Devotional and Bible

4 May 2012

Memory Verse Day 24: Want to Know the Will of God?

"Y no se adapten a este mundo, sino transfórmense mediante la renovación de su mente, para que verifiquen cuál es la voluntad de Dios: lo que es bueno y aceptable y perfecto."
(Romanos 12:2 NBLH)

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
(Romans 12:2 ESV)

This is the second verse which started with Romans 12:1 yesterday.

There’s something here that I’m not sure I’ve really thought about before. Did you notice that Paul’s focus is on things that are very – down to earth? What I mean is, in verse 1 he tells us to offer our bodies, then he further instructs us that we must be transformed by the renewal of our mind.

As a matter of fact, even the word in verse 1 translated by the ESV spiritual doesn’t necessarily refer to something supernatural. It can also be translated reasonable (as the KJV and NET) – the realm of the rational, in other words. You could say, this is the logical thing to do.

So once again, God is very interested in our bodies and our minds. It’s so easy for the mind to start conforming to the world. Before you realize it, you’re thinking a little differently about something, feeling a little different about something, and it’s not a godly way.

But we are to allow God to transform us by the renewal of our minds.

Paul talks about setting our minds on the Spirit (Romans 8:6). It’s part of the process of putting off the old sinful self and putting on the new self (Ephesians 4:20-24).

The last phrase of the verse is maybe a little clumsy to translate into English. The ESV has opted for a longer phrase to clarify. By testing you may discern what is the will of God. In other words, as you allow the Spirit to transform you, putting on the new self, choosing to live in righteousness, you’ll begin to understand, by experience, what the will of God is.

So it’s probably not saying that you’ll suddenly discover what job to take or who to marry. Instead, living in righteousness you’ll begin to see by experience how good God’s will is.

Also, if I understand it correctly, this verse isn’t suggesting that we’ll find the good will of God – His perfect will, as opposed to some other will. It’s not that you’ll be able to make the best decision instead of a merely acceptable decision.

No, this verse is only talking about one will of God. God’s will is what it is – and it is good, acceptable and perfect. That’s just what God’s will is. If you choose to live in righteousness, instead of fighting against God or living with a lack of faith, you’ll begin to see clearly how perfect His will is.

3 May 2012

Memory Verse Day 23: How to Worship 101

Jim Devotional and Bible 0

"Por tanto, hermanos, les ruego por las misericordias de Dios que presenten sus cuerpos como sacrificio vivo y santo, aceptable a Dios, que es el culto racional de ustedes."
(Romanos 12:1 NBLH)

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
(Romans 12:1 ESV)

Here’s one thing I’ve noticed lately. We love to grab verses like this, and pull them out, and use them all by themselves.

I’m especially talking about commands. There are lots of them in the Bible, and of course in the Great Commission (remember Day 19?) Jesus says we should make disciples and teach them to observe all things that He commanded.

So the commands of God are good and righteous. But for us today, they come in the context – of the Gospel.

And no one can blame Paul in Romans 12:1 of forgetting to mention the Gospel. He starts his book with the Gospel (Romans 1:1-7 and so on). He explains God’s commands, and how we have all fallen short (yeah, Day 9).

He’s gone on to explain God’s solution – faith in the Saviour (for example Day 11).

In fact, look at what Paul says right before he gets to Romans 12:1:

For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
"For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"
"Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be glory forever.
Amen.

(Romans 11:32-36)

So before we start throwing out commands to people, let’s get some perspective. That perspective is God – His power – his love in Christ, and forgiveness. That all comes first, before we do anything.

And so Paul begins chapter 12 with a therefore. And a by the mercies of God.

And then Paul begins to show us how to live for God all the way to Romans 15 (where he begins to share some personal greetings and news), ending with May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13)

Our lives become our worship – not just because God is God and He deserves worship because He’s God. But also because He has united us with His Son, and has forgiven us and given us new life.

