Philippians 3-4 and Colossians 1, July 8th

Hello hello hellooooooooooooooooooo


So chapter 3 of this book is Paul telling the Philippians people that it's okay that they are not perfect. No one is perfect and we don't need to be because Christ was perfect. They need to imitate Paul and more so Jesus to spread his gospel among the people. He tells them to keep their eyes on the goal and await their citizenship in heaven because there, God will make 'our lowly body to be like his glorious body'.
The main point to get out of this chapter is that we cannot and will not be perfect. Ever. So stop trying. Instead, focus of the perfect life Jesus lived and strive to be like him every single day.

Phew okay, now that the pressure of being perfect is off, let's go on to the last chapter of this book...
In chapter 4 we've got some really awesome and really well-known verses. I'm going to start off with my favorite- one that I find myself praying out of habit (thank you Missionettes.) The verse is Philippians 4:6-9.
So we hear this verse all the time (at least I do, my mom repeats it to me every time I worry), but what does it really mean to us as believers? What should we take from it? It means that worrying is a sign of doubt in God's wisdom and plan. We need to trust him and stay connected with him so that we know what we are doing is all a part of his plan. And if we ever do get worried, we are supposed to give those fears right to the Lord, because his power and grace and goodness will overcome it. There is no reason to fear when we have such an amazing, loving God. God's peace 'passes all understanding', we can't even begin to comprehend it, but we can dwell in it, and feel it, and know that we belong in it.
And doesn't that make you feel awesome?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! WOOOOO!
The next part of that verse tells us what to dwell on- anything that is true, noble right, pure, lovely, etc. You know why Paul tells us to dwell on these things? Because they are GODLY and they will not cause ANXIETY. Thank you, Paul. Thank you.

The first chapter of Colossians is basically Paul telling the Colossians that he has been praying for them and for their faith to grow and not be wavered. Then he talks about Christ and who he was and is; how he is the beginning and the end, the head of the body, he is the firstborn of creation, etc. Paul then does something that seems to be somewhat contradictory. He says that he rejoyces in his suffering. I know that's a very small part of the chapter, but I don't think we realize how much strength it really takes to say that. I rejoice in my suffering. I don't know about you guys, but I sure as heck don't rejoice in my suffering. I'm such a whiner. And that's something that I will admit I need to work on (my mom agrees). But he's glad that he can share the gospel through his sufferings, and that's why he rejoices. It takes a very strong person to do that.
So how strong are you? Can you rejoice in your sufferings if it means you have a chance to share the good news?

Ephesians 6 and Philppians 1-2, Sunday July 6

Ephesians chapter 6.

In verse 10-20 Paul talks about the various armor for our warfare. Do we really get that we fight spiritual wickedness, rulers of darkness, etc? Do we think that because we are in America we are exempt from fighting the enemy? If not then that means the enemy is out to fight us. The kingdom of darkness fights VERY covertly in America. VERY few christian know they are in a battle and even fewer realize they are loosing. Think about that statement. Then ask your self, am I aware of the battle around me?

There are THREE other parts of the armor of God which are not usually talked about and they are: in verse 18 which reads PRAYING ALWAYS with all prayer and  supplication in the Spirit (what is that mean?), being WATCHFUL to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. AND the other part of the armor of God (which I have never heard talked about) is in Isaiah 59:17. 10$ Starbucks Card to the first person who lists the two other parts of the armor of God mentioned in Isaiah 59:17 NOT mentioned in Ephesians 6.

Phil 1:9 This is a great prayer to pray for your self... Love with out knowledge and all Discernment destroys. how you ask? You tell me how.

Phil 2:12-14 not these few quotes from this passage and put your self under the microscope here:
"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling",If once we get saved we can never "loose" our salvation, what do we have to be fearful over?
"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for HIS good will" If God does it why what is our part (hint: We DO have a part)?
"Do all things with out complaining and disputing". Wow, how many things? How many thing DO we complain and dispute about?

Ephesians 3-5, Saturday July 5

Hello fellow summertime Bible readers. Today we are reading Ephesians 3 through 5.

Chapter 3 focuses on "the mystery of Christ".As I read through, I can't understand how much love God has for us. It's so great that I can't begin to comprehend how much he truly loves me. Why do you think God created man in the first place? Do you think He was bored or lonely? Or maybe He has so much love, since He actually IS love, that He wanted to share it.

Chapter 4 talks about unity, spiritual gifts, being a new person in Christ, and not grieving The Holy Spirit.

• What does it mean to grieve The Holy Spirit? (verses 25-32)
• Verses 1-6, discuss unity and walking "worthy of the calling with which you were called."
• Spiritual Gifts (verses 7-16) Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Do you use them?

