Posts Tagged ‘Paul’

Love God. That’s easy. Love your imperfect neighbor, that is something else!

Monday, September 3rd, 2012

Temple of God, September 3

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
For even Christ did not please Himself…

Romans 15:1-3, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, we see from Paul’s words that You lived among us and did not focus on pleasing Yourself. You eventually made the ultimate sacrifice for us and You made it clear it was a very painful act. The suffering was one thing but absorbing all of the sin of mankind meant at least a temporary separation from the Father.

Jesus, we sometimes feel that we must “have our way”. We too often focus on our rights and our needs. Help us today to see that You set the perfect example for us. In loving You with all of our hearts, mind and soul, we serve You. In loving our neighbor as ourselves, we serve them.

We humbly pray for more patience as we place our hopes and needs before You and as we extend Your love to others. It is much easier for us to “wait upon the Lord” knowing that Your will for us is what is best for us, even when we beg You to intervene in difficult circumstances, than to be patient with our neighbor.

Help us show the same consideration to our neighbors and friends as we do to You. Keep us from rejecting people simply because they are irritatingly persistent at times. What a wonderful thing it is when You honor our persistence instead of getting impatient with us. Give us a servant’s heart towards our neighbor, we pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064

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Posted in Christianity, Courage, Religion, Temple of God | 6 Comments »

Which gift from God is most valuable?

Friday, July 27th, 2012

God’s Gifts, July 27

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.

1 Corinthians 12:1, 1 Corinthians 4-7, 1 Corinthians 12-14, www.solascriptura.com

Father, Paul was addressing a divided congregation when he taught them these words. They were arguing over such things as which preacher was best, which gift was best and whether some were “in” and others “out”. We thank You for Paul’s straightforward teaching.

We see that there is one Spirit and when we have You in our heart, we are equal but our differences, in terms of gifts, remain. No matter what gift we have, we only have it because of You. Keep us from pride, especially the kind of pride that divides, elevating us to the level of judge.

Father, You do not ask us to abandon our personal identity and the gifts You have given us as we seek to serve You. You have said the opposite; the body of believers, the Church, is made up of different parts and it is the breadth of our gifts that contribute to the effectiveness of the whole.

We are truly one body, made up of many parts. Thank You Father for encouraging us to seek our gifts, our special callings, as we seek to serve You.

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064

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Posted in Christianity, God's Gift, Providence of God, Religion | 5 Comments »

Why might God be postponing your death?

Tuesday, July 24th, 2012

Heaven, July 24

 …now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.
 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

Phillipians 1:20-24, www.solascriptura.com

Father, Paul, who once was a notorious persecutor of Christians, following his miraculous rebirth, became one of Your trusted communicators, more effective than he may have ever expected.

Here he makes it very clear that his life is dedicated to serving You and that his death will be gain, not loss. We sometimes fear death but we are being taught that being with You will be better and permanent. You have prepared a place for us and You will draw us to You in the twinkling of an eye.
 
Father, none of us want to die before our appointed time and none of us will. The day of our departure is known by You, controlled by You and here we learn that being with You will be far better than any place that we could be.

Paul’s final sentence explains his motivation for living on, for continuing to serve in this place. It is his witness that he wanted to sustain and here, two thousand years later, we are still listening to that which You led him to share. We too have some time left and we too want to use it as a witness of Your love in our lives. Sustain our witness, we pray, in Jesus’ name.

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064

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Posted in Christianity, End Times, Forgiven, God's Gift, Heaven, Providence of God, Religion | No Comments »

Sealed by the Holy Spirit… How do you know?

Friday, July 13th, 2012

Salvation, July 13 … We who first trusted in Christ…

In Him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:12-14, www.solascriptura.com

Father, Paul was a Jew speaking to Jews, at first, (but many rejected Jesus as Messiah) and here in his letter to the Ephesians, a Gentile area, Paul teaches us that those who love You and obey You are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise”. Father, for this degree of certainty, we are grateful.

Our inheritance is guaranteed. It was purchased by the blood of Jesus, whose redemptive act guarantees our standing before You. Help us, this day, to fully grasp what has happened, what was foreknown to You before it ever happened and that which was clearly declared by Your prophets, hundred of years before it happened. Prophecy fulfilled; adding certainty where doubt could arise. You, Father, are the guarantor of our salvation. Perfect! Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064

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Posted in Christianity, God's Children, Holy Spirit, Providence of God, Religion, salvation | No Comments »

Does the “law” redeem you or convict you?

Thursday, July 12th, 2012

Law of God, July 12

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.
I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.
And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.
For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.
Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.

Romans 7:7-13, www.solascriptura.com

Father, help us not to recoil from difficult teaching such as this. We know that everything written in the Bible has a purpose and that we should seek to understand. Here, Paul is emphasizing that if the law did not exist, we would not know that we were breaking the law. But when the law was given to Moses, it became our judge and we were all guilty. The law, Father, can never save us. It convicts us and only by dying to the dominance of our fleshly instincts can we be saved.

Paul asks; how can something good, like the law, destroy us? You have taught us that it is because our flesh is disobedient and can never be obedient, to the letter of the law, and that we need forgiveness and cleansing by the power of the Holy Spirit, sent by You. Father, if Jesus had never come and if He had not died for us, becoming a sacrifice for our sins, then our sins would still be with us.

We do not trust in our obedience to the law for our salvation. Only by the redeeming blood of Jesus, shed for us, can we ever hope to stand in Your Holy presence. That Father is what separates Christianity from every other belief system. We can not enter into Your presence stained by sin and Jesus takes away our sin, forever.

Such a simple fact should not be ignored by other faiths. Without Jesus there is no cleansing and forgiveness. Help us to understand, we pray, In His name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064

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Posted in Christianity, Forgiven, Law of God, Perseverance, salvation | 17 Comments »

Are we at risk when we witness?

Tuesday, July 10th, 2012

Peace, July 10

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles–
…ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height–
to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
…who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever…

Ephesians 3:1; 13-21, www.solascriptura.com

Father, what a marvelous teacher Paul was and is; a Jew, sent, to preach to the Jews about Jesus. They, for the most part, would not listen. It was no surprise to You that the Jews would not listen. You then sent him to preach to the Gentiles. Paul did so under great pressure and distress but here he tells us that his tribulations bring glory to us; salvation to us.

If and when we suffer for declaring You, Jesus, among men, we know that our tribulations bring glory to You. We never can out give You. What You did to redeem us exceeds anything we could have hoped for. Our manifest love for You is our response to Your love for us.

May we, this day, be strengthened in the inner man, be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit and willingly love and obey You. In Your Holy name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064

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Posted in Christianity, Holy Spirit, Hope, Perseverance, faith, peace, salvation, wisdom | No Comments »

Why would I ever be severely punished?

Wednesday, June 13th, 2012

End Times, July 13

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

2 Timothy 3:1-5, www.solascriptura.com

Father, our traditional Judeo-Christian values are being attacked from within and from without. It seems the core values of the world are as the people described above by Paul in his letter to his young student, Timothy.

It is no surprise to You, Father that things are as they are. You have told us to expect to be inundated with the portrayal of violence, lust, greed and every kind of sinful act, increasingly. Now “portrayal” is setting the stage for imitation and envy, taking Your children further from You.

You have told us that these are signs of the end times, the last days before Jesus returns.  Father, today we pray that You will strengthen our resolve to withdraw from that which glorifies evil. Prepare our hearts to be in Your presence, joyfully. Protect our children and grandchildren, we pray, from evil; in Jesus’ name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064

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Posted in Christianity, End Times, Fidelity, Law of God, Perseverance | 109 Comments »