I’m not sure when "worship" started being music on Sunday mornings. Sure, singing together is an important part of worship, but you don’t need to sing to worship God.

And, of course, you can sing or listen to "worship music" without really worshipping.

We worship God – brace yourself – with our bodies. With all of our lives. We can do this and be acceptable to God because we’re righteous in Jesus Christ. We’re already holy.

But we also choose to be holy in our daily lives. We become more and more holy as God transforms us.

And that’s what the following verses are about. People who are accepted by God in Christ are learning to become more like Christ daily – specifically by how we use our bodies. And that is our spiritual worship.

2 May 2012

Memory Verse Day 22: We’ve been deceived

Jim Devotional and Bible 1

"Más engañoso que todo, es el corazón, Y sin remedio; Â¿Quién lo comprenderá?"
(Jeremías 17:9 NBLH)

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"
(Jeremiah 17:9 ESV)

This sobering verse is actually in the middle of a beautiful passage. God is pleading with the people of Judah – asking them to turn from their sin and trust in Him.

The people had turned from God, worshipped idols, forsook His law. In the midst of all this, they had trusted in their own goodness, they had trusted in alliances with other nations.

But they were deceived.

"Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD." God says in verse 5. That person is like a shrub in the desert.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD." He says in verse 7. That person is like a tree planted by the water.

Then comes verse 9. Although this truth should be clear to them – they have sinned, and need to turn to the Lord – they don’t see it. They believe themselves to be innocent, maybe even persecuted and poorly treated by God. They believe that other nations, even nations that have been treacherous in the past, can save them. Why trust in God?

The heart is deceitful above all things.

People trust in the most ridiculous things today. Everyone seems to think that what they’re doing is right and good and wise. It’s other people that cause the problems.

The heart is sick. Who really even knows the heart?

The next verse has the answer – "I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."

No matter how we justify ourselves, God knows the truth. Phrases like "I’m not as bad as…" or "At least I didn’t…" or "I had to because…" or "I deserve a little…" or "I haven’t done it since…" – these just don’t cut it with a righteous judge who knows the heart.

So this drives us to the only answer the Bible ever gives – turn from your sin and trust the Lord. Repent and believe.

Remember, we’ve all been deceived. By our own hearts.

1 May 2012

Memory Verse Day 21: Every Good Work

Jim Devotional and Bible 0

"a fin de que el hombre de Dios sea perfecto, equipado para toda buena obra."
(2Timoteo 3:17 NBLH)

"that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."
(2Timothy 3:17 ESV)

Last time we were talking about the verse right before this one. 2Timothy 3:16 talks about the nature of the Scriptures. They come from God – breathed out, or inspired. And they are useful or profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.

So what is the result of this? That’s what verse 17 tells us.

First, Paul says that the man of God will be complete, or perfect. Other translations use words like adequate or capable.

What does this mean? Well, Paul expands his thought. The man of God will be equipped for every good work. That means furnished completely, or completely prepared, for everything that God wants him to do.

Paul liked this phrase, "good work". He believed that God would help His people to do every good work through His grace (2Corinthians 9:8). Paul prayed that the believers would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, so that they could bear fruit in every good work (Colossians 1:9-12).

Earlier in his letter to Timothy, Paul encouraged him to accurately handle the Word of Truth, and avoid worldly and empty chatter. By doing this, Timothy would be a vessel of honour, prepared for every good work (1Timothy 2:15-21).

Paul told Titus that he would need God’s Word in order to contradict "rebellious men", who were worthless for every good work (Titus 1:7-16).

So this is for everyone who is following God. The Scriptures teach us and train us, and also allow us to reprove and correct.

And the Scriptures are all we need to be ready – to be complete – to be prepared for every good work.

There is nothing else you need in your service to the Lord. If you want to do every good work, if you want to be complete, there’s nowhere else you need to look.

30 April 2012

Memory Verse Day 20: The Nature of the Scriptures

Jim Devotional and Bible 0

I’m going to try to finish off my memory verses, after an unexpected month’s break. We finished verse #19 last time, so it’s time for verse #20.