Chapter 5 - Love, Light and Wisdom - some highlights:

• Verse 2 mentions sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. In an earlier post I made reference to "the fragrance of Christ". What is this? How can we walk in love?
• Verses 8 and 9 talk about how we were once darkness but now we are light in The Lord, then verse 10 says "finding out what is acceptable to The Lord." What does this mean? How can we find out what is acceptable to God?
• Verses 15-21 talk about walking in wisdom. Please read these verses and think about these:
• 16 What is redeeming the time?
• 17 Understand what the will of The Lord is. (How can you understand God's will? Why does Paul instruct us to understand God's will? )
• 21 Submitting to one another in the fear of God. (What does this mean?)

Galatians 6, Ephesians 1-2

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

Just a few things to point out today.  But I want you to think about them.  I would love to hear your comments.  Sometimes we get into such a hurry (including me) that I don't stop to ponder, meditate and ask God questions. But that's how we learn!

Gal 6:7-8 says that what we sow to the flesh we will reap to the flesh.  This is a farming "DUH" but do we really consider this when we are living our lives?  Really?  If you want apples you PLANT apples seeds.  Duh.  What are you "planting" in your life?  What do you spend your time, thoughts, money on?  What do your actions show?  If you are doing the bible reading challenge then you are 'sowing' the word of God -  life giving, life changing words.  What about your music?  This is just a question for you.  What are you listening to?  I am not giving you religious rules I am just asking because there IS a law of sowing and reaping that is REAL.  Just like the law of gravity.  What are you sowing?

The end of Eph 1 talks about the authority and strength of Jesus and  what He did.  It says everything is under His feet.  EVERYTHING!  Sounds comforting.  Jesus has it all under control.  But keep reading.....Eph 2 says WE ARE SEATED WITH HIM in the heavenly place of rulership.  Do you "rule" in the areas God has placed you?  How do we rule?  It looks like in society that Christians aren't ruling anything.  It's like we keep getting walked on.  Christians are NOT the ones that are ruling - at least that is what it looks like to me.  So - how do we rule?  I say we start by agreeing with what the Bible says about us, we start asking God to equip us to be his partner in this world and we ask Him to give us a heart to even care.

YOU GUYS ROCK!

July 3rd Galatians 3-5

Chapters 3-5:12, Paul begins by declaring that salvation is through faith and trust in Jesus Christ “Alone”, and cannot be obtained through the keeping of the Law.

 “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3).

The Law (10 Commandments) is our guardian to lead us to salvation in Jesus Christ, “So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.” (3:24). No one can obey the 10 Commandments. It is impossible. Every person has broken them; therefore, we can only attain salvation through trusting in our Savior Christ Jesus.

Chapter 4 

 The Paul deals plainly with those who urged the law of Moses together with the gospel of Christ, and endeavored to bring believers under its bondage. They could not fully understand the meaning of the law as given by Moses. And as that was a dispensation of darkness, so of bondage; they were tied to many burdensome rights and observances, by which they were taught. We learn the happier state of Christians under the gospel dispensation. From these verses see the wonders of Divine love and mercy; particularly of God the Father, in sending his Son into the world to redeem and save us. God submitted so low, and suffered so much for us; and of the Holy Spirit, in condescending to dwell in the hearts of believers, for such gracious purposes. Although by nature we are children of sin and disobedience, we become by grace children of love, and partake of the nature as children of God; for he will have all his children resemble him. “Among men the eldest son is heir; but all God's children shall have the inheritance of eldest sons.” –Matthew Henry (commentary)

Chapter 5

Christ will not be the Savior of any who will not own and rely upon him as their only Savior. This is very important and we need to listen to the warnings and persuasions of the apostle to follow the ways of the gospel. All true Christians are taught by the Holy Spirit, wait for eternal life, the reward of righteousness, and the object of their hope, as the gift of God by faith in Christ; and not for the sake of their own works.

In a way our lives in Christ are a race, which we must run and hold on tight. If we do hold on tight we will obtain the prize. Don’t just profess your Christianity; you must also live up to your profession of running. Paul also urges us to remember and follow the command to love one another as we have loved ourselves. If as Christians, we help one another, and rejoice in one another we will be set free and have the love of God in us. If we all would just stop fighting and trying to beat one another down, and instead follow the commands of our loving God we would all be set free.  

How can you set yourself free today?

Are you trying to justify your salvation by works and not faith?

2 Corinthians 13 and Galatians 1-2 (Wednesday July 2nd)

Hi everybody!

Today will be my inaugural post as I contribute to this summer’s bible reading so I hope you enjoy!

We’ll be starting with the final chapter in 2 Corinthians, as well as the first two chapters of Galatians.

Diving into chapter 13 of 2 Corinthians where Paul gives some final words to the believers at the church of Corinth to whom he was writing to. Here, he admonishes them for seeking proof that he (Paul) was a true apostle of Christ and had been given the authority to speak and go forth in His name. Paul rebukes them and instead turns the tables, asking his audience to examine their own faith. In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul writes “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? –unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” These words are powerful, and invites us to think about our own faith. I believe it is a good reminder to constantly examine yourself, to be checking your faith and be sure that you are in God—so that also God is in you.

