SCRIPTURE: Acts 16:1-5 “Paul wanted to take him along… so he circumcised him because of the Jews…” (Acts 16:3) As Paul shares the decisions in Jerusalem (re. Gentiles not bound by the law), he has Timothy circumcised. In Galatians 2:11-16, Paul rebukes Peter for enforcing the Law on Gentiles, but what is he doing here? One possibility is…
Show me, Lord
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 139 “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” (Psalm 139:1) How does this make you feel? He knows EVERYTHING about me, totally, completely, everywhere, always. This kind of exposure can be frightening… talk about a breach of privacy! We may try to hide, to cover up our badness with goodness, but God isn’t…
The pursuit of…???
SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 4-6 “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:11) If life is the pursuit of… something, what is my life is the pursuit of? Comfort, riches, pleasure, power, reputation, good looks, success, revenge? Everyone will have their own variation on what their goal…
A servant for the cause!
SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 1-3 Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. (1 Timothy 1:4) We do not advance God’s work in the world by being arrogant or by being agitators. It is not about asserting ourselves, but humbling ourselves. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a…
More like Barnabas
SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:36-41 “They parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus but Paul chose Silas.”(Acts 15:39) Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, was a generous man, nicknamed Barnabas (son of encouragement) (Acts 4:36-37). When others feared the newly converted Paul, he stood by him (Acts 9:27). Now he wants to give Mark, who had let them down in Pamphylia, another…
Jesus the ‘word of the Lord’!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:30-35 “Where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.” (Acts 15:35) When we read this, we normally think about preaching and teaching the bible. The bible as WE know it was not put together. The “word of the Lord” was not the bible, but the message and testimony of Jesus….
Led by the Spirit of Jesus
SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:22-29 “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” (Acts 15:28) How does Jesus lead His followers by the Spirit? Jesus said that the Spirit would remind them of what He taught (John 14:26). It was the Spirit and teaching of Jesus that led them to this decision. They were reminded of how gentle…
He loved me first
Talia Biel is a member at Crossroads Church. She is a sincere Jesus follower with a gift for connecting her faith to real life, and for sharing that through her writing. Check out her blog “Holding On To Faith. As followers, I know that we are called to love. It was one of Jesus’s top commandments…
Reading the Bible with Jesus: Psalm 1
You can find more about my weekly Bible readings HERE. This week I am focusing on Psalm 1 (Monday, June 29 – Sunday July 5)
Don’t make it difficult!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:12-21 “We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” (Acts 15:20) God’s ultimate goal is to invite everyone into His family, saints, sinners and all. Not everyone accepts, but those who do should be gently loved towards Jesus. Don’t expect absolute transformation right away, people need time to grow….