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TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:1 Timothy 4-5; 2 Thessalonians 1-3 One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective...
One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you.
TODAY'S EPISODE:
Welcome, dear ones, to the Daily Radio Bible podcast on this 29th day of November, day 334 in our journey through the scriptures. I'm your host, Hunter, and I'm here to walk with you as we dive into God's Word, letting it guide us closer to the Living Word himself. Today, we'll be exploring passages from 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5, and 2 Timothy chapters 1 through 3. We'll be reminded of our call to live holy lives, the promise of Christ's return, and the importance of steadfastness in our faith journeys. Alongside these powerful scriptures, we'll reflect on avoiding the temptation to check out from our spiritual responsibilities and instead, heed Paul's encouragement to engage actively in God's work. We'll conclude with a time of prayer, offering gratitude and seeking strength for the day ahead. Join me as we kindle the fire of His love in our hearts and navigate the path together. Let's begin.
TODAY'S PRAYERS:
Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.
Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen
And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.
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Transcript:
Hunter:
These teachers oppose the truth, just as Janus and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith, but they won't get away with this for long. Someday, everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Janice and Jambres. But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach and how I live and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. But the Lord rescued me from all of it.
Hunter:
Yes. And everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived. But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know that you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.
Hunter:
It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. The end is coming. The end is near. That's what these so called teachers were saying. And though it is a true statement that the end is coming and is near, these guys were taking it up a notch. They were false prophets trying to lead God's people astray. They were trying to get them to come in from the fields of God's work and head up on the rooftops.
Hunter:
In effect, they were saying, abandon your call to the gospel. Come, put your flight suits on because Jesus is about to come and take us out of here. Sell out and check out. That was their false message. Now I've never been tempted to sell everything and put on a flight suit and sit on my rooftop to wait for the Lord to come back. No teacher has bamboozled me enough to go that far. But we can look at history, and we can see that there are those that have. This reference in Thessalonians is perhaps the first time we see this apocalyptic escapism come upon the church, but there is something similar that we can be tempted to.
Hunter:
We can be tempted to find some kind of spiritual justification for checking out and running away. Paul wants to encourage this church in Thessalonica, and he wants to encourage us. There's a work to do. God has reconciled the world to himself in Christ. He has set us free by his grace, and we have a responsibility to proclaim this message to the world, to come back to God. We have a responsibility. He is calling us not to be idle and check out. He's calling us to engage, to roll up our sleeves, and keep at the work that he's called us to do.
Hunter:
Paul's trying to shore up these folks. They've been rattled. People have told them that it's time to check out. But Paul is telling them this is the time to move forward. There are lots of ways that we can check out. You can check out with the bottle. You can check out online. You can check out a 100 different ways.
Hunter:
But Paul says, don't do it. Instead, he says, go forward. Don't grow weary in doing good. Keep your hand to the plow. Keep doing what God has asked you to do. Jesus is coming back, but there is work to do in our lives and in this world. There are men and women and boys and girls waiting to hear, waiting to see, waiting to be set free. Paul's prayer is that our hearts, in the meantime, would be full of understanding of what God has called us to as individuals and as communities of faith.
Hunter:
He prays that we would be a full expression of the love of God. He prays that the mark that distinguishes us would not be that we checked out, but that we engaged with acts of love and kindness in this world. The Lord is coming back. But until that time, we keep at what God has called us to do, allowing his joy to be our strength. And that's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. May it be so.
You are loved!
