Coming to the Still Waters

Today's verses are 1 Timothy 1:8-11, which read,   But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. Here is another long run on sentence from Paul and also another list given to Timothy as the pastor of the Ephesus church.  Paul has just spoken to Timothy on how to instruct others in love from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith.  The false teachers were using the Law but for their benefit and not that of their listeners or students.  Paul doesn't want Timothy to throw out the material that the false ...

Today's verses are 1 Timothy 1:3-7, which read,   v.3, 4 - As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. Paul has left Timothy in the city of Ephesus to pastor the church there.  This letter is to instruct him on how to deal with different events that are happening within the church family.  This instruction will span the centuries to help us within our church family because there is nothing new under the sun. There were some strange doctrines that had cropped up.  These were things that were added to the gospel message that became the focal point rather than the teaching of Christ's death and resurrection.  These teachings are described as doctrines so they are being presented as something of ...

Today's verses are 1 Timothy 1:1, 2, which read,   Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, to Timothy, my true child in the faith:  grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. We start a new book of the Bible today and I would like to give some background that I will be pulling from my study Bible about Timothy and the time around this book. Timothy's name means "one who honors God."   He has a godly mother named Eunice and a godly grandmother named Lois.  They were Jews who answered the call of Christ upon their lives.  Timothy's father was a Greek. Timothy was from Lystra, a city in the region of Galatia which is modern day Turkey.  He was very young when he first met Paul and received the message of the gospel from him.  Timothy becomes Paul's disciple, friend, and co-laborer.  He is mentioned by Paul more than any othe...

Today's verses are Philippians 4:20-23, which read,   v.20 - Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever.  Amen. The praise and glory forever and ever to our God and Father is in context to Him being the One who supplies our every need.  The Philippians have been obedient to Him and supplied Paul's needs as a missionary on numerous occasions and have received from the Lord what they needed as a body of believers in a world that was hostile to the gospel.   v.21, 22 - Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.  The brethren who are with me, greet you.  All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household. Note that Paul says "every saint" instead of saying "all."  Every person who is a follower of Jesus is important to care about and address.  Make sure to not bypass someone in the Lord that you have the opportunity to address with a greeting of our commonality in the Lord.  This is good reminder when we...

Today's verses are Philippians 4:15-19, which read,   v.15, 16 - You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Paul gives us the information that the Philippian church was the first and only church to support his efforts of the spread of the gospel.  The Philippian church also gave more than once.  Paul was their church supported missionary.  This practice of giving to others who are on the field is very supported by the Scriptures.   v.17 - Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. Paul was grateful for the gift but he is more focused on the obedience of the Philippians in giving.  It is to be with us also.  It is not the amount that someone gives to the church but the fact that...

Today's verses are Philippians 4:10-14, which read,   v.10 - But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed you were concerned before, but you lack opportunity. Paul is so thankful for the gift of the Philippians to the cause of Christ.  He is a missionary and his needs are supplied by God's people.  The Philippians were able to help out about 10 years earlier when he was in Thessalonica and now they have been able to help again.  Paul is giving a type of support letter here of appreciation that the financial and prayer support that are so appreciated but he continues to teach them even with the thanks for the gift.  Look at these next two verses.   v.11, 12 - Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned ...

Today's verses are Philippians 4:8, 9 which read,   v.8 - Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. If you remember, this is Paul's second "finally."  He said "finally" at the start of chapter three and so like any good preacher he gives you a second "finally" before the end of the sermon or letter.  There was some discord in the Philippian church between a couple of ladies.  Paul calls on them to forgive and the church to help them forgive so that they can rejoice in the Lord, have a gentle spirit known to all men, be praying to God rather than worrying, and receiving the peace of God which guards themselves to be in Christ.  What are we to dwell on?  Here is another list from Paul. true - in relationship to God the Father, Jesus the Son, and...

Today's verses are Philippians 4:4-7, which read,   v.4 - Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! It is hard to read that verse without singing it.  After the instruction to these two ladies in Philippi who need to forgive one another is this command that is obtainable after such forgiveness and return to unity.  We are to be a rejoicing people in the Lord.  We are to be known as a rejoicing people in the Lord.  What is your self evaluation of this?  Do people around you see you as a rejoicing person?   v.5 - Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.  The Lord is near. We are to have a forgiving spirit.  We are to rejoice.  We are to have a gentle spirit.  The gentle spirit encompasses a contentment and compassion toward others.  It is seen through our humility and willingness to suffer persecution without retaliation.  We are aware that the Lord is not far away in our lives but actuall...

Today's verses are Philippians 4:2 & 3, which read,   I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.  Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.   Paul is getting to the end of the letter so he is starting to name some names as he has in the past in other letters to churches.  This time it starts with two women who seem to not be in harmony in the Lord.  Something is between them that needs to be settled.  These are two Christians and Paul is calling on the church of Philippia to help them to resolve the issue. They, Euodia and Syntyche, are along with Clement and others who have struggled with Paul to share the gospel of God's grace through the cross of Christ.  They have their names written in the book of life.  This is the picture o...