Moving forward to Galatians, this letter was also written by the apostle Paul who directed the epistle to all of the churches in Galatia. In the first chapter, Paul speaks to those who are turning away from the gospel. He reminds the believers not to follow those who would preach a gospel that conflicts with the one that they had received. Further, he calls on the unlikely example with Galatians 8 with “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” In doing so, he illustrates that no matter how impeccable someone’s credentials, if the doctrine differs from God’s truth—this person’s lies should not be listened to. What does this remind us of? As we travel through the stages of life—from middle school to high school, high school to college, we will meet and hear words from teachers and professors and others with degrees and titles and other amazing credentials. But we must be sure to listen to them in light of God’s Word and Truth. As the apostle Paul tells us, if something doesn’t stack up we should be quick to discern for ourselves anything that conflicts with what we know as truth. So be watchful!

The second chapter of Galatians is truly an interesting one, as not only does it give us insight into Paul’s ministry, but an amazing testimony to what it is to truly live as a Christian. In it, Paul speaks of his travels with Barnabas to Jerusalem where he met with the apostles Peter, James and John. Initially, there was some conflict and confusion, as many questioned Paul’s ministry and did not believe that he had the authority of Christ as did the other apostles. However, through the preaching of the gospel and the building of the church through Paul’s effort, the leading apostles could only conclude that God’s grace was responsible and He had indeed given Paul the authority. Paul also touches on justification at the end of the chapter where he writes this in Galatians 20 with “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” This is such an incredible verse. When a person trusts in Christ, they spiritually participate with the Lord in His crucifixion and His victory over sin and death. Basically, He died for us and we died with him into our new lives as followers of Christ. That’s some powerful and amazing stuff.

So for me, I see three main points coming from these chapters that can all relate to one another. First, examine your faith. Test yourself. Be constantly vigil in the strength and vitality of your faith. Second, be wary. No matter the credentials of individual, always check if their words and the ideas they speak to you conflict with the Truth. Third and finally, as believers it is no longer us who live, but Christ who lives in us. Jesus died for our sins. Therefore, we must examine our faith and check the gospel of others because we have died to Christ and through his love and sacrifice we now live through Him. 

II Corinthians 10-12 (July 1st)

Happy July everyone!

Let's start the month off right by diving into God's word, shall we...?

So in II Corinthians, chapter 10, Paul talks about pride and boasting. He talks about how he is a 'timid' man, but he is bold when it comes to his faith, which I think is truly inspiring. We have to remember our work is not our own. We can do nothing without God, therefore we should boast in him, not ourselves. It's hard to not give yourself credit; we as humans are very egocentrical whether we like to admit it or not. We want recognition for everything we do (well, the good things at least). But the Bible says that recognition is dangerous because it can lead to inflated pride, and we all knows what comes after pride.

In chapter 11, Paul talks to the church about false teaching. He was afraid the Corinthians were not fully focused on loving Christ. Paul said that the church's love for Christ should be that of a virgin saving herself for her husband- pure, unadulterated love. I think that is a beautiful comparison. He also warns against Satan's ways. Satan and his servants can deceive us by appearing to be attractive, good, and moral- something that you might think is Godly could actual be the devil himself. This leads many unsuspecting people to follow smooth-talking, bible0quoting preachers into religious cults or organizations that appear to be good and moral, but are actually destructive and sinful. That is why it is so important for us to have conversations with God everyday. We need to recognize the voice of God like we would our own father. We can't listen to imitators or voices that are "close enough". We have to sit and wait for the still, small voice of God. And let me tell you, it is very still and very small. Which is why we need to be good listeners.

Chapter 12 Paul seems to do a lot of boasting in these chapters, am I right? In this chapter it's about the visions and revelations he has had from the Lord. And while he boasts, he also talks about his "thorn in the flesh", something to keep him humble after receiving visions from God. We're not really sure what his "thorn" was, but we know it was something chronic (and probably very annoying). And although he cried out three times to God (Paul was very precise about how many times he called out), God did not heal him, nut he did say "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Wait, what?

"...my power is made perfect in weakness."
"But, Allycia... Isn't that like, contradictory?" You ask.
"Why yes, yes it is friend." I reply.
But it makes sense. We were made by God, for God. In other words, we were made to need him. We need him. We may go through terrible, heart-wrenching times in our life, but that's okay. As bad as it sounds, it was meant to happen because if it didn't, we wouldn't grow in out faith and relationship with God. That's strangely comforting to me, and I hope it is for you too. Well, maybe not the strange part, but definitely the comforting part.

What do you think? Do you think that is why God allows us to suffer? Apart from free will, he let's us go through these hard times to go close to him?