Philemon: Today we read Paul’s letter to Philemon!
~ Philemon ~ Author: Paul the apostle Place: Rome Date: A.D. 60 or 61 Content: A slave named Onesimus, who was owned by a Christian in Colosse named Philemon, had run away, ultimately making his way to Rome. Here he heard the gospel from Paul and became a believer. This letter was written by Paul to encourage Philemon to take Onesimus back, this time as more than a servant, indeed, as a Christian brother. There is a play on words in verse 11 where Paul says that now Onesimus (the word means “useful”) will in fact be Onesimus – useful both to Philemon and the ministry. Theme: This short book is quite important in many ways. Two things stand out. First, we see the way in which the gospel worked. No one is beyond the reach of God. If anyone will trust in Jesus, he will become a new person. Second, the ancient barriers of class hatred are being broken down by the gospel – Philemon and Onesimus are now Christian brothers. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” pp. 30-31) A great overview of the book of Philemon by Daniel B. Wallace isat this link.
Verse 4 stands out to me in Philemon today – “I always thank God when I pray for you, Philemon…” How often do we tell our family or friends that we thank God for them? How often do we tell them that we pray for them? How often do we actually do both of these things?
Philippians: Today we begin Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi! See # 5 on the map below –
~ Philippians ~ Author: Paul the apostle Place: Rome Date: A.D. 61 Content: Paul wrote this letter from prison in Rome to some very dear friends in Philippi as a response to their sending some money to him in order to meet his needs. He begins by expressing his confidence in them and then describes dome of the problems he faces in Rome. Whether he will die or not he does not know, but if death does come, he will rejoice in the presence of Christ. If he remains, he will continue to serve God by serving the churches. The example of Christ’s humility is set before the Philippians as an example to follow. False teachings are to be vigorously rejected. Two quarreling sisters are admonished to make up and all believers are admonished to set high ideals for themselves because God will supply all that one needs in life. Theme: In this very personal letter of Paul the theme of rejoicing may be seen throughout. If one lives, he may rejoice because God loves him. Christ died for him, and all things are given to him by God for his life. If one dies, then he may rejoice by being in Christ’s presence forevermore. This does not mean that Christians will have no problems, however. Even as Jesus had to endure the cross, so we must be ready to follow that example of submission to God, if it must be. But we are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:2) and should live with that thought constantly before us. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 27) More great commentary on Philippians is at this link.
Today in Philippians chapter 1 verse 21 we read this powerful statement of Paul’s:
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Philippians titled “Paul’s Perspective on Life and Death” is at this link.
Our readings in Philippians chapter 2 today have some powerful verses on imitating Jesus’ humility. In verses 3 & 4 we read: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Are you doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vanity in your life today? Are you humble? Do you consider others better than yourself? Do you look to the interests of others? I realize these can be hard teachings to put into practice – in fact, it seems almost impossible in our modern world. But, let us remember that indeed all things are possible with Jesus Christ in our lives and hearts. Let us not give up on imitating Jesus’ humility in our lives today. I pray each of us is becoming more like Jesus in some small or significant way each and every day. Don’t stop the transformation process. Don’t quench the Spirit. Let God change you.
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Philippians titled “The Ultimate in Humility – Leaving the Comfort Zone” is at this link.
Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of the fantastic song by Mark Harris called “One True God:”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you are living for Christ. Pray that you are not living for the world. Pray that you are looking forward to dying because you know that you will live in eternity in heaven with Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
I love Paul’s teaching about the Christian life in Colossians chapter 1 verse 27 today! “For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory.” Were you aware of this secret? Does Christ live in you? Have you accepted Jesus into your life and your heart as your Lord and Savior so that he has your permission – your submission – for Him to live within you? Do you want Jesus to live in you? Do you have assurance that you will share in Jesus’ glory for eternity?
Paul’s teachings in Colossians chapter 2 verses 6 & 7 definitely stood out to me today: “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.” I absolutely love the thought of letting our roots grow down into Jesus and draw up nourishment from Jesus! Meditate on this thought for a while… I honestly haven’t really ever thought about “having roots in Jesus.” I mean, I certainly know Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I know Jesus lives within me. And I know the whole Chapter of John 15 about the vine & the branches has gotten me in the past to think about truly being attached to Jesus. But something about these verses from Paul about letting our roots grow down into Jesus really is profound for me today… How deep are your roots in Jesus today? Is there room for growth in your roots? Let us grow! And let us overflow with thankfulness!
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Colossians titled “The Propagation of Christ’s Work” is at this link.
