Day 292 Bible Readings – 1 Timothy 4: 1-4 (ESV)

Jeremiah 40: 7-16, Jeremiah 41-42, 1 Timothy 4, Proverbs 7: 1-5

1 Timothy 4: 1-4 (ESV)

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”

Verses 1 through 4 from 1 Timothy 4 shows Paul telling Timothy what to careful of in the end times. I find this advice from Paul very prophetic for what seems to be going on today in some churches. Many churches seem to have strayed away from what is written in the Bible and are adapting their churches to fit in with modern culture. Paul warned back in his time that this strategy was wrong. As followers of Jesus Christ, the Bible needs to be the guidance for how we live our lives. We cannot take what was written in the Bible out of context, and use it justify things that are expressly forbidden in the Bible.

I believe that is why as a believer in Jesus Christ, you must always read the Bible on your own. Your pastor should never be the final and last word on what is written in the Bible. Each believer must have a relationship with Jesus Christ and his word first, and then a relationship with a church and its pastor. The pastors at my church harp on this point constantly. They say they are hear to guide us in their interpretation of the words of Bible, and we can either agree or disagree with what they are saying. But they always emphasize that each member of the church needs to have their own relationship with God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit and the Bible first, with everything else being second. It can be hard to leave a church and the community you formed there, but if your church is straying away from the teachings of God, then you need to find a church that resonates more with what you believe. A good church will reinforce your belief in God, not take away from it.

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.