Acts 17-18 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Acts 17:1-18:28.

“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25).

Why should I serve God today? I don’t need to serve God today as if He needs whatever it is I can offer. He made me. What can I possibly give to Him that He can’t do for Himself. No. I need to serve God today because I need what He has to offer me through that service. I need to serve Him today because He deserves that service because of what He has already given me. I’m breathing today because of Him. I’m living today because of Him. Every blessing comes from Him.

On the days that I grasp that, my service is real and my connection to Him deep. When I’m trying to impress Him with my service or compete with others as if I’m giving Him more, then the connection starts to sever. God doesn’t need me. I need Him. So, today, I’m going to serve Him.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can add your input by clicking here.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Today’s reading is 1 Timothy 4:1-5:25.

“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10).

Why can I strive and toil today? Because my hope isn’t based on my striving and toiling. If it was, I’d be in trouble. But, my hope is set on the living God. He is the Savior of all who will be saved. He has the ability to save. He has the love to save. He has the plan to save. He wants to save me. He will save those who believe.

Because he is worthy of my hope, I can do my part today by striving and toiling for Him. I know that through His power, my striving and toiling will actually accomplish something. I know that He will accomplish something in me and through me.

Today, I want to focus on godliness, reverence toward God, because I know by God’s power it will actually be helpful to my eternity.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4:18.

“…and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13).

Here is the struggle. I want to love others, but they have hurt me. I want to love others, but they do wrong. I want to love others, but the fact is most of us are so unlovable. What do we do about that? We recognize that the kind of love we need to have for each other is the kind of love God has for us. We recognize that the strength for that kind of love can only come from the One who already has that kind of love.

If I am filled with God’s love, then His love will spill out into my relationship with others. I need to pray that God will fill me with His love today. I need to pray that God will strengthen me to love as He does today. And notice why. This text says it is through loving others God’s way that my heart is established as blameless in holiness. My heart is not established a blameless in holiness simply because I can declare and follow a pattern regarding the work of the church. My heart is established when the love of God flows from my life toward others just as He has loved me.

That is a tall order. It can only be done by the strength of God.

Father, grant me the strength to love today. Let me love others as you have loved me. Fill me with your love and love others through me. Thank you for your love. I love you.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS: What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:20.

“…and to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

What an interesting perspective on Jesus and the wrath to come. Most of the time, I think of the wrath to come as something Jesus is going to bring on me because of my sinful actions. But Paul grants us a different perspective. The picture here is not that Jesus brings wrath. Rather, wrath is where I’m heading all on my own. Jesus doesn’t have to bring that wrath, I’m walking headlong into it.

Instead of bringing wrath, Jesus is bringing deliverance from wrath. He is bringing peace, safety, reward. He is not bringing wrath to punish my way, rather, my way just leads to wrath. He is bringing forgiveness so that I don’t have to face the wrath I deserve. He is showing me a new way so I can avoid wrath. Why would I go any way but His, if He is offering that victory and deliverance?

My way is leading to wrath. I think today, I’ll choose Jesus’ way. I’m sure it will work.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is 2 Corinthians 6:1-7:16.

“…We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything” (2 Corinthians 6:8-10).

What great contrasts. People accused Paul of being an imposter, belittled him as unknown, threatened him with death and punishment, pitied him as sorrowful, mocked him as poor and having nothing. Yet, in reality he was a true apostle of God; he was well known to God and God’s people; he was alive and not killed; he was full of rejoicing in Christ; he was blessed with spiritual riches and in Christ possessed everything he wanted and needed.

I take comfort in knowing I am not what the world thinks of me. I am not what false brethren think of me. I am not what anyone thinks of me. I am only what God thinks of me. When I am in Christ, God think very much of me. I can take comfort today knowing that the world me see me as poor, powerless, penniless, and pitiful. In Christ I am rich, influential, wealthy, and to be envied. Of course, this is not because of me, but because of Jesus.

I don’t have to be concerned what the world thinks. I’m doing okay for myself because I’m in Jesus Christ.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 16:1-24; 2 Corinthians 1:1-24.

