "historical" readings. Try to envision yourself maybe down at your local park and maybe imagine that Jesus was actually at that park surrounded by a bunch of your neighbors and imagine that you heard Jesus actually saying these words to you and your neighbors - today. Would this change your perception of what you are reading? Or, maybe imagine that indeed Jesus is not just at your local park - but in your very home saying these words to you. And truly - He is - as you are reading the Bible you are hearing directly from Jesus. I just want to encourage you that the words you read here in the Sermon on the Mount are incredible spiritual food. And I don't think we can come back to these 3 chapters of Matthew often enough. I pray that you will let the Spirit of Jesus speak directly into your mind and your heart as you read and meditate on the meanings of these 3 chapters of the gospel of Matthew... We read the Beatitudes today! I would love to share with you the Beatitudes from Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the Bible called The Message. I really like the way he looks at the Beatitudes - I know verses 17 & 18 probably are interpreted in different ways - but a friend of mine has encouraged me when in doubt, just stick to the text, which is wise. So, let's look at the Jesus' words here in this text -"Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them. I assure you, until heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God's law will remain until its purpose is achieved." What does the reading of this text say to you? And now that we've looked at the text... I need to dive into a commentary on these verses... :) I'm quoting this from Tyndale's One Year Bible Companion book - which I have found to be a very helpful commentary to our daily readings: "In the Old Testament, there were 3 categories of law: ceremonial, civil, and moral. 1. The ceremonial law was related specifically to Israel's worship. Its primary purpose was to point forward to Jesus Christ; these laws are therefore no longer necessary after Jesus' death and resurrection. However, the principles behind these laws - to worship and love a holy God - still apply. 2. The civil law applied to daily living in Israel and these laws cannot be followed specifically today in our modern society and culture. But the principles behind theses laws are timeless and should guide our conduct. 3. The moral law (such as the Ten Commandments) is the direct command of God, and requires obedience. The moral law reveals the nature and will of God, and it still applies today." So, there you have it from one evangelical commentary. I know probably different people reading this blog are going to interpret these verses a bit differently. This framework of these 3 categories of laws above and their fulfillment in Jesus I personally have found helpful and agree with. One other commentary I found related to these verses says this: "Christ does not terminate the law. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; we establish the law. (Romans 3:31) The law will always be there to point out what sin is, but the law is not the focus, Christ is the focus. Only He can cleanse, and sanctify and change the heart and mind." Again, I know this can be a hot topic to say the least. I recommend everyone please spend a few minutes reading this wonderful article on this topic from Bible.org titled, "The Mosaic Law: Its Function and Purpose in the New Testament," at this link. Bible.org's commentary on our readings today in Matthew titled "The Beatitudes" is at this link and "A Pinch of Salt in the Recipe for Persecution" is at this link. Psalms - I love Psalm 5 verse 3: "Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." This is a great reminder to pray in the mornings - before we start the hustle and bustle of the day. I know that many of you are reading the One Year Bible readings in the morning, which I think is a great way to start your day! I do see a huge positive difference in my day if I do pray to God in the morning and pray specifically about the upcoming day - and pray for others that I will interact with that day as well. Praise God for the morning! Actually, while I'm talking about the morning here, let me go off on a tangent if you don't mind... :) I honestly have lived much of my life as a "night owl." I went to bed late and woke up late. And I had all kinds of good "reasons" of why I was a night owl. But, I will be honest here - I don't think being a night owl was good for me. I honestly believe there is so much wisdom in the old adage of "early to bed, early to rise, helps make a person healthy, wealthy and wise." I personally think that being a night owl was a lack of discipline on my part. I don't mean to say all this to make you other night owls out there feel guilty... :) But, I do want to encourage you, in that if you think you are stuck being a night owl the rest of your life, I don't think it is true. I believe you can make the transition to being a morning person. I am an example of someone who has transitioned from being a late-night person to an early-to-bed person. (well, yes, I'm still a bit in the transition phase sometimes it seems...) And I am here to tell you, mornings rock! Early mornings are so beautiful and peaceful! They really are an amazing time of the day to connect with God... Praise God for the morning! Proverbs - Our readings in Proverbs 1:24-28 today is a great reminder to not ignore an opportunity to gain wisdom when the opportunity comes, or we may regret it later. Is wisdom knocking on your door today? Will you let Wisdom enter in? Worship God: Psalm 5:3 in today's readings reminded me of the wonderful worship song "A New Hallelujah" by Michael W. Smith. Here's a great live version of the song featuring the African Children's Choir from Uganda! Have you ever sung "A New Hallelujah" to God? Click here and sing! Please join me in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today: "You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14,16 NIV Prayer Point: Based on Matthew 5:14,16 above, pray to God that you will let your light shine before others in this new year. Pray that God would show you how we wants you to truly be the light of the world this year. And pray that you will give all of the glory to God for your good deeds. Comments from You and Questions of the Day: Based on our Psalm 5 reading today, what do you do in the morning to set your mind and heart on God? Is it prayer, reading the Bible, reading other devotions? If you wouldn't mind posting up in the Comments section below, I'd love to hear what others are doing? It always encourages me - and oftentimes gives me other ideas of things I might want to be doing as well. Thanks! Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below! God bless,January 5th One Year Bible Readings
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""You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being "carefull,' you find yourselves cared for.
"You're blessed when you get your inside world--your mind and heart--put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom." - Matthew 5:3-10 The Message
Mike
TheBigPicture: Jan5
Genesis 10:1-2,6,21-22,32; 11:1-9,26-32; 12:1-20; Psalm 4:1-3; Proverbs 2:1-2,5 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood. Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran. Now the LORD had said to Abram: Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South. Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, 'She is my sister'? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way." So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had. Genesis 10:1-2, 6, 21-22, 32; 11:1-9, 26-32; 12:1-20 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! WISDOM My son, if you receive my words,
Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.
