Day 227 Bible Readings for August 16 – 1 Corinthians 10: 31-33 (ESV)

2 Chronicles 2-4, 1 Corinthians 9: 19-27, 1 Corinthians 10, Psalm 119: 137-144

1 Corinthians 10: 31-33 (ESV)

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.”

In verses 31 through 33 from 1 Corinthians 10, Paul tells the church of Corinth that everything they do should be to honor Father-God. Paul tells us even ordinary things like eating and drinking can be an opportunity to honor Father-God. The purpose for our actions should be to honor and glorify Father-God. Our way of living needs to be a testimony to our faith in Father-God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Paul then tells us to live in a way that does not cause obstacles for other believers or cause them to stumble in their faith. Our behavior towards other people need to reflect Christ’s love for people. I love that Paul models for us that our lives should always be in service to leading other people to Christ. Even if we aren’t in a paid ministry job, we can always teach people around us about how much Father-God loves them, the gospels of Jesus Christ, and the role the Holy Spirit plays in a person’s life. I love that I can lead other people to know how much Father-God loves them, so they won’t spend their lives the way I did thinking they were unloved by the Lord.

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts on these Bible verses, and you want to have your life to be a ministry to lead others faith in Jesus Christ, please pray this prayer out loud:

Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 226 Bible Readings – 2 Chronicles 1: 7-10 (ESV)

2 Chronicles 1, 1 Corinthians 9: 1-18, Psalm 119: 129-136

2 Chronicles 1: 7-10 (ESV)

“In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place. O Lord God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?”

I love this story of Father-God asking King Solomon what he wanted in verses 7 through 10 from 2 Chronicles 1. Solomon was already a king, as heir to King David’s kingdom, so he already had wealth. Solomon had the freedom from Father-God to ask for whatever he wanted, and I love that he asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern his people. I believe I had a similar experience myself one early morning recently. I heard a voice whom I assumed was Holy Spirit ask me what I wanted in life and what was most important to me. I remember pondering the question for a minute, and the answer that came surprised me. I told Holy Spirit that I wanted to feel every day that Father-God loved me. I know I gave this answer after I realized that I had spent most of my life feeling unworthy of Father-God’s love because I was a sinner and never good enough. That was what I believed my religion had taught me, which is wrong. The Bible says that Father-God created me and loved me, even when I was a sinner. The Bible says that Father-God sent his son Jesus Christ to die for my sins, so I could be made new and resurrected with him with a new self. When Holy Spirit asked me that question of what I wanted in life, I knew that I wanted hat was promised in the Bible of getting everything back that the devil had stolen. I wanted to spend the rest of my life waking up and knowing that I am loved by Father-God because I am his child. Feeling loved by Father-God was more important to me than money, than security, nice clothes, a nice car, a nice place to live, etc.

If Father-God were to ask you the same question that he asked Solomon, what would your answer be?

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts on these Bible verses, and you want to experience that you are always loved by Father-God through your faith in Jesus Christ, please pray this prayer out loud:

 Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

 If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 225 Bible Readings – Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14 (ESV)

Ecclesiastes 10-12, 1 Corinthians 7: 36-40, 1 Corinthians 8, Psalm 119: 121-128

Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14 (ESV)

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

At the of the Book of Ecclesiastes in verses 13 and 14 where Solomon examined the meaning of life through various pursuits, he tells us all these pursuits are meaningless without a relationship with Father-God. Solomon came to understand that it is worth it to obey Father-God, because there will an examination of everything that we’ve done in our life by him. Solomon confirms that there is an eternal God and is a rewarder of those who seek him and follow his laws. If we want to find purpose in our lives, we need to have a relationship with Father-God and find out what his plan is for our life. Father-God created each person to have a unique purpose, and Solomon tells us that true happiness, satisfaction, and contentment will only come when we are living according to design that Father-God has for our lives. Father-God is eternal, and we need to live our lives pleasing him and not seeking temporary gains.

King Solomon was the richest person in the world, having more wealth than any modern-day rich person. Solomon reminds us that these riches didn’t satisfy him or bring him comfort at the end of life. Solomon says that the only true lasting peace of mind comes from knowing that you have a relationship with Father-God and knowing that you spent your life trying to please him and living your life according to his design. Since Father-God will judge everything in our lives when we die, we will not know true peace of mind unless we make sure Father-God has an influence in our daily decisions and actions.

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts on this Bible verse, and you want to have true peace of mind through your faith in Jesus Christ, please pray this prayer out loud:

Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 224 Bible Readings – 1 Corinthians 7: 17 (ESV)

Ecclesiastes 7-9, 1 Corinthians 7: 17-35, Psalm 119: 113-120

1 Corinthians 7: 17 (ESV)

“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

Verse 17 from 1 Corinthians 7 is great advice from Paul. Father-God has a specific plan for each believer. When you first come to faith in Jesus Christ, you need to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show what is Father-God’s plan for your life. And when you figure what Father-God’s plan is for your life, Paul tells us we need to embrace the calling Father-God gave us. We need to find contentment and be faithful and be a good steward of that calling. We cannot compare our calling to other people’s calling, because we all have unique skills that are needed to fulfill Father-God’s plan for the world. We are a small puzzle piece in his plan and if we don’t play our part, the Lord’s plan and puzzle will be incomplete. I think that contentment with Father-God’s plan for your life can only come when you are in a church that teaches you to believe in all the things that are said in the Bible. I heard a preacher say that you cannot only believe that John 3: 16 (“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”), and think that the rest of what is written in the Bible is false. The Bible teaches that Father-God loves because he made each of us to be unique. The Bible teaches that Father-God has promises for his children, and the gifts that the Lord gave to his children throughout the Bible is available to us. And finally, the Bible teaches us that Father-God is the same is now as he was back then in the Biblical times because he is eternal and unchangeable.

I was raised in a religious home and was an active member of many churches when I grew up. I began to truly believe that Father-God loved me when I attended a full-Gospel church where the preacher affirmed the truth of everything in the Bible. The other churches I grew up with and later participated in, preached that I was a sinner and I had to constantly atone for my sins. I spent most of my life thinking Father-God never loved me because I was a sinner who couldn’t stop sinning. The other churches never emphasized that when we are saved by Jesus Christ, our old self dies, and we become a new creation because Jesus Christ died for our sins. Now I know that Father-God loves me because he created me, and when I was saved and born again all my sins were forgiven because of my faith in Jesus Christ. I am in tears every morning when I wake up and it hits that Father-God loves me because I am his child and he created me. I hope that everyone can experience this sense of assurance of Father-God’s love, particularly for those who, like myself, once believed that Father-God's love was inaccessible due their belief that they were perpetual sinners.

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts on this Bible verse, and you want to feel that Father-God loves you through your faith in Jesus Christ, please pray this prayer out loud:

Heavenly Father, I want to give you my Life. Forgive me of all of my sins. Wash me in your blood. I believe in my heart You raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive forgiveness by the blood of Jesus. I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! Do yourself a favor and find and join a Holy Spirit filled, full Gospel, Bible-based church where you can hear the words of Father-God preached and experience signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.