“For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits” (1 Corinthians 16:7).

How often I forget the Lord in my plans. How often I want to figure out how my future is going to work out, what I’m going to do, what plans will be in place without taking the Lord into consideration. When I act like that, my plans fall flat. My life goes exceedingly better when I live by the Lord’s permission. When I recognize that I can go here and there, accomplish this and that only if the Lord wills, my life runs smoother, if only because I recognize a stronger and better hand is leading it. When I remember in my praying to seek His will above mine, to ask not simply for what I want but that God will give me the strength to accept and respond appropriately when He gives me what He wants, my life is more peaceful, if only because I have prepared the way to accept what comes from God’s hand instead of expecting God’s gifts to be what I want.

If the Lord permits. That will be my motto today. And if the Lord permits, we’ll read and comment on more of His word on Monday.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 2 Peter 2:1-3:18.

“Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:9).

God was able to rescue lot from Sodom and Gomorrah. But that rescue was not simply from the destruction that would come upon them. No, it was rescue from their perversity and sin. Lot was tormented by their unrighteousness and God delivered him from that. In the same way, though we are surrounded by temptation and trial, God can keep us and protect us.

Instead of facing my temptations and trying to overcome them on my own. I need to flee into God’s arms and let Him protect me. I need to simply find His direction and follow it. He will be able to protect me from my temptations. He will be able to protect me from myself. As long as I’m fighting the battles with my own strength, I will fall. But when I rely on God and turn to Him for protection, He will give it. I can take comfort knowing that God is actively working on my behalf to protect me from sin.

Today, I need to get into God’s word, find His direction for me and follow it. That is the only way I’ll overcome.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

PPS: For all you sticklers out there, I know we have no idea what the fruit in the garden was. If you find a picture that represents temptation without an apple, send it my way.

Today’s reading is 1 Peter 3:1-4:19.

“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19).

Usually, when I suffer, I think God is picking on me. Why has He singled me out for this suffering, I wonder. The fact is God let’s me suffer because suffering helps me grow. Through suffering I can become more like Jesus who also suffered.

Instead of turning my back on God when I suffer, I instead need to turn into God. I need to entrust my soul to Him. He will care for me. He will work it all out for my good. I can trust Him. I can be like Jesus who while suffering on the cross said, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

Today, no matter what I suffer, I will commit my spirit into the Father’s hands. I will not put my life in my own hands. That only leads to failure and, ultimately, more suffering. God will take care of me.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Mark 11:1-12:44.

“And they brought one. and he said to them, ‘whose likeness and inscription is this?’ They said to him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they marveled at him” (Mark 12:16-17).

The denarius was Caesar’s because it had his likeness on it. If I want to know what is God’s, I must discover what has His likeness on it. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Where do I find God’s image inscribed? Not on 10% of my income or possessions. I find God’s image inscribed on me.

I may render taxes to the government. I must render me to God. When I give myself to God, the issues of money, behavior, allegiance, service, relationships, will follow naturally.

I must give myself to God today. Everything else will take care of itself.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Philippians 1:1-2:30.

“…for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

I can relax today. I don’t have to give myself ulcers worrying about how I’m ever going to be pleasing to God. I don’t have to fret that I’m just not ever going to be good enough for Him. He’s working on that. He is working in me both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Part of me wants to rebel against that. Part of me wants to say, “NO! I will do this.” But a very real part of me has come face to face with exactly how badly it goes when I am trying to do this. I have failed again and again and again. Today, instead of failing, I can just give up. That’s right. I can quit. I can surrender. I can admit I am powerless and only botch things myself, so I’ll just have to surrender my life to God and let Him be in control, simply doing what He says.

No, this doesn’t mean I sit on my backside and wait for the cosmic puppet master to pull my strings. It means I can have confidence to work out my salvation with fear and trembling. Why? Because God is working in me. It means all I have to do is learn God’s will and surrender to that. My job is simply to do the next right thing. God is working in me. I can trust that He will get me where I need to go if I simply surrender to Him today.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?