Colossians chapter 2 verse 8 is a teaching from Paul that reminds me so much of our modern world today… “Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ.” Have you ever heard anyone in our world today offer you empty philosophy or high-sounding nonsense? I know I have… And perhaps I’ve even preached it on occasion in my past too. Scary stuff. There is stuff out there today that does indeed come from human thinking – not divine thinking – and from the evil powers of this world – not from Christ. I think we need to prayerfully be so vigilant to protect ourselves from these empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense. I almost hesitate to write this… but I am feeling like I should. I think we need to even watch out for empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense in some churches today too. I really don’t mean to be divisive to the body of Christ, the church, by saying this. But I say this for our own good – for brothers and sisters in Christ. One thing that I have seen in churches on occasion that has alarmed me is what I’ll call “the cult of personality” around a pastor. Meaning, I think it can reach a point in a church where there is an unhealthy fixation on a pastor or minister. Don’t get me wrong. We’ll all probably have a favorite pastor or minister or priest. But let us be cautious if ever our devotion to a pastor surpasses (or gets anywhere near) our devotion to Jesus. It’s then when the “cult of personality” can lead to empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense invading our hearts and minds. Maybe there is someone out there that needs to hear this… Just pray about it to Jesus if ever you feel that you are paying more attention to a pastor / priest / anybody than you are paying to Jesus. And ask Jesus what he would have you do. Perhaps it would be to move on to another church… A church where Jesus is clearly preached, worshiped, and followed. Trust me, there are multitudes of churches out there where Jesus and his work on the cross for your sins is preached. Make sure Christ and Him crucified is preached clearly at your church!
I absolutely love the imagery Paul uses in verse 11 today: “When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure–the cutting away of your sinful nature.” The cutting away of your sinful nature! Isn’t that profound to think about? It almost makes me feel 100 pounds lighter spiritually just thinking about it… Our old sinful nature was an old beast of a thing that bogged us down. Makes us slow. Makes us groggy. Keeps us foggy. But – Jesus can take the scissors of spiritual circumcision and cut away that old sinful nature! Doesn’t this make you feel 100 pounds lighter to think about this? Doesn’t this thought of cutting away the sinful nature make you want to never want to put on that old musty moldy deadly suit of sin ever again? Let us be free instead! Has Jesus circumcised you spiritually? Has Jesus cut away your sinful nature once and for all? This all makes me think about butterfly coming out of its cocoon about to take flight… Let us fly!
Colossians 3 verse 4 is so powerful and is really something each of us should reflect upon: “And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” Here is the thing that really stops me in my tracks when reading this verse: “Christ, who is your life.” Those are 5 incredibly powerful words when put together! And I’m afraid that sometimes we don’t really live our lives as if Jesus is indeed our life. He is! Or he should be… Here’s the thing. I’ve had a lot of conversations over the years with fellow Christians about who Jesus is to them. And I’ve thought a lot about who Jesus is to me. And I think many of us can easily get to the point of saying, “well, yes, Jesus is my Savior.” We can acknowledge that He died on the cross for our sins. He saved us. We’re into salvation! But, I think sometimes it can get a bit fuzzier for us when we think about Jesus being our Lord – in addition to Jesus being our Savior. Meaning, if Jesus is our Lord, then we really need to take incredibly seriously and to heart Jesus’ words and teachings in the Bible! And really allow Jesus to lead our lives. Transform our lives. Lord our lives. Well, I think this Colossians verse takes things even a step further. Maybe we’re at the point where yes, Jesus is our Lord and Savior. But now, Paul here teaches us that Jesus is our very life! That’s big… That’s saying our life = Jesus. Jesus = our life. If you really stop to think about this and allow this into your heart you’ll know how huge this is. Jesus is our life…. wow! That’s very good news! Our job isn’t our life. Our money isn’t our life. Our health isn’t our life. Even our family isn’t our life – those these can all be good gifts. But none of these things are our life. Jesus is our life! Today, can you honestly say Jesus is your life? If not, will you begin to really think about this and pray about this? Is Jesus your life?
Verses 12 through 14 of Colossians chapter 3 are awesome! “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” How are you doing on each of these virtues in your life today – Compassion? Kindness? Humility? Gentleness? Patience? Forgiveness? Love? Do you think you can do each of these well using just your own will power? Or, do regularly pray to Jesus to give you these virtues within your heart and to bring them to fruition in your life? Can you allow love to lead within you? Will you allow Jesus to lead you?
Colossians 4:6 today is fantastic: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Let your conversation be always full of grace. How often is this true for us? Are there times when our conversation is un-graceful? Judgmental perhaps? Angry? Curt? But Grace… that’s something to strive for in all of our conversations! If we are grace-full in our conversations, where does that Grace come from?
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Colossians reminded me of the Jeremy Camp song “Jesus Saves.” Here is a great video KLOVE radio and its listeners put together, with signs sharing what Jesus saved them from. What has Jesus saved you from?
