The Goal Of Our Instruction

I've really been stuck in 1 and 2 Timothy lately. There is just so much richness there! Sometimes I look at the Word and think, "How can I say this any different? There is just no improving it obviously, and any comparison or allusion dulls it!" So today let's just soak in the first few verses of 1 Timothy 1. But instead of reading it as "the Bible", read it as a letter from God to you: It brings it much closer to home. Place your name instead of Timothy's, for the Spirit penned this to you as well. So join me as I read 1 Tiffany...

1 Timothy 1:2-11*

To _________, my true child in the faith.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the father and Christ Jesus our Lord.


As I urged you.....remain "where you are" so that you may command certain people not to teach other doctrine or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God's plan, which operates by faith.


Now the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Some have deviated from these and turned aside to fruitless discussions. They want to be teachers of the law, although they don't understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on. 


Now we know that the law is not meant for the righteous person, 
   but for the lawless and rebellious, 
   for the ungodly and sinful, 
   for the unholy and irreverent, 
   for those who kill their fathers and mothers, 
   for murderers, 
   for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, 
   for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, 
and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching based on the glorious gospel of the blessed God that was entrusted to me (and you).


*Everything which is in quotations, underlined, italicized, and placed in bold is of my own doing and not Scripture. They were placed there for emphasis.

Take Some Time To Just Laugh

 A joyful heart is good medicine,
    but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22


Enjoy :-)

This one gets really good starting with the third guy...

This one is somewhat disturbing....but you can't help but laugh :)

Are Your Lemons Sugar Coated?

Today I found something I wrote about 4 years ago.
What do you think?

Are Your Lemons Sugar Coated?

Have you ever had a fish bone stuck in your throat? Hurts doesn't it? You know it won't kill you that instant, but what if it punctures your throat? Or gets lodged there long enough to become severely infected? Every time you swallow, it sends a searing pain through you body, so you try not to, but instinct has you gulping like a fish out of water. You know you need help, but don't know what to do.

            Now imagine someone passes by and offers you a palm-sized yellow object which sparkles. They tell you that it will get the bone out and save you, and they even offer to let you lick it a little to see if you like it. You try a timid taste and realize it is sweet! That, of course, makes you swallow again in pain, but you now have hope. You thank them profusely, and accept the life saving object gratefully. Beaming over your new treasure, you take a small bite and nearly drop it in disgust: It is horribly sour!  How could that possibly save you? Reasoning with yourself you begin to think that perhaps you are just supposed to keep licking it. As you do, the pain in your throat becomes gradually less, but deep down you know that the bone is still lodged there and that most likely you are becoming numb with pain. Well, nothing is wrong with that, is there? Perhaps that is all there is to it, and it is welcome enough. There is the nagging thought that you still have to get the bone out, so you decide to try biting it once more, but after all the sugar your mouth is coated in, it tastes even worse than before! Now what? If only that person had told you what to expect! If only you knew if it is suppose to be sour! How will this really save you?

Do we as Western Christians even recognize the full flavor of the gospel anymore?

When we are sharing the gospel with others in industrialized nations, do we tell them what they desperately need to know in order to be saved, or are we so worried that they will not be interested that we sugar coat it?  The Lord Jesus Christ never promised it would be easy: In fact, just the opposite. In John 15:20 Jesus says, “Remember the word I spoke to you: 'A slave is not greater that his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you...” ¹ It is not all sour however! Jesus also says in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” What are we truly more concerned of? This “...momentary light affliction...”(2 Corinthians 4:17) or the eternal?

If a person speaks of God, do we wipe the sweat from our brow and check off one more for the kingdom of God? Don't think that because someone believes that Jesus is the Son of God they are saved. Remember “...the demons also believe- and they shudder!”(James 2:19) Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?' Then I will announce to them, 'I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!'” 

How can we know then? The apostle John says in 1 John 2:4-6, “The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' without keeping His commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him: the one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked.” Is the truth in us and in those we are witnessing to? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

What can we do? We work out our “...own salvation with fear and trembling”, knowing that it is “God who is working in you enabling you both to will and to act for His purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13) We look forward to the day when we will hear our Master say, “Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your Master's joy!” (Matthew 25:21) Why? Just as Christ, we do this for the joy that lay before us! (Hebrews 12:2)

So, as we share with others that Jesus Christ is the Son of God... “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...”(1 Corinthians 15:3-4) are we giving them sugar-coated lemons, or are we allowing God to make the lemonade?

¹ See also: Matthew 10:22, Luke 21:12-19

A Baby Step In Faith

Now I implore you, brothers, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to agonize together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf: 
Romans 15:28


We ask for your prayers today as we take a baby step step forward in faith. 


There are so many things in life I do not feel worthy of in the least. What continues to amaze, dazzle, and terrify me is that the Lord my God is so gracious, loving and giving! I feel as though He's asking me to step into the pot of gold at the end of rainbow of my desires. Pray that we will seek His direction at all times. Pray that we will never detour to the desires of our flesh and selfishness, but that we will always be willing to follow Him fully!


Thank you for lifting us up today.

The Hardest Simple Thing

Do you know what the biggest deterrent to a vibrant relationship with God is? The one thing that it must have: Faith.

There is no 12 step, 3 main points, 40 day goal, for Dummies book that will acquire faith for us. There is no proof. There is nothing tangible. It makes no logical sense. Now faith is the reality of what is hope for, the proof of what is not seen. Hebrews 11:1

To be forgiven our sins:
   We must have faith. Matthew 9:2, Luke 5:20
To be well:
   We must have faith. Matthew 9:29; Mark 5:32
To do mighty things for the sake of the Gospel and Jesus Christ:
   We must have faith. Matthew 21:21; James 1:6
To be righteous:
   We must have faith. Romans 1:17; Galatians 5:5

Why?
...for we walk by faith, not by sight - 2 Corinthians 5:7


There is, however, a very important element to goes along with faith which we must never forget...


Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13


It is one of those things we must just accept: Have faith. 
For as Jesus said, ..."But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." Luke 22:32