All Entries Tagged With: "faith"

1 Peter 3:8-9

Here on God’s Daytimer we are continuing to look at 1 Peter and contemplate the challenge that Peter sets before us to live good lives. Here is the verse for today:

1 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)
8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

In today’s verse Peter is exhorting us to live in harmony with one another. He then proceeds to give us a number of ideas to follow through with the idea. He encourages us to be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate, be humble, and to extend mercy. We will look at these ideas in the next few devotionals. Today let’s consider what it means to be sympathetic.

I beleive that all of us have a deep desire to be understood. When we take time to try and understand another person, we are being sympathetic. We don’t have to agree with them, we just need to try and understand where they are coming from. I think the best way to do that is to be a good listener. We need to listen without thinking about what we will say when it is our turn. James called it being quick to listen:

James 1:19 (NIV)
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

If we are quick to listen, and slow to speak, we will be slow to become angry and we will be much more sympathetic to what others are feeling. Think about how you might be a better listener today and show someone that you care about what they are going through. As you do, you will be blessed!

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1 Timothy 6:10

Welcome to Online Bible Studies

Today’s Bible verse is
1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Let’s read the verse in context:
1 Timothy 6:3-16 (NIV)
3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time–God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

Today’s Quiet Time with God

Today’s verse gets misquoted all the time. I often hear people saying that money is the root of all evil. That is not what the verse says. It says that the LOVE of money is the problem. Perhaps one good thing to come from the economic upheaval is that we will re-evaluate the role of money and stuff in our lives. I have this saying that I think helps when it comes to money and stuff. If your stuff is serving you then you have the right amount of stuff. If you have so much stuff that you are spending all your time trying to take care of it (serving your stuff), then you have too much stuff. It is easy in our culture to get caught up in the pursuit of money and stuff. Paul’s advice is; “flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” I think that is great advice! Be blessed.

Check out Fifteen Minutes With God

Check out our latest feature on God’s Daytimer, Fifteen Minutes With God. This is an opportunity for you to spend fifteen minutes with God by following the Lord’s Prayer as a model. Click here to go to the Fifteen Minutes With God page. This will help you to develop a consistent daily prayer time.

Check out Christian World News

As you end your quiet time don’t forget to check out what’s happening in the world. Click here to go to the Christian World News stories page. This will help you to direct your prayers more effectively.

Get a Free Subscription to God’s Daytimer

Come back tomorrow for another edition of Online Bible Studies. You should also sign up for either the Free RSS subscription or if you aren’t familiar with RSS, sign up for the free email subscription. That way whenever a new Bible Study is posted you will be notified. You can sign up at the top right of the page.

Check out the Christian Book Club

The Christian Book Club is a great site where you can get involved in an online Christian Book Club. A new book and discussion are started the 1st of every month. Come and join us for this month’s book. Click here to go to the Christian Book Club site.

Check out Internet Pastor Online

Internet Pastor Online is an interesting site where you can find answers to questions about the Bible and some advice for Christian living.

Check out Church Growth Consulting

Church Growth Consulting is a site for Pastors and Ministry Leaders about ways to advance the Kingdom of God and help to grow the Church.

Check out My Newbie Blog

If you would like to learn how to create a blog of your own then this would be a good site for you.

Ecclesiastes 1:2

Welcome to Online Bible Studies

Today’s Bible verse is
Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NIV)
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

Let’s read the verse in context:
Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 (NIV)
1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” 3 What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. 8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. 9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. 11 There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow. 12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 15 What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I thought to myself, “Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. 18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

Today’s Quiet Time with God

As you read today’s verse you might have thought to yourself, “Wow, Solomon must have really been having a bad day!” It is verses like these that make me appreciate the Bible so much. I love the fact that God didn’t edit out people’s struggles with faith and life. I think if we are honest, there are days when all of us feel just like that. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? Who cares? Meaningless, meaningless, meaningless…

…And then hopefully we realize that life in Christ is filled with purpose, and even when we can’t see that we matter, we do. We matter enough to God that He made sure there was a way for us to be in forever relationship with Him. When you find yourself in those moments (or days, or weeks, or seasons) of life when it all seems meaningless, remember the amazing love that God has for you, which He demonstrated at the cross. In His love, there is purpose, promise, and peace!

Have You Joined the Church Online?

I have an idea that I want to run by all of you who are so faithful in reading God’s Daytimer. I am planning on starting a “Church Online“. This church online will not simply be an extension of the church I currently Pastor, it will be a “new thing”. I envision it as more than just a place to come and watch or listen to sermons and Bible studies. I see it as people from all over the world connecting to encourage and pray for each other, as well as a vehicle for providing all types of ministry opportunities for everyone involved, in order to reach out to people every where with the Good News. I hope over time to have thousands of believers and non-believers from all over the world coming to see what is happening at the Church Online.

Before I jump headlong into the the project, I am asking for 100 people that will join up to pray for and be a part of the initial core group of believers what will serve as the foundation for the Church Online. I am hoping that many of you will be a part of this initial group. If this is something that you can do, just go to the new Church Online website. It is still very plain and simple with no bells and whistles. I don’t want to add all that stuff until we have the first 100 people involved. Once you are at the new site, you will see a place to “join” by subscribing to the free RSS or email feed. The counter of how many people have signed up is displayed as well. So far it is just me. Once we reach 100, we will start moving on really getting the Church Online started. If you can take a few minutes, please go check out the site by clicking here Church Online, or, the web address is www.internetchurchonline.com. Read the short article there and then sign up for the free email subscription. I look forward to partnering with all of you to advance the Kingdom of God!

Check out Fifteen Minutes With God

Check out our latest feature on God’s Daytimer, Fifteen Minutes With God. This is an opportunity for you to spend fifteen minutes with God by following the Lord’s Prayer as a model. Click here to go to the Fifteen Minutes With God page. This will help you to develop a consistent daily prayer time.

Check out Christian World News

As you end your quiet time don’t forget to check out what’s happening in the world. Click here to go to the Christian World News stories page. This will help you to direct your prayers more effectively.

Get a Free Subscription to God’s Daytimer

Come back tomorrow for another edition of Online Bible Studies. You should also sign up for either the Free RSS subscription or if you aren’t familiar with RSS, sign up for the free email subscription. That way whenever a new Bible Study is posted you will be notified. You can sign up at the top right of the page.

Check out the Christian Book Club

The Christian Book Club is a great site where you can get involved in an online Christian Book Club. A new book and discussion are started the 1st of every month. Come and join us for this month’s book. Click here to go to the Christian Book Club site.

Check out Internet Pastor Online

Internet Pastor Online is an interesting site where you can find answers to questions about the Bible and some advice for Christian living.

Check out Church Growth Consulting

Church Growth Consulting is a site for Pastors and Ministry Leaders about ways to advance the Kingdom of God and help to grow the Church.

Check out My Newbie Blog

If you would like to learn how to create a blog of your own then this would be a good site for you.