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. “ Colossians 1:27 NIV
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Ephesians: Ephesians chapter 5 verse 17 really stood out to me today: “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do.” I am wondering how often each of acts thoughtlessly? I am afraid in my case it is far too often. I can sometimes sleep-walk through my day – or even days – or even weeks… and miss the point of life completely when doing so! Paul teaches us here to try to understand what the Lord wants us to do. Why would we want to try to understand this? I think in large part so we no longer act thoughtlessly! I’m afraid we are far too often a thoughtless people in how we live our lives & how we waste so much time in our very short lives this side of heaven… How about you? Are you acting thoughtlessly at all these days? Will you seek to understand what God wants you to do? And then will you go do it and leave your thoughtless ways behind?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Ephesians titled “The Meaning of Christian Marriage” is at this link. Below is a nice image for Ephesians 5:21 from today’s readings:
We wrap up Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus today! His letter to the church in Philippi begins tomorrow! Ephesians chapter 6 verse 7 stood out to me today – “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” I realize the context of this verse is that Paul was writing it to slaves. However, I think this verse works very well today for any of us that work a full time job. I’m sure you’ve probably seen movies or TV shows that make fun of working and basically encourage folks to work as little as possible when they are on the job. I think this is a horrible idea! I had a friend tell me once that if you are acting like a slacker at one job – perhaps a job you really don’t like and are trying to get out of – you’ll end up acting like a slacker at your next job, even if your next job is your dream job. You’ll goof up that dream job because it will be hard to break habit the habit of being a slacker… So – I think each of us would do well to take to heart Paul’s words here in verse 7. Are you working at your job with enthusiasm? Are you working each and every day as though you are working for the Lord? As such, are you not “stealing time” from your employer by surfing the net, socializing excessively, doing errands, arriving late, and this list could go on… If Jesus was your boss, would you act the same way at work that you do now? Well, is Jesus perhaps really your “boss” even if he isn’t the one signing your pay checks per se…?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Ephesians titled “Spiritual Warfare” is at this link.
Colossians: Today we begin Paul’s letter to the church in Colosse! You can see in the map below that Colesse was about 100 miles west of Ephesus – and very close to Laodicea. You can also see the island of Patmos on this map below where John wrote the book of Revelation.
~ Colossians ~ Author: Paul the apostle Place: Rome Date: A.D. 60 or 61 Content: Paul wrote this letter while a prisoner in Rome to a city he had never visited. He had come to know of these believers while living in Ephesus on his second missionary journey, and now he was concerned because he had heard of some strange pagan theories that were creeping into the church. The views that were troubling the Colossians were a mixture of astrology, magic, and Judaism, which downgraded Christ to being just some sort of angel. Paul wrote to correct this error by showing that Christ is none other than God and possesses the fullness of the eternal God. Instructions follow concerning Christian living. Theme: In this important letter of Paul’s we are presented with a carefully worked-out defense of Christ’s deity and glory. He is all in all and the believer has everything he needs in Christ. Paul warns that believers out not to be led astray by the foolishness and the false wisdom of men. Instructions for Christian living stress the power of God for men and the joy that believers may have by making use of all the resources that are theirs in Christ. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” pp. 27-28) A wonderful commentary on Colossians by J. Hampton Keathley, III, is at this link.
Colossians chapter 1 verses 15 through 17 are some of the most powerful statements in all of the Bible about Who Jesus truly is! “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see–kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.” Do you believe these words of Paul’s are true? Do you believe that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God? Did Jesus exist before God made the Earth? Do you believe that Jesus holds all of creation together? Does Jesus hold you together?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Colossians titled “The Supremacy of the Person of Christ” is at this link.
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of the fantastic worship song “Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?” by Delirious. For some reason every time I hear the lyric “open up the doors and let the music play, let the streets resound with singing” I am reminded of a trip to the Dominican Republic I took several years ago to work on houses with Habitat for Humanity. Walking down the dusty streets of a tiny village in the DR I distinctly remember the doors being open, the music playing and the streets resounding with the singing of children playing. God’s presence was so real and tangible to me on that dusty little village in the DR. I pray you’ve had or will have a similar experience with God walking down “a street that has no name!”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“For by him (Jesus) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” Colossians 1:16 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray in thanksgiving to Jesus for all that He created! Things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all rulers and authorities. Pray in thanksgiving that Jesus created you!
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Wow, Paul’s opening verse 1 in chapter 3 of Ephesians today reminded me that Paul literally wrote this letter to the church in Ephesus while he was in prison in Rome! “I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus because of my preaching to you Gentiles.” I think if we keep this fact in mind, Paul’s words in this letter become all that more poignant and powerful. Could you ever imagine yourself being a prisoner of Jesus because of your preaching the Word to others? I think this is something we should really consider. Would you go to jail for Jesus? Why or why not? If you would go to jail for Jesus, then I challenge you to consider ways in your life that God may be asking to you indeed be like Paul “in chains for the Gospel” – even if you won’t “literally” be going to jail any time soon. (I pray not!) Maybe those chains are that you don’t spend as much time doing something that is counter-productive to the Gospel.
