Monthly Archives: February 2012

Feb
27
2012

The Rare Jewel of Wisdom

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From Don Carson:

People do not often understand just how rare real wisdom is. According to chapter 28, Job understands. The chapter is a poetic reflection on this very theme: “But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?” (Job 28:12). Job lists the places wisdom is not found and concludes, “It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air. Destruction and Death say, ‘Only a rumor of it has reached our ears’ ” (Job 28:21-22). Where then is wisdom found? “God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens” (Job 28:23-24). And what is God’s own summary? “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).

via Exodus 10; Luke 13; Job 28; 1 Corinthians 14 – For the Love of God.

Feb
26
2012

Philemon 22-25

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22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,

24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

 

Feb
19
2012

Philemon 15-21

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15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever,

16 no longer as a bondservant3 but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.

18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.

19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self.

20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

via Philemon – ESVBible.org.

Feb
18
2012

Memorizing Philemon

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Two weeks ago, a few of us in church started memorizing Philemon. It was an opportunity to memorize more Scripture prior to an Easter memorization project within our church.

It’s unlike other Pauline letters that I’ve studied. Paul’s love for Philemon and Onesimus drips from the book. Paul takes extraordinary care to reintroduce Philemon to his “bondservant” (ESV). The ESV Study Bible says that the theme of Philemon is the power of the gospel to transform lives and to impact human relationships. I’ve been trying to look for those themes as I read through Philemon and meditate on what I’ve read.

What I would like to do is re-evaluate my own relationships and see where I need to inject more gospel.

Feb
16
2012

Praying in your room

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In Matthew 6:5, Jesus turns to a very familiar act, that of praying, and directly and more strongly tells his disciples that they must not be like the hypocrites when they pray. The hypocrites were praying to impress, with a motivation entirely centered on what others thought. The hypocrites contrived to be in places where their prayers would be visible to all (and maybe heard as well). They wanted the attention of folks so their astonishing piety could be observed.

It is a solemn warning to all of us who pray in public on a regular basis. There is nothing wrong with public prayers – at the start of a church meeting, or a Bible study, or during a worship service. It is good and proper for God’s people to come before him together in prayer. And I’m not saying we shouldn’t prepare to pray in public – making sure our tongue isn’t tied up and our grammar or phrases don’t distract. Yet, we need to be cautious that our praying isn’t done to impress those listening. Our prayers bring us to the throne of God (Hebrews 4:16); it is him we should be pointing others to in our prayers.

But where does Jesus tell us to pray? In the closet! Jesus describes praying inside the small storage closet located in most single room homes of his day. There can be no desire to impress other people in prayers made in secret to our “Father who is in secret.” We must spend time with him in prayer and we must do it in total privacy.

 

Feb
14
2012

Our Inexpressible Joy: Loving and Believing in Christ

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I had the privilege of teaching today in another Sunday school classroom at church. It was the “Mosaics” class, a blend of men and women of differing ages, who bring in teachers from classes to present lessons each Sunday. I went in with high hopes of covering 1 Peter 1:1-12, but we only got as far as verse 5.

[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, [5] who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [6] In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, [7] so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [8] Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, [9] obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I was struck again by the joy we have as Christians – joy in our heavenly home and joy in knowing Christ. What seemed more poignant to me was that our joy in Christ is “inexpressible”. As if it weren’t fantastic enough that our inheritance is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” and “ready to be revealed in the last time”, Peter adds that loving and believing in Jesus Christ is inexpressible joy.

Heaven may be great but the beauty and glory of my Savior will be what holds my full attention! May I indeed, “count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8 ESV)

 

 

Feb
12
2012

The Easiest Way to Memorize the Bible

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via The Easiest Way to Memorize the Bible: What I Learned from Dr. John Mitchell by Kenneth Berding

In fact, Dr. John Mitchell was over the age of 90 when he taught the two classes I took from him.  He continued to teach well into his mid-90s.  Not surprisingly, he was getting forgetful about some things by the time I had him as a teacher, but what he definitely was not forgetting were the Bible verses he had memorized.  His ability to recall Bible verses was astounding.  I do not know this for a fact, but I would guess that he had all of the New Testament and large sections of the Old Testament committed to memory.  All of his students were profoundly impacted by his immersion in the Scriptures.

I only had one opportunity to sit and talk with him while I was a student.  I had a single question to ask him that day:  “How did you come to memorize so much of the Bible?”

————–

Read more at the link above to learn what Dr. Mitchell did.

 

 

 

Feb
12
2012

Philemon 8-14

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8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required,

9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—

10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.

11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)

12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.

13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel,

14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.

via Philemon – ESVBible.org.

Feb
05
2012

Philemon 1-7

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1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker

2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,

5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints,

6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.