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1 Tim. 1:2 (NIV)
To Timothy my true son in the faith:

If you are really serious about growing in your faith you must have two relationships:  (1) You must have a “Paul” – a mentor, someone who challenges you spiritually and can pour into your life what they have learned; and (2) You must have a “Timothy” – someone you can challenge spiritually and can pour into their life what you have learned.  This is how disciples are made, one person at a time.  Do you have a “Paul”?  Do you have a “Timothy”?

Here is the rest of today’s Bible reading:  Jeremiah 28:1-29:32; 1 Timothy 1:1-20; Psalm 86:1-17; Proverbs 25:17.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 – But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

This is great news in light of the fact that we have a very real enemy, far more powerful than we are, seeking to devour us.

Here is the rest of today’s Bible reading:  Jeremiah 26:1-27:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 25:16.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 – And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, ⁸ in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. ¹⁰ When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.

A popular theology today denies the reality of judgment and eternal hell.  It is certainly a much more attractive message than “hell fire and brimstone”.  But it is false.  In the above passage and others, the Bible clearly teaches a judgment to come in which those who have believed in Jesus as Savior are receive eternal life and those who refuse Him receive an eternity of destruction.  Paul says they will be “forever separated from the Lord.”  But if God is love, how can this be?  God truly is love.  It was love for the world that caused Him to send His Son.  But His character doesn’t stop at love.  God is also holy and just.  We must not isolate a single attribute of God and build an entire theology around that one attribute.  We must read the Bible as a whole and listen to what it plainly teaches.  In the end, God and His full character wins.

Here is the rest of today’s Bible reading: Jeremiah 22:1-23:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 25:11-14.

1 Thes. 5:11 (NIV)
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Here is the rest of today’s Bible reading:  Jeremiah 19:1-21:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28; Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 25:7-10.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
[8] He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”

A lesson God continues to teach me is the importance of being steadfast.  Regardless of what my circumstances might be, I can rise above and be unfazed by them.  This can only happen when I am deeply rooted in Christ.  When the storm winds blow, my branches may rattle around a little, but I’m not going anywhere.  I am steadfast.

Here is the rest of today’s Bible reading:  Jeremiah 16:16-18:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3; Psalm 81:1-16; Proverbs 25:6-7.

Jeremiah 15:16 (NIV)
When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
O Lord God Almighty.

Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire known world with his vast army. One night during a campaign, he couldn’t sleep and left his tent to walk around the camp grounds.

As he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty – a serious offense. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was, in some cases, instant death; the commanding officer sometimes poured kerosene on the sleeping soldier and lit it.

The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life.

“Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?” Alexander the Great asked the soldier.

“Yes, sir,” the soldier responded in a quivering voice.

“Soldier, what’s your name?” demanded Alexander the Great.

“Alexander, sir.”

Alexander the Great repeated the question: “What is your name?”

“My name is Alexander, sir,” the soldier repeated.

A third time and more loudly Alexander the Great asked, “What is your name?”

A third time the soldier meekly said, “My name is Alexander, sir.”

Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. “Soldier,” he said with intensity, “either change your name or change your conduct.”
(From Hot Illustrations For Youth Talks by Wayne Rice)

Here is the rest of today’s Bible reading:  Jeremiah 14:11-16:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13; Psalm 80:1-19; Proverbs 25:1-5.

Go Bucks!

⁸ We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.

To truly share the Gospel, we must love others–the way Jesus did, and the way Paul did.  To love others we must not only share a message, but our very lives.  This means our time, energy, resources, and our hearts.  That can be really scary and very uncomfortable.  Sharing the Gospel will cost you a lot.  But what could be better than being used of God to show others the way out of darkness and into eternal life?  With whom will you share your life today?

Here is the rest of today’s Bible reading:  Jeremiah 12:1-14:10; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:8; Psalm 79:1-13; Proverbs 24:30-34.