"Toda Escritura es inspirada por Dios y Ãºtil para enseñar, para reprender, para corregir, para instruir en justicia"
(2 Timoteo 3:16 NBLH)

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness"
(2Timothy 3:16 ESV)

In this verse the ESV takes the more literal route by saying that all Scripture is breathed out by God. The Spanish uses the more familiar term "inspired".

Of course, both are saying the same thing. The Bible is God’s Word.

We are often told that the Bible of the Apostles was the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures. And that’s true – sort of. One thing I learned as I taught the study Where did the Bible come from? is that a lot of the Bible was accepted as Scripture very early on. Yes, some of it took form over a period of time, but others were recognized almost right away as God’s Word.

A familiar example is another 3:6 – in 2 Peter… There are some things in them [Paul’s letters] that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

That’s right, Peter recognized the letters of Paul as Scripture.

You see, Scripture isn’t a collection of books as much as it is what Paul said to Timothy – something inspired by God, breathed out by God. It doesn’t matter what part of it you’re talking about. It doesn’t matter if you only have the Old Testament or New Testament – anything that God breaths out is Scripture.

And there’s something else here that’s easy to miss. Paul isn’t saying that people were inspired. God didn’t inspire Paul, or Moses, or Peter, and then let them go at it. God inspired the words themselves.

So don’t let someone tell you that King David may have been very holy and inspired but he was still human so he made mistakes when he wrote stuff like the Psalms. No, it’s the words that are inspired. The Scripture itself.

To quote Peter once again – For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2Peter 1:21)

They spoke from God. Yes, God used their personalities and human circumstances. The words didn’t float down from Heaven on a cloud. They express the realities of the day, and the real thoughts of human beings. But God intervened – and men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

So this verse goes on to explain the nature of Scripture, no matter where you find it or what books you have. It’s useful – for teaching, reproof, correction, and for training in righteousness.

Why? Because the words themselves are from God. They are powerful, wise, life-changing – because that’s the way God is.

If you’re following along, here are all 30 verses, 3×5 card size, pdf format, in Spanish versions NBLH and RV60: Set 1, Set 2, Set 3

24 April 2012

Oh yeah – it’s War

Jim Devotional and Bible, Ministry glimpses, Prayer and Praise 2

You know how it is. Every once in a while something happens – or maybe a whole bunch of things happen – and you’re reminded that, no, you’re not at home (if your home is heaven), and you’re not in friendly territory.

Frankly, there have been some amazing things going on this month. We’ve been meeting new people, new people have made confessions of faith, and there are new people coming to worship with us and study the Bible with us.

On Thursday the church started a new evening workshop for women in the community, entitled "Is it hard to be a woman?" (do they really need a workshop to answer that question?). The idea is to cover a variety of topics over several weeks (until the beginning of July) relating to women’s issues from a Christian perspective.

We were wondering if anyone would come… and in the end, the room was packed with 30 women! And there were so many kids that … well, it was like herding chickens.

And we continue to see growth in people – and there’s a whole slew of people who want to be baptized at our next baptism service in June – and the church is about to recognize its first elders – and there are so many wonderful incredible things happening, you wouldn’t believe it.

Oh yeah – and life is hard. Sometimes it seems like just about every area of life is in chaos. And that’s just us. Other coworkers and fellow believers have been going through major challenges as well. And it drives us to our knees, where we should have been in the first place.

And it reminds us – oh yeah. We’re in a war here. It’s not supposed to be easy and comfortable. People we can see and spirits we cannot are against the work of God. That’s just the way it is.

So it all brings verses like these to mind:

…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
(Ephesians 6:12-13)

When they [Paul and Barnabas] had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
(Acts 14:21-22)

And I keep thinking of the passage I quoted just 10 days ago – Psalm 20. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
(Psa 20:7)

What else is there worth trusting?

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