Today's verses are Philippians 3:17-4:1, which read , v.17-19 - Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.  For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. Paul has dropped his "duffle bag of pride" as dung and rubbish and wants to be found in Christ.  Paul is sprinting toward Him not looking back but only at the finishing tape.  He is calling the Christians in the Philippian church to be doing the same.  We do need other mature Christian leaders to follow and to observe.  As we look at these mature Christians and draw from their experiences and actions, we also have others behind us who are looking at us and our experiences and actions.  We are on this continuum with believers a...

Today's verses are Philippians 3:12-16, which read , v.12 - Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Paul has set down his "duffle bag of pride" which is dung and rubbish to be found in Christ.  As Paul lives in the righteousness of Christ, it is something that has yet to be made complete or perfect.  Paul presses on like a sprinter pushing every muscle for the finish line.  He wants to lay hold of something in the future that Christ Jesus has already laid hold of in the past for him.  Christ did something already that Paul is living for now and into the future.   v.13, 14 - Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Pau...

Today's verses are Philippians 3:7-11, which read,   v.7 - But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Last time Paul pulled out his "duffle bag of pride" to make the point that if we could earn our salvation or needed to add to our salvation our contribution then he was more qualified than any of them and the false teachers.  His bag was full of personal accomplishments and entitlements given to him because of his heritage to obviously give him a privileged position over others. To this, Paul called his "duffle bag of pride" not a gain but a loss.  The bag by the world's standard would be a gain but in the Lord's standard it is a loss.  It is not building Paul up before God's eyes but actually holding him down.  His hands are holding his duffle bag rather than holding Jesus' hands.   v.8 - More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of kn...

Today's verses are Philippians 3:2-6, which read, v.2 - Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;... Beware, beware, beware!  Dogs were filthy animals that the Jews of Paul's day would use as a reference to non-Jews.  It was a slang term for them.  Evil workers gives the sense that someone is working but what is behind the work is evil.  False circumcision refers to someone having the sign of the covenant but not the spirit of the covenant.  This is a physical sign that has been performed but the spiritual relevance is not there.  Because of this reference to the circumcision, which was part of the covenant with the Jews, Paul is speaking to the Jews when he says dogs, evil workers, and false circumcision.  There were Jews, called "Judaizers" who where trying to tie circumcision to salvation.  In their opinion, you could not be saved if you were not circumcised.  Your salvation was not...

Today's verse is Philippians 3:1, which reads , Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.  To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. One verse today.  Paul says "finally" and I remember when I was just waiting for the minister to say that word or something like "in conclusion" and I was hoping it was truly his conclusion and not just some words to fill the space.  Church was just something to fill that space of time that was a weekly duty and then it was onto the other exciting stuff.  When did it change?  When did I hate to hear the word "finally" from the preacher's mouth?  We sometimes get the end of the book or the TV series and don't want it to end.  We are at a concert and we are calling out "encore" many times because we just want one more song from the great singer.  It changed when my hands went into the hands of the Savior and I realized that these were His words a...

I Feel, I Think, I Believe   As a Christian I am so thankful for the Biblical learning opportunities offered to me over the internet.   Of course there should be a careful screening to make sure you are reading and viewing credible sites with solid Biblical sources, which will “weed out” many, but still there are a plethora of venues to grow in your walk with the Lord with the aide of this little screen.   I have a blog and I am a blog reader.   One of my favorite bloggers is Tim Challies at www.challies.com .   For this article I am gleaning from a recent post that has had me thinking about how I say what I say.   You can read the original blog post here.   http://www.challies.com/articles/i-feel-i-think-i-believe   Challies gives definitions to these 3 phrases. ·       “ The things I believe are the things of which I have the highest confidence.   They are the things I am convinced of, the things I hold to...

Today's verses are Philippians 2:25-30, which read,   v.25, 26 - But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard he was sick. Yesterday we looked at the fact that Paul saw it necessary to not only write letters back to these churches to give further Biblical instruction but also to send faithful men to observe and bring back a report of the church's spiritual progress.  Paul would do this himself when able.  These are the outside eyes coming in to help us see what we are not seeing in relationship to our walk with the Lord.  Paul wanted to send Timothy, his right hand man, but was not able to yet and he also wanted to see them so he goes to the bull pen and pulls out Epaphroditus to go in their place. He is highly qualified as a brother and a fellow worker and a fe...

Today's verses are Philippians 2:19-22, which read,   v.19 - But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. I am going to divide up this section by who Paul is sending to the Christians in Philippi.  We find out in this verse that Paul is hoping to send Timothy, his right hand man, to them as he is sitting in a prison in Rome.  The purpose of this visit will be two-fold.  Timothy will bring more Biblical encouragement from Paul and he will also bring back to Paul the current state of affairs of the church in Philippi.  It makes me question, if we are an independent church, who do we have coming with solid Biblical backing to check up on us?  Who do we have coming to bring Biblical instruction and give a report of us?  Do we invite into our personal lives this kind of evaluation?   v.20, 21 - For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely...