Day 291 Bible Readings – 1 Timothy 3: 16 (ESV)

Jeremiah 38-39, Jeremiah 40: 1-6, 1 Timothy 3, Proverbs 6: 30-35

1 Timothy 3: 16 (ESV)

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

Verse 16 from 1 Timothy shows Paul’s version of a foundation of our belief in Jesus Christ. Christ was born on earth or manifested in the flesh. Christ is part of the Holy Spirit and was seen by angels. Christ was spread to all people who believed in him through Paul, and when he died was resurrected to be with God his father. To be someone who is called a “Christian”, one must believe in these foundational truths about the life of Christ. Out of all of these, resurrection after death seems to be hardest part of the foundational truth to believe. I’ve run into many people at different churches who have confessed to me in secret that they love Christ and his teachings, but they’re not so sure about the resurrection. And I’m like what? Without the resurrection, what is the point of the faith in Jesus Christ? If you cannot believe that Christ was resurrected after death, then how can you believe that he died for our sins and that you will be absolved of your sins through belief in Jesus Christ? How can you believe that Christ came back and spoke to his disciples after his death, which is most of the Book of Acts? The resurrection of Christ is most important foundational truth of Christ’ s life for me. I wouldn’t be a follower of Christ without my belief in his resurrection and the Trinity of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Day 290 Bible Readings – 1 Timothy 2: 8-10 (ESV)

Jeremiah 35-37, 1 Timothy 2, Proverbs 6: 20-29

1 Timothy 2: 8-10 (ESV)

“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”

Verses 8 through 10 from 1 Timothy 2 shows Paul explaining to his protégé Timothy who is at the Church in Ephesus, what are the roles of men and women in church. Paul says men need to pray and lift their hands, not in anger or because they are quarreling. Paul says women must dress with modesty and self-control, and not as they say in our current day “dress to impress”. Paul tells us that only “good works” is what impresses God, and we need to only be impressed by someone “good works” and not anything else. Some might be offended by the comments on how women need to dress, but I think it makes sense. In every church I’ve attended, there have always been women who treat dressing up in church as a fashion show. I’ve also seen where dressing up for church becomes a competitive thing for many women, especially for Easter and Christmas. And of course, there are always women in any church who dress so they can attract a man and sometimes they bare a little too much of their body parts to stand out. I scolded a guy friend of mine once for staring at scantily clad woman, and he told me as a man he couldn’t stop his hormones from getting excited. I don’t blame these women for trying to attract a partner in church, because if you’re a churchgoer you want to marry a churchgoer so you can worship God together as a couple.

I think what Paul told Timothy makes sense to create an environment in church that is conducive for worship and prayer to God. If men are arguing in church against God in their prayers and women are dressing to compete against one another or to attract a partner, they all become a distraction for the group of people who have gathered to worship and pray to God. Paul wanted to make sure that when people are gathered for church, they are focused on God and his word and nothing else. When we are focused on God, we will hear and pay attention to what the Holy Spirit may be trying to tell us to deepen our relationship with God.

Day 289 Bible Readings – Proverbs 6: 16-19 (ESV)

Jeremiah 32: 26-44, Jeremiah 33-34, 1 Timothy 1, Proverbs 6: 12-19

Proverbs 6: 16-19 (ESV)

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”

Verses 16 through 19 from Proverbs 6 list seven (7) things that Solomon tells us that God hates and/or are an abomination to him. The seven things seem to be very common-sense things not to do if you want to lead a peaceful and prosperous life, and they all relate to something we do with our body and/or how we treat others. The first is haughty eyes or a having a proud look, which for me translates to looking down on other people and thinking you are better than them. The second is a lying tongue which is not telling or withholding the truth from someone, which doesn’t seem that bad but why would you not want to tell the truth to someone. Lying to someone, even if it’s a white lie, always ends up hurting the other person when they find out the truth.  The third is the shedding of innocent blood which comes from the ten commandments of thou shall not kill. The fourth is the heart that devises wicked schemes, which is planning evil against someone. The fifth is having feet that make haste to run to evil or the willingness to always to evil things. The sixth is a false witness who breathes out lies, which is again one of the ten commandments about bearing false witness against your neighbor. The final one is to not sow discord among others. Everyone I think has a person in their lives who does nothing but stir up trouble, and while this person is tolerated, wouldn’t it better to have people in our lives who want the best for us and who does not constantly cause problems. If everyone tried to not do these things, I think we would have all have a more peaceful and trouble-free life.

Day 288 Bible Readings – Proverbs 6: 9-11 (ESV)

Jeremiah 31: 15-40, Jeremiah 32: 1-25, 2 Thessalonians 3, Proverbs 6: 1-11

Proverbs 6: 9-11 (ESV)

“How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

I love verses 9 through 11 from Proverbs 6 because it’s about laziness and sleeping too much. I love laying in bed all day but I know if I do that too much, I feel so lazy. It’s not that I don’t get anything done in bed because I do, but there is something about getting out of bed that makes me feel productive and not lazy. Solomon knew that laziness was not good for people so he warned that if you are lazy and don’t get out of bed, you will end up in poverty.

Because I like working in bed, I make sure I get up and make the bed. Then I wash and get dressed for the day and get back in bed and do my work. I am up and awake and not sleeping, but I am in bed and working. But I know I can’t stay in bed for a long time because it’s too tempting to take a nap, especially in the afternoon. So Solomon was right. Sleeping in for too long is not a good thing, and I love that Solomon knew this thousands of years ago.