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Ephesians titled “Paul’s Imprisonment, his Prayers, and his Praise” is at this link. Below is a great image for Ephesians 3:18 from today’s readings:
Great teachings from Paul today about unity in the body of Christ! Chapter 4 verses 4 through 6 are beautiful – “We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all.” Do you believe these words of Paul’s? Do you believe that all of us in Christ are all one body? That we have the same Spirit? And that we have been called to the same glorious future? I like that last piece of verse 6 – God the Father is living through us all! Do you realize that God the Father, who is indeed over you, and is also literally living through you? This is powerful to consider…
Verses 14 and 15 I think are so important for each of us to meditate upon: “Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” The thing that these verses remind me of is that indeed at some point we are all “children” in our faith. When we are new to Christianity we are certainly children who need others to lead us, disciple us, and help show us the way. And I guess as I think about this, we should always be like children before God – but I don’t think we should always be children before humans. Because if we remain as children before humans, then we are at risk of “forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has cleverly lied to us and make the lie sound like the truth.” Has this ever happened to you? I know it has happened to me and it’s scary to think about. I once heard a church pastor say that his most important job was to help his congregation become “self-feeders” when it comes to their faith. I thought this was fantastic and very wise! This pastor did not want his congregation to always rely on him and what he had to say on Sundays as their only source of spiritual food. This pastor wanted his congregation to be able to spiritually grow in other ways outside of Sunday services – through Bible study, small groups, and other spiritual disciplines. So, this may be a good time to ask – are you a “self-feeder” when it comes to your faith? Can you grow in your faith and find food for yourself spiritually outside of what you hear at church? If you’re new to the faith, I wouldn’t stress about this – but think about it. I do think each of us should aim to become “self-feeders.” Why? Well, if we don’t then we are so reliant on the words of other people that we could be misled down wrong paths. The one thing that I think really is critical for each of us in our journeys of becoming self-feeders is reading, studying, and really meditating upon Scripture. If we can become well grounded in Scripture then we can filter through the lens of the Bible what others are telling us. It is amazing how much “spiritual stuff” or rules or rituals that I hear is so “important to practice” from others that I don’t see in the Bible! In fact, as I’m typing all of this, I will also say that I sincerely hope you don’t take anything I say on this blog as Truth – it’s a blog trying to draw out some practicalities and questions and reflections and commentary based on the Truth, the Bible – but what I write is not the Word. As Paul writes in verse 15 today, instead of remaining forever children in our faith before people, let us “hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Ephesians titled “The Calling and the Conduct of the Christian” is at this link. Below is a great image from Ephesians 4:3 from today’s readings –
Wow. It is rare that I will copy & paste 8 verses in a row here on this blog – because you can simply read the verses by clicking on the link above. However – I think these 8 verses of Paul’s in Ephesians chapter 4 verses 17 through 24 bear repeating here and warrant our re-reading and really meditating on these verses. Please take a few minutes to really reflect and pray on these verses – “With the Lord’s authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They don’t care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. But that isn’t what you were taught when you learned about Christ. Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness–righteous, holy, and true.”
Powerful verses above, eh? I love this teaching – there must be a spiritual renewal of our thoughts and attitudes! Has there been a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes? Is there currently a daily spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes? Or are you maybe on “cruise control” these days? A great teaching I heard once is that “you are either moving forward or you are sliding backwards. There is no stable middle ground.” I believe this to be true in our spiritual life. We are either moving forward – continually renewing our thoughts and attitudes and displaying our new nature – or we are sliding backwards. Backsliding as some may say. I pray that each of us today will really take to heart these teachings of Paul’s in Ephesians. Let us throw off our old evil nature and our former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception! Let us each and every day spiritually renew our thoughts and attitudes through Christ Jesus our Lord!
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Ephesians titled “Leaving Our Old Ways Behind” is at this link. Below is a great image for Ephesians 4:25 from today’s readings –
Ephesians chapter 5 is such an incredible chapter! I know I won’t do it justice in this blog posting. There is so much I could dive into in nearly every verse. Actually, I will share this with you. I met with my Pastor a couple of days ago. And he shared with me that he is currently memorizing the entire book of Ephesians! I had shared with him that I’m just starting to memorize Scripture verses – and to invite you along with me on this journey at the bottom of each daily blog posting. Well, you know how Pastors are – they’re always a step ahead! And my Pastor is memorizing the entire book of Ephesians… wow. He shared with me that as he’s memorizing Ephesians he is amazed how some of the words and meanings of words of Scripture are coming alive to him in new ways! I believe it. I’m curious if anyone reading this today has ever memorized an entire book of the Bible? Or even a chapter? Please post up in the comments below if you have? I have actually downloaded 1 Corinthians 13 onto my Blackberry and I am hoping to memorize that chapter soon! Okay, back to Ephesians chapter 5. You know how I enjoy posting up YouTube videos these days, so I of course loved reading verses 19 & 20, which you’ll see in this image below! 🙂
Ephesians 5:1-2 touches on a theme I’ve been thinking a lot about lately – living a life of love! – “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (NIV) Have you ever meditated on what it means to live a life of love? I have occasionally. But I’m starting to camp out on this thought a lot more these days. I think it’s in large part due to the impact 1 Corinthians 13 has had on me this past year. And it certainly fits in well with Jesus saying the 2 most important commandments are to love God and love people. But perhaps most significantly, I’ve been trying to live out this thought of “living a life of love” in real life a bit more these days. I definitely don’t have it all figured out by a long shot! But I think living a life of love is something we should all seek. Not strive for. But seek. Or maybe “receive” is the better word. I think we can receive from Jesus the ability to live a life of love. I don’t think we can get there on our own power. So, there’s a lot more I could write about what I’ve been thinking about in regards to living a life of love. But let me at this point just encourage you to think about this concept. Living a life of love. Do you want to live a life of love? Think you can do this on your own? Or will you invite Jesus and the Holy Spirit into this process each and every day? How does 1 Corinthians 13 speak to you these days?