And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder. The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
"Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father's house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy- five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai hiswife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.WORSHIP
You have relieved me in my distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The LORD will hear when I call to Him.
Psalm 4:1-3
And treasure my commands within you,
So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,
And find the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:1-2, 5
GregLaurie: Jan5
Wednesday, January 5, 2011 Intrepid Peter Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. —Acts 4:13 Apart from Jesus himself, no name is mentioned in the New Testament more often than Simon Peter. He was a central figure of Jesus' three years of ministry and of the first three years of the early church. No other person speaks as often or is spoken to as often in the Gospels as Peter. Then again, no other disciple was reproved and corrected as often as Peter was. While others may have thought certain things, Peter would say them. He seemed to say whatever came into his mind at any given moment. People always knew where they stood with Peter. We are familiar with the story about Peter's walking on water, and much is said about the fact that he sunk. But it also should be pointed out that Peter is the only one who dared to take such a bold step of faith and, at least for a time, walked on the water with Jesus. In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" and Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). Yes, Peter later denied the Lord. Yes, he failed miserably. But he was recommissioned by Jesus. And he stood up on the Day of Pentecost and preached the first sermon to the early church, which resulted in 3,000 people believing in Christ. According to church history, Peter was forced to watch as his wife was crucified. Afterward, he, too, was crucified and asked to be executed upside down, because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. Peter was a hero of the faith who shook his world like few others. And God is still looking for men and women to shake this world.
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DailyDisciples: Jan5
January 5 Today's Reading: Genesis 13-15; Matthew 5:1-26 Today's Thoughts: Glorify Our Father "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16 I was meditating on this verse today and saw something different. Jesus has just finished teaching the beatitudes, "Blessed are the poor in spirit…. Blessed are those who mourn…. Blessed are the meek…." Then He summarizes this section by encouraging the believer to continue doing all those things that are making them poor in spirit, mournful, meek and persecuted because the prophets were treated the same way. This leads into being salt and light. Jesus is instructing the believer to remain salty and bright, to keep burning and stinging for Him. The transitions in the message flow beautifully and make perfect sense. However, when I would read Matthew 5:16, I wondered: "How would the ‘men' glorify the Father in heaven as a result of seeing the believers' good works? If these same men are the ones causing the believer to be poor in spirit, meek and persecuted, how can they be hurting the believer while glorifying God?" Today, I realized that the believer is the one who is instructed to glorify the Father. We, as believers, are to remain faithful to continue on regardless of the reaction of the people. We are to remain diligent, to stay sharp and be alive in living for Jesus. We don't hide who we are or apologize for what we believe. We stand strong and continue. Not only will men see our good works which will bring glory to our heavenly Father, but also we glory in our heavenly Father that we are able to endure in His good works. There will be times that others will also glorify the Lord because of your good works. Jesus' ministry caused others to thank God. But we don't look at others for affirmation to know that the Lord is blessing… we look to God. We need to be faithful to things God has called us to do and leave the results with Him, as we glorify our Father who is in heaven. Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.
Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.
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GodCalling: Jan5
| Hoard Nothing |
| |
| Love Me and do My Will. No evil shall befall you. Take no thought for tomorrow. Rest in My presence brings Peace. God will help you. Desire brings fulfillment. Peace like a quiet flowing river cleanses, sweeps all irritants away. You shall be taught, continue these prayertimes, even if they seem fruitless. The devil will try by any means to stop them. Heed him not. He will say evil spirits may enter in. Heed him not. Rest your nerves. Tired nerves are a reflection on, not of, God's Power. Hope all the time. Do not be afraid of poverty. Let money flow freely. I will let it flow in but you must let it flow out. I never send money to stagnate - only to those who pass it on. Keep nothing for yourself. Hoard nothing. Only have what you need and use. This is My Law of Discipleship. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5 blessings to you and yours this day and always ... Have you seen the free classic Christian books Contact by email: servant@twolisteners.com You may also choose to receive Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25 |
DailyStrength: Jan5
January 5 That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.--EPH. v. 27. Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.--I PETER ii. 5. One holy Church of God appears A temple there has been upon earth, a spiritual Temple, made up of living stones; a Temple, as I may say, composed of souls; a Temple with God for its light, and Christ for the high priest; with wings of angels for its arches, with saints and teachers for its pillars, and with worshippers for its pavement. Wherever there is faith and love, this Temple is. To whatever worlds He carries our souls when they shall pass out of these imprisoning bodies, in those worlds these souls of ours shall find themselves part of the same great Temple; for it belongs not to this earth alone. There can be no end of the universe where God is, to which that growing Temple does not reach,--the Temple of a creation to be wrought at last into a perfect utterance of God by a perfect obedience to God.
Through every age and race,
Unwasted by the lapse of years,
Unchanged by changing place.
S. LONGFELLOW.
J. H. NEWMAN.
PHILLIPS BROOKS.
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DailyLight: Jan5
January 5 We which have believed do enter into rest. They weary themselves to commit iniquity. — I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? He that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works. — Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. — This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing. EVENING Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? — They provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. A whisperer separateth chief friends. — There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. — The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Put off ... anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. — This is the will of God, even your sanctiflcation. — In their mouth was found no guile.
MORNING
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. — Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
HEB. 4:3. Jer. 9:5. -Rom. 7:23,24. Matt. 11:28. Rom. 5:1,2. Heb. 4:10. -Phi. 3:9. Isa. 28:12.
PSA. 141:3. Psa. 130:3. -Psa. 106:33. Matt. 15.11. Prov. 16:28. Prov. 12:18,19. Jas. 3:8,10. Col. 3:8,9. -I Thes. 4:3. -Rev. 14:5.
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