For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

2 Thessalonians 1-3, Acts 18-19

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3:7-10

Day 331 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing on Paul's second letter to the church in Thessalonica and his third missionary journey. My commentary notes how Paul's first letter to Thessalonica causes some confusion that the second coming of Jesus is to occur right away, so "Paul sends a second letter to clarify this misunderstanding."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) . Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

As is the case with much of scripture, there are many passages where one can focus, but today my focus is a follow up on yesterday's post where Paul warns believers in Thessalonica to avoid idleness and instead to be a light.  I am also struck by Priscilla and Aquila's discipleship of Apollos in Ephesus.

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. Acts 18:24-28

We all need to ensure that we have an accurate understanding of scripture.  I have referred to this in many posts as head understanding.  We must also have a heart understanding which is what is God saying to me personally and how am I to apply what I understand.  Both are critical and work together.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me scripture and helps me with understanding - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You love me and bless me.  My sin continues, including worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You and help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

1 Thessalonians 1-5

Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 1 Thessalonians 1:10-12

Day 330 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing on Paul's first letter to the church in Thessalonica. My commentary notes: "Paul’s letter clearly addresses Gentile Christians, probably Greeks, who had been converted from paganism. Paul reminds these new converts that they have turned from idols to worship the true and living God, and he exhorts them to continue in purity, love, and labor for the Lord."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

Paul seeks to have us lead lives worthy of God - that is his wish in Romans 12:1:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Our lives should certainly distract from God's message but instead attract others to Him.  We are to be a light. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are light, truth and King of Kings, Lord of Lords, worthy of my worship and of all beings.  I am amazed that You love me and saved me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  I worry and many other sins continue.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Acts 15-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Day 329 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing on Paul's second missionary journey which my commentary* describes as "...a visit [where] Paul hopes to observe how the churches are developing and lend the weight of his actual presence to resolving the circumcision question about which he has written."  During this missionary journey, Paul meets a number of individuals who become significant in growing the church, including Timothy, Lydia, and Priscilla and Aquila. 

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

One of the most remarkable passages during this journey is when Paul and Silas were preaching in Philippi, where they were beat and thrown into prison (Acts 16:16-40).  Even after suffering a brutal beating, and after being thrown in prison, they found the will to praise and worship God!  We may not be beaten and thrown into prison but are to look for God in difficult circumstances as He is always at work.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has always been at work even during the most challenging of times - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessing and love.  I worry and I have other sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. or the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 1-6

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. or the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:13-18

Day 328 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing on Paul's letter to the church in Galatia, as my commentary* notes that "the letter would have been written about A.D. 50, shortly following the Jerusalem conference. The subject of Paul’s letter parallels that of the conference itself, which pertained to the problems created by those Jewish Christians who were insisting that Gentile converts submit to the rite of circumcision and observe other rituals to which the Jews were accustomed."  The letter also is used by Paul to defend His faith and teachings as my commentary* also notes how Judaizers sought to undermine Paul.

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

Paul focuses a good amount of his letter (Galatians 5-6) on Christian freedom as Paul defines our freedom and urges us to express our freedom by "walk[ing] by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16) so we can avoid desires of the flesh but instead enjoy fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has given me freedom in Christ - a blessing of which I cannot fully fathom but I understand that it is a blessing.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of all the ways You bless me...my sin continues, including worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

Acts 13-15

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. Acts 14:22

Day 327 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing on Paul's first missionary journey and the Jerusalem conference which sought to settle the extent to which Gentile believers were subject to aspects of the ceremonial law - specifically circumcision. Paul and his companions, including Barnabas and Mark, at times encounter significant opposition as the Jews were jealous of how many came to believe as a result of Paul's teachings. Some of this opposition included stoning (Acts 14).  Paul and Barnabas know the hardships and opposition to the gospel is to be expected.  All believers must come to expect such hardship and opposition.  Yet God is with us always...to the end of the age (Matthew 28). 

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.  John 15:18-19

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is with me with all of my struggles and challenges - thank You Jesus!  I know You will never leave or forsake me.  Thank You.  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  I continue to sin - worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind, and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

Acts 9-12

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Acts 10:34-36

Day 326 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing primarily on the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles. My commentary* notes: "God’s eternal plan all along has been that all people of the world—Jew and non-Jew alike—should come to know him through Christ Jesus....The first Gentile recipient of the gospel message is a devout Roman military leader by the name of Cornelius....the church’s Gentile ministry and fellowship grows steadily, even to the point that when the Jewish Christians in Judea have a special financial need, the Gentile Christians in Antioch volunteer to supply that need."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) . Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

I am reminded that all are deserving to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and we are to dismiss any thoughts we may have regarding who might believe or not.  Believers are to speak as Peter did in Acts 4:20 when he said "[a]s for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard". We must feel compelled to not only be the hands and feet of Jesus with our actions but also with our words.  It is then up to God to either make someone a believer or not - we are simply the messenger. God may provide us the words, but faith itself is a gift from God, and although God may work through us, it is not from anything we do.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has given me faith...and faith in those around me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me.  My sin continues, including worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Acts 8-9

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:19-21

Day 325 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - this morning focusing on early persecution of the church and its followers, and how one of its persecutors - Paul - is confronted by Jesus Himself, and converted into a follower of Jesus.  My commentary* notes: "[i]t is no surprise that the growing church encounters opposition. Some people are annoyed by the efforts being made to teach them; others are enraged when presented with the truth of Christ. Many are apparently jealous of the joyous fellowship which can be seen among the disciples. There are also rulers and religious leaders who fear loss of power or influence as so many people turn to follow the teaching of the Man from Nazareth. So it is not surprising that the apostles have been put into prison so often, or that Stephen has now been killed."

"Yet the early Christians are probably caught by surprise when a more widespread, organized persecution arises. Reacting swiftly, these new converts leave Jerusalem and flee to cities throughout Judea and Samaria. Yet despite the personal tragedies involved, their persecution actually becomes a blessing. Because of their zeal in sharing the gospel with others, the church thereby expands its boundaries far beyond Jerusalem."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

The scripture reading this morning also includes, as an example of how persecution scattered the church and in a way became a blessing, Philip's baptism of the Ethopian in Samaria.  The primary example, however for how such persecution became a blessing (and part of God's plan) to the church, is Saul's (who then becomes Paul) conversion.  My commentary indicates: "[b]ut Saul is destined to become a special apostle for the Lord, and that necessitates his ability to testify to the resurrection of Jesus. Therefore Saul’s conversion involves a personal appearance by Jesus himself."

This can be as difficult a learning for a believer as one might face, but we must see how challenging and difficult circumstances are part of God's plans and how God is using such challenges and circumstances for His glory and either our good or the good of the church.  I am reminded of Joseph's story.  His brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery but Joseph became powerful and blessed many people as a result.  Joseph does not seek revenge when he confronts his brothers many years later.  Of course, we also have Jesus' death on the cross.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has blessed me even when I could not see it, including through many challenges and difficult circumstances - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessings.  My sins, including gossip, worry, harsh words and actions towards others, etc.  continue.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.