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Ephesians reminded me of Tenth Avenue North’s song “Healing Begins:”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you are completely humble. Pray that you are patient. Pray that you bear with others in love.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Acts – Today we finish the book of Acts! Interesting segment in today’s readings when Paul encounters the snake on the island of Malta. Everyone first believes that justice is being done, and that Paul will die by the snake. When he doesn’t die, they then decide he is a god. Interesting… They were first cursing him, then suddenly worshiping him. I wonder if we do this in our lives too? Do we sometimes curse things one minute and then worship them the next? Do we sometimes even do this with God? Let us pray for consistency in our lives and actions, in particular in the area of Who we worship.
We then read in today’s readings about Paul arriving in Rome and beginning to preach the Gospel just 3 days after he arrives! Paul wastes no time. He is so focused on preaching the Gospel that he makes it happen no matter what. I think we would do well to pay attention to Paul’s zeal for the Gospel. Why do you suppose Paul was so zealous for the Gospel? Should we be zealous for the Gospel today like Paul was back then? Are you zealous for the Gospel today like Paul was back then?
Okay, in Acts chapter 28 we have a very important verse for all of us to pay attention to. Verse 28. These are Paul’s last words recorded in Acts. Commentaries suggest that this verse is actually the main point of the book of Acts. So if you remember nothing else from the book of Acts, remember the book was about this: “So I want you to realize that this salvation from God is also available to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.” Seems like such a simple verse… But do you see the weight of it? Do you believe that salvation from God is available to all? Have you accepted this salvation? Perhaps now is a good time for us to remember Paul’s acceptance of this salvation on the Road to Damascus earlier in our Acts readings, as painted by the artist Michelangelo below in the year 1544 –
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Acts readings titled “Paul in Rome” is at this link.
Ephesians – Today we begin Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus! The map below shows where Ephesus is located, as well as other churches Paul wrote epistles to:
~ Ephesians ~ Author: Paul the apostle Place: Rome Date: A.D. 60 or 61 Content: Paul wrote this letter while a prisoner in Rome, his purpose being to comfort and encourage the believers in Asia Minor. He presents them with an overview of history, beginning in eternity past where God worked out his plans for the world, moving to the present where God is saving those who believe in Christ, and then to the future where all evil will be overcome. He points out that in the present there will be great conflict because our battle is with the forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), but because we are members of Christ’s body, we have the power to withstand. Paul then deals with practical matters relating to living the Christian life: marriage, behavior, parents and children, and servants. Theme: The basic idea in Ephesians is that God’s eternal plan is being worked out through Christ and his body, the church. When a man believes, he is in Christ and finds salvation and safety. God had planned for this from all eternity and has given to the believer everything that he needs for his Christian life, but it is for him to avail himself of the resources at his command. Paul closes the book by describing the provision that God has made for the believer so that he may withstand the worst of Satan’s attacks and when the battle is over, to be victorious. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 26) More great commentary on Ephesians is at this link.
There are so many amazing verses in Ephesians chapter 1 today! I love verse 18: “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people.” How does this verse speak to you? Is your heart flooded with light today? Do you believe that your heart can indeed be flooded with light so that you can understand your wonderful future in Christ? I love this imagery of our hearts being flooded with light! Let Jesus’ light flood us today!
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Ephesians titled “The Hope of Glory” is at this link.
Today in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 through 10 we read: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (NIV) Have you been saved by grace through faith? Do you believe that salvation is a gift that cannot be earned? Have you ever felt that you had to work for your salvation? What does Paul say about works related to salvation in these verses? Do you believe that you are God’s very workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works? Do you believe that God has prepared good works for you to do in advance? Are you participating in God’s plan for you life?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Ephesians titled “The Guilt of Men and the Grace of God” is at this link. Below is a great image from Ephesians 2:10 from today’s readings:
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Acts reminds me of the song by Third Day titled “Call My Name:”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today:“In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Ephesians 1:5-6 TNIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you have been adopted into God’s family through a saving faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Pray that your predestined life in Christ brings pleasure, praise and glory to God.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Today in Acts 27 verses 1 & 2 we read: “When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of an army officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. And Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a boat whose home port was Adramyttium; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province of Asia.” A great map of Paul’s journey to Rome is below:
In verses 10 & 11 Paul’s wise advice about the storm is not heeded: “”Sirs,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on–shipwreck, loss of cargo, injuries, and danger to our lives.” But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul.” I wonder about this in our lives today – are we like the officer in charge of the prisoners and ignoring Paul’s advice? Do we hear Paul’s advice to us in his Epistles, and yet are we ignoring it? Are we instead paying attention to the ship’s captain, or the world, rather than Paul, when a storm is indeed bearing down upon us?
