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Christian Devotional – April 23, 2019
How to lead. What makes up a great leader? Yesterday Paul shared with Timothy the importance of the motivation that he should have as he goes about doing the things that God has given him to do. Today, Paul goes into some of the characteristics of leadership that are not positive and that do not help move the gospel message forward, but that unfortunately are all too common among the leaders. Read 1 Timothy 1:6-7. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about…
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Christian Devotional – April 22, 2019
Motivation. What motivates us to share what we’re supposed to enter teach in to train others about Christ? Paul was challenging Timothy specifically with his motivation. See 1 Timothy 1:5. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 TIMOTHY 1:5 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/1ti.1.5.NASB Paul has just finished encouraging Timothy to be sure that he is challenging the wrong teaching of those days. Now he’s reminding him what those challenges should look like. When we challenge others, it must come from a place of seeking and desiring to see them grow and improve. It must come from a place…
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Christian Devotional – April 21, 2019
Happy Resurrection Sunday! What is Resurrection Sunday all about? Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, crucified as the sacrifice for our sins, arose from the dead in victory today! We celebrate the truth of who He is and what He did for us. Interestingly, Paul is encouraging Timothy to share the same message because unfortunately, others have been sharing a false one. Read 1 Timothy 1:3-4. As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than…
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Christian Devotional – April 20, 2019
Who to share with? Yesterday we saw Paul writing this letter and now, we must understand who he is writing the letter to. Paul mentions Timothy as the recipient to this letter. Read 1 Timothy 1:2. To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 TIMOTHY 1:2 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/1ti.1.2.NASB While Timothy may not be Paul’s biological son, Paul has adopted him as a son in the faith. Paul has taken it upon himself to make sure that Timothy understands all that God has for him and how he should be using it his life. That is a…
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Christian Devotional – April 19, 2019
Study. Do. Share. These three words have been our focus this year. We’ve spent time going through James seeing how our knowledge and study must lead to action because it can’t really be called faith if we are not acting on what we believe. Then we went through Ruth where we studied an example of three people “doing” their faith as they acted out what they truly believe. Now, we are going to work through 1 Timothy. In this book we see Paul “sharing” what he knows and what he does with young Timothy. Read 1 Timothy 1:1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God…
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Christian Devotional – April 18, 2019
The big reveal. This whole time we have been hearing this story about two women who waited on the Lord and saw him work move their lives. Now, we see how these two women are related to the bigger picture of the history of the Jewish people and of the line of Jesus Christ. Read Ruth 4:14-22. The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez was born Hezron, and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, and…
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Christian Devotional – April 17, 2019
Purpose. Naomi had felt without purpose, but now she knows exactly what she is to do. Read Ruth 4:16. Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. RUTH 4:16 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/rut.4.16.NASB Now that Ruth and Boaz are married and have a child, Naomi becomes the nurse for her grandchild. All the care and the love that she has she now can turn that into teaching and training and guiding this young man to become exactly what God has said to be. She can explain to him all about the God who never abandoned her and who led her and helped her and took…
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Christian Devotional – April 16, 2019
Hope. Naomi and Ruth have hope. God has moved snd worked in such a way that they have seen the fulfillment of all that God had promised in their life. They can see hope. Read Ruth 4:15. May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” RUTH 4:15 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/rut.4.15.NASB A child has been born. This child represents the continuation of Naomi’s family and the fulfillment of all that God had promised to them. It did not happen the way that they thought…
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Christian Devotional – April 15, 2019
Praise the Lord. When good things happen, who do we praise? When we see blessings in other people’s lives, who do we praise? For the people in Naomi’s life, the answer is that they praised the Lord. Read Ruth 4:14. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. RUTH 4:14 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/rut.4.14.NASB The women saw all the amazing things that had happened to Naomi and to Ruth and the result was they praised God. It’s really interesting that they didn’t praise Boaz. That might have been an easy and natural thing…
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Christian Devotional – April 14, 2019
God’s provision. All that Ruth and Naomi had been searching for, God provided. Read Ruth 4:13. So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. RUTH 4:13 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/rut.4.13.NASB Naomi had felt alone and abandoned. Ruth had followed Naomi home and learned about a God that she didn’t know before. A God who provides. A God who sees our needs. A God who knows us better than we know ourselves. And now, Ruth not only has a husband, God has enabled her to have a child. Remenber, Ruth had been…