In stark contrast to Saul in our First Chronicles readings, I love seeing Paul’s leadership in action in today’s readings in Acts 27! He shows big-time leadership through his encouragement in verse 22: “But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down.” And then Paul also shows some leadership in a very simple thing, namely eating, in verses 33 & 34: “As the darkness gave way to the early morning light, Paul begged everyone to eat. “You haven’t touched food for two weeks,” he said. “Please eat something now for your own good.” The best demonstration though of Paul’s leadership I think was when he did what reminded me of his Savior’s Last Supper in verse 35… “Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it.” Does this action of Paul’s remind you of anyone else you might know?
Julius, the centurion, shows some amazing respect for Paul in the last 3 verses of today’s readings! “The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape. But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land, and he told the others to try for it on planks and debris from the broken ship. So everyone escaped safely ashore!” Below is the 19th century woodcut artist Gustave Dore’s take on this very last sentence:
And then it looks like the island of Malta, where Paul and the ship’s passengers were shipwrecked, decided to create a stamp that looks quite a bit like Gustave Dore’s artwork above… 🙂
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Acts readings titled “A Biblical Look at Leadership” is at this link.
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Acts 27 remind me of Laura Story’s song “Blessings:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
The close of today’s readings are interesting. It seems to me that Felix has a double-edged reason for keeping Paul in prison for two years. 1. Felix enjoys talking to Paul! Why do you suppose this is? Do you suppose Felix was hearing the Truth from Paul? I’m sure that he was… 2. Verse 27 tells us: “And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish leaders, he left Paul in prison.” So, Felix gets to hear the Truth from Paul and hopefully keep his job by appeasing the Jewish leaders. Sounds reasonable, right? However… it is interesting to see that he is balancing the Truth with the World. How often in our lives do we try to balance the Truth with the World? I am afraid this is a tough balance to keep… Remember always that we are to be “in the world, but not of it.” Don’t let the World outweigh the Truth in your life…
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Acts readings titled “Paul Stands Before Felix: The Preacher and the Politician” is at this link.
We see continued incredible wisdom displayed by Paul in today’s readings! His appeal to Caesar may look like on first glance he was trying to save his life. Many commentators believe that Paul was actually doing this strategically to get to Rome so he could preach the Gospel in Rome! Yes, he’d be arriving in Rome as a prisoner, but, if we know Paul at all, we know that being a prisoner will not stop him from preaching the Gospel! I love this whole scenario. Paul certainly seems a bit “down and out” on the ways things are going in his life. He’s been imprisoned for two years, he is barely avoiding being killed or beaten, and yet he’s continuing to think of every way to preach the Gospel and advance the Kingdom of God! I wonder about this in our lives today? Are we like Paul in this regard? Are we constantly thinking of ways to preach the Gospel and advance the kingdom? My hunch is that most of us are living very nice lives – no real threat of being killed or imprisoned. And I sometimes wonder if our comfort is maybe the real enemy? Are we not focused on preaching the Gospel or advancing the Kingdom of God because we are simply too comfortable? I do think one of the devil’s greatest tricks is to simply distract us. Not to get us to do evil. But to distract us. Make us too comfortable perhaps? I don’t know… I’m just so impressed with how Paul was so focused on the Gospel and building the Kingdom, in the midst of all his challenges. And I worry about why we are not so focused – and I think it might be our comfortable distractions…
Below is a great image of Festus’ conversation with King Agrippa about Paul’s case from verses 21 & 22: ““But Paul appealed to the emperor. So I ordered him back to jail until I could arrange to send him to Caesar.” “I’d like to hear the man myself,” Agrippa said. And Festus replied, “You shall–tomorrow!”
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Acts readings titled “Paul’s Appeal” is at this link.
Today in Acts 26 verses 24 & 25 we read: “At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.” “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable.”” Have you ever questioned your sanity when thinking about Christianity? 🙂 Don’t worry – I think it is okay if you have. I honestly think that Christianity is the most logical thing of all time – but, I do understand why many in the world may view Christianity as crazy. (or that maybe even we ourselves at times have thought “this is crazy”) The bottom line is this – I believe every human being has faith in something. We may have faith in Jesus. Or we may have faith in a “cosmic being.” Or we may have faith in crystals. Or we may have faith in atheism. (yes, I believe atheism is too a faith – in nothingness – but a faith nonetheless.) Or we may have faith in altruism or government or nature. We all have faith in something. Faith is our human nature. I believe the statistic is that 85%+ of the world’s population believes in something beyond themselves. We are spiritual beings. And if then we are spiritual beings, then I think it is perfectly logical for us to seek out who our Maker truly is. And to seek out whom our Savior truly is. And to seek out what will lead us to Eternal life. I’ve gone through this seeking phase big time in my early life. And I do believe it was the Holy Spirit that led me to Jesus ultimately. And now, once in relationship with Jesus, I believe that Christianity is the most logical faith there is. Do you believe what Paul says to Festus in these verses? Do you believe that Christianity is true and reasonable? I believe even Spock would find Christianity logical! 🙂
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Acts readings titled “Paul’s Appeal to Aggripa” is at this link. Below is an image of Paul´s Defense Before Agrippa by C.F. Vos:
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Acts remind me of the Michael W. Smith singing the song “Mighty to Save:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
We get some classic Paul in today’s Acts readings! You’ll recall from yesterday’s readings, the crowd in Jerusalem got riled up against Paul and the crowd was beating on Paul. Then, some Roman soldiers come to try to keep the peace and end up arresting Paul and putting him in chains. But what does Paul do? Go quietly into that good night? No way! He speaks to the Roman commander in Greek – which surprises the commander. (It is thought that Paul spoke 4 languages – Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew & Latin) And then he speaks to the crowd in Aramaic. The crowd that was just beating on him! He turns around and speaks with Love and Truth. So amazing… What do you think you or I would do in this type of situation today? Could we continue to speak Love and Truth to people that were just beating on us? I am not so sure that I could… I pray that I could! I pray that I would… Below is an oil on canvas painting by the Spanish painter El Greco from the year 1614 of “St. Paul”:
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Acts readings titled “Paul’s Defense to the Jews in Jerusalem” is at this link.
Today at the end of Acts 22 Paul threw out this incendiary statement that shocked the crowd: “”But the Lord said to me, `Leave Jerusalem, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’” This reminds me that the Gospel today still shocks people. The Gospel is still moving forward in our world to people that we sometimes may not think “deserve” it, like this crowd didn’t think the Gentiles deserved relationship with “their” God of Israel. God is bigger than we think He is. God is pursuing the whole world. Let us pray he continues to shock crowds like he did in Acts 22… It’s so interesting – looking at this image below of Paul’s presence and words creating chaos in a crowd and the Roman guards being there in the midst. This is so reminiscent of Jesus’ final day in Jerusalem before he walked up the hill to Golgotha. Think Paul was emulating his Savior? How about you? Are you emulating your Savior? Or are you playing it safe?
We can see Paul’s wisdom at work in today’s Acts readings! First he shares at the appropriate time that he is a Roman citizen – by birth – which means he cannot be punished until proven guilty.
Then, before the High Council he wisely throws out in Acts 23 verse 6 – “”Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were all my ancestors! And I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead!” This instantly divides the Pharisees and Sadducees at the council – and allows things to get heated enough that the soldiers take Paul out of the council for his safety. Bible.org’s fantastic look at “Paul’s Trial before the Sanhedrin” is at this link.
Our readings in Acts today open up with a very encouraging word to Paul from Jesus in verse 11 – “That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have told the people about me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome.”” That is awesome that this occurred in the midst of all of Paul’s trials and imprisonment. Jesus was there with him. How about in our lives today – think Jesus is always with us? Is there any circumstance you can find yourself in that Jesus won’t be there? Is there anywhere on this earth you can go where Jesus won’t be there?
An interesting note on verses 12 & 13 in today’s readings – “The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath to neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty of them.” It is believed by some scholars that these 40 men may have been part of the Zealots – the group that later led the revolt against Rome in A.D. 66-70.
Paul is taken to Governor Felix at the end of today’s readings in Acts. Felix is in the same position that Pontius Pilate was. I find it kind of interesting that both Jesus and Paul were brought before the same-positioned Roman ruler. It reminds me of Jesus’ words in John 15 verse 20 to his disciples – “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” If Jesus was brought before a Roman governor, it’s no surprise that Paul was too. I think you and I should remember Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John as well. I know oftentimes we don’t seem persecuted at all – maybe most of the time really. But, I think we need to remember, it can happen. If we are truly living our faith and truly following Jesus, persecution will come in some form or another. No servant is greater than his master… Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? Are you willing to be persecuted for your faith?
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Acts reminds me of the Needtobreathe song “Washed by the Water:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
To start our readings today, Paul gives a powerful farewell address to the elders of the church in Ephesus. Great stuff… Verses 36 & 37 do kind of bring a tear to the eye, no? – “When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. They wept aloud as they embraced him in farewell, sad most of all because he had said that they would never see him again. Then they accompanied him down to the ship.”
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Acts readings titled “Paul’s Parting Words” is at this link.
Wow. Check out Paul’s words in Acts 21 verse 13 after it was prophesied that he would be jailed in Jerusalem: “But Paul said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! For I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but also to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”” What about you? Are you ready to be jailed for your faith? Are you willing to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus? These are challenging questions to consider I realize. But, I think they are useful for us to ask. If we are not ready to be jailed for our faith or not willing to die for the sake of Jesus, are we truly following Jesus? Or are we just pretending?
Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem wraps up his 3rd missionary journey. Below is a quick recap of this journey of Paul’s we’ve been reading about the past couple of days:
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Acts readings titled “The Giving and Taking of Advice” is at this link.
– Wow… tough week for Paul in today’s readings.Scary how the readings end today – with the mob chanting “Kill Him!Kill Him!”Does this remind you of anyone else?Perhaps Paul’s Savior?
You might be asking why did Paul agree to take part in the Jewish purification ceremony in today’s readings?I think you’ll find the answer to this question in Paul’s own words from his first letter to the Corinthians, verses 19 through 23 – “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”How about you in your life today?Do you make yourself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible?Do you become all things to all people so that by all possible means you might save some? Below is an image of the Apostle Paul, by Rembrandt, from 1657:
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Acts readings titled “The Giving and Taking of Advice” is at this link.
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Acts reminds me of this video by Jars of Clay for their song “Two Hands:”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“But Paul said, ‘Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.’” Acts 21:13 NLT
Prayer Point: Pray that you are willing to die for the sake of your Lord, Jesus. Pray that you are prepared to not only be jailed for your faith in Jesus, but to die for your faith in Jesus.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
2nd Corinthians – Paul’s words in Second Corinthians chapter 11 verse 14 are some of the scariest words in Scripture for each of us to take to heart: “Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light.” Do you believe these words of Paul’s are true? How would you know if something that appears to be good on the surface is not really good at all? Let us pray for discernment in this regards! Let us not ever be fooled by Satan and his disguises! (Okay, I found this scary picture below for this verse… what do you think? Too scary for this blog? Or maybe we should get a bit scared by this verse??)
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Second Corinthians titled “The Father of the Bride Exposes the Master of Deceit” is at this link.
Amazing words from Paul today in Second Corinthians chapter 11 verse 30! “If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.” Why would Paul say he would rather boast about things that show how weak he is? Why would Paul want to be weak in any way? Why would you or I want to be weak in any way? If you must boast, what are you boasting about these days?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Second Corinthians titled “The Reluctant ‘Fool’” is at this link and “Boasting in our Weakness” is at this link.
Paul’s words in Second Corinthians chapter 12 verses 7 through 10 about the thorn in Paul’s flesh are so powerful for each of us to consider for our lives today as well! “But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Biblical commentaries can basically all agree that we do not know what Paul’s “thorn” was. There is some interesting speculation out there. Some think that the thorn is Paul’s flesh was perhaps something that literally affected his flesh – a health issue of some sort. Some think it could have been a disease of the eyes, epilepsy, or even malaria. Whatever the thorn was, it was something that affected him very seriously. And it kept Paul humble in the midst of his incredible ministry. Why do you suppose that Paul was given a thorn in his flesh? Do you suppose you or I might have thorns in our flesh today? What might those thorns be in your life today? And why might those thorns be there? Is there anything you can learn from Paul about your thorns? Can you learn to live with the thorn in your flesh realizing that God’s power in your life actually works strongest when you are weak? Do you believe that God’s power can actually work through the thorn in your flesh for God’s glory? Will you accept where you are weak, so that in that area of your life God will be strong?
Continuing along this point about having a thorn in our flesh. I do think this is a powerful thing for each of us to really meditate upon. I believe that all of us have some sort of thorn in our flesh! (or we will…) All of us are human with various frailties. None of us are Superman or Wonderwoman. We will all grow older – God-willing – and will eventually have health issues that will eventually lead to our death. As Christians we have eternal life after death where all of our thorns will be removed forever! But this side of heaven we will have thorns in our flesh. Perhaps many thorns. But, this is the beauty of the thorns… if we will accept them and give them over to God, God’s power will work in our weakness! If we will give all that we have over to God – the good, the bad, and the ugly, God will show up and move through it. It’s tough I know to really put this into practice – if we lose a loved one, or get diagnosed with a serious illness, or are struggling with an addiction, we can often think “where is God in this??” Well, yes, where is He? Have you opened the door to let Him in the room of that weakness? Will you let his power in?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Second Corinthians titled “Boasting in our Weakness” is at this link. Below is a great image from Second Corinthians 12 verse 9 from today’s readings:
Paul’s words in Second Corinthians chapter 12 verses 20 and 21 were written for the church in Corinth. But, imagine if you will that these words were written to you and me today… “For I am afraid that when I come to visit you I won’t like what I find, and then you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfishness, backstabbing, gossip, conceit, and disorderly behavior. Yes, I am afraid that when I come, God will humble me again because of you. And I will have to grieve because many of you who sinned earlier have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.” What would Paul find if he came to visit our lives today? Would he find quarreling, jealousy, outbursts, selfishness, backstabbing, gossip, conceit, or disorderly behavior? Impurity? Sexual immorality? Eagerness for lustful pleasure? Or – instead, would Paul find peace, joy, love, giving, and purity in our lives? Would we grieve Paul or make him joyful? Better yet, let us reflect upon what Jesus would find in our lives if He came back today? Would our lives grieve Jesus in any way?
Bible.org’s commentary on today and tomorrow’s readings in Second Corinthians titled “Paul’s Closing Argument, Appeal, and Blessing” is at this link.
I love Paul’s words today in Second Corinthians chapter 13 verse 11! “Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Rejoice. Change your ways. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.” Imagine that these words were written to you. Are you rejoicing? Are you changing your ways? Are you encouraging others? Are you living in peace? Is God’s love with you this very moment? Is God’s peace with you now?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s (and yesterday’s) readings in Second Corinthians titled “Paul’s Closing Argument, Appeal, and Blessing” is at this link.
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of Crowder’s song “Somebody Prayed:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Chronological Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Chronological Bible Blog 