Today's reading: Hebrews 1:1-14

'He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.' - Hebrews 1:3 ESV

Who was Jesus of Nazareth, the man who lived in northern Israel at the beginning of the first century? Was He a mere philanthropist with insightful teaching that was ahead of its time? Was He not really human, but just appeared to be? Was he merely (as Islam and Judaism assert today) a renowned prophet?

People have been trying to answer these questions ever since Jesus died thirty-three years into his earthly life. He literally marked time with his birth, and his teachings have led to more social reform than we can mention here.

Yet the writer of Hebrews comes at it from a different angle. He uses words like "radiance" and "imprint" when he describes who Jesus was (and is).

Jesus was begotten, not made, of God. Jesus was not a creation of God; He came from God Himself.

C.S. Lewis says it a lot better than I can when he wrote, "We don't use the words begetting or begotten much in modern English, but everyone still knows what they mean. To beget is to become the father of: to create is to make. And the difference is this. When you beget, you beget something of the same kind as yourself. A man begets human babies, a beaver begets little beavers and a bird begets eggs which turn into little birds. A bird makes a nest, a beaver builds a dam, a man makes a wireless set--or he may make something more like himself than a wireless set: say, a statue." (Mere Christianity, pg 157)

This is all still hard to grasp, but it helps us think more rightly about who Jesus was (and still is today).

Jesus is worthy of our worship.

Today’s reading: Philemon 1:1-25

“He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.” - Philemon‬ ‭1:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“He is more” is the phrase that really spoke to me this morning. At this time in the first century, it was unheard of for a slave (or a woman) to be considered equal with all other men. Though institutional slavery would continue for centuries after Paul wrote this letter, the groundwork was being laid for the abolition of all those who were owned.

It is actually hard for us to appreciate this, but the real change has to start in our homes in order for it to reach the top (legislation). It is our job as Christians to set the tone for morality with our faithfulness, day in and day out.

In our previous readings, we saw verses like Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11. In these bold statements, all classification based on “value” goes away.

Unfortunately, our world still has a long way to go, but it starts with how we treat people today.

“I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.” - Psalm 101:2b NLT

Today's reading: Titus 3:1-15

'For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.' - Titus 3:3-6 ESV

William Barclay wrote this about our passage today:

"The point is that when we accept Christ as Saviour and Lord, life begins all over again."

Can you remember what your life was like before God's goodness and kindness burst upon you? Paul paints a vivid picture of being bound by destructive lifestyles, allowing whatever we feel to reign supreme. Do I feel like hating someone or sinning sexually? What's holding me back?

The moment of God saving us is a moment of re-creation and, thus, a reorientation of our entire lives. Though we may still live in the same house or work the same job or attend the same classes, all of them are done in light of a deep renewal that took place when we believed and were baptized (see Mark 16:16).

Jesus didn't just save us from our past; He also called us into a brighter future.

Today's reading: Titus 2:1-15

'For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.' - Titus 2:11-12 ESV

In the fifteen verses of this chapter, Paul uses the same-ish word (sophron X2, sophroneo, sophronos) four times. Any time we see this kind of repetition in scripture, we need to lean in a little closer to see why. In each instance, the words are translated as "self-controlled" in the ESV. These words are not anywhere close to the word that Paul uses for "self-control" (enktrateia) in the fruit of the Spirit list (Galatians 5:22).

So why this word here? What's the purpose behind the repetition to Titus as he talks through the different ages of church members in Crete?

The word Paul uses for self-controlled here in Titus 2 has to do with being "sensible" or "of sound mind." It's almost like he's saying, "May they use the minds God's given them in the right way."

In Mark 5:15, we see the same word used when describing the demon-possessed man Jesus had healed:

"And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had the legion, sitting there, clothed and IN HIS RIGHT MIND, and they were afraid."

Let's get into our right minds and make more decisions that glorify Jesus every day.

Todays reading: Titus 1:1-16

“This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began.” - Titus‬ ‭1:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul opens this letter to Titus by declaring that he is a slave of God and an apostle (one who has been sent) of Jesus Christ.

He viewed his job as a slave in two ways:

1) Bring faith to others. Lead them to trust Jesus.

2) Teach them to know the truth. It won’t come about naturally, even given enough time.

Now, in Romans 1:19, we see that we can get a general picture of truth via God’s creation. This is a setup for us sharing the specific reality of the gospel.

As we see in verses 15-16, the truth isn’t something that needs to be improved upon or requires any amendments. It is perfect and life-giving throughout all generations, and was so before God said, “Let there be light.”

Jesus said that we would know the truth, and it will set us free (see John 8:32). May we continue to walk in that freedom today, experiencing it as pure.

Today's reading: 2 Timothy 4:1-22

'I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.' - 2 Timothy 4:1-2 ESV

Have you watched any videos or listened to any podcasts from The Bible Project? If not, you should! Something they have been saying lately that is really profound is that "God will give us what we want." If we want to be close to Him, doing things His way, He will give us abundant life. If we want to go the way of the crowd, He will let us do that.

Paul is encouraging Timothy to be ready, at all times, to share the word of God. The reason? Some need to be saved from eternal death, and some need to grow. We can do this by 1) Patiently Correcting, 2) Rebuking, and 3) Encouraging.

Telling people the truth is the best gift we could ever give them. Yet the majority will not appreciate this, though they need it.

Polycarp, one of our early Church Fathers (AD 65 to AD 155), encouraged himself and those in Philippi to "let us leave behind the worthless speculation of the crowd."

May we move from speculation to concrete truth from Jesus!

Today's reading: 2 Timothy 2:22-26, 3:1-16

'So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil.' - 2 Timothy 2:22-24 ESV

Over the past two days, we've been on a broken record of how to invest our limited time and energy that God has given all of us. Here in this passage, we see Paul giving us some excellent advice about what day-to-day should look like for those who claim to be "servants" or "slaves" of Jesus. Our Savior is the one who is our Lord and our Owner.

As Christians, it is time for us to stop running toward that which we know will hurt us and start running toward the best life possible to live in a fallen and broken world.

I think the reason people get so fired up about politics is that we want to live in a better world. Praying through these verses, and putting them into practice, will set us on that path.

Today's reading: 2 Timothy 2:1-21

'Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!' - 2 Timothy 2:8-9 ESV

Limits are frustrating. They are a constant reminder of what we CANNOT do. You cannot go without sleep for 48 hours and function well. You cannot refuse to drink water for over 3 days and survive. You cannot, in our present world, go a day without making a mistake.

Paul's limit toward the end of his life was literally being incarcerated. No more wild tangles with the beasts in Ephesus. No more sailing to contend with those in Corinth. All he had were his friends in Rome to keep him alive and a Scribe to write down letters on his behalf.

Paul became a Christian in AD 33 or 34 and was killed around the time of AD 64. For the last seven years of his life, he was in chains.

Yet churches continued to grow, and the foundation we are standing on today was being laid.

Feel limited? God still wants to move!

Today's reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-18

'I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.' - 2 Timothy 1:5-6

I think many times we downplay the significance of one interaction and what God can set it in motion as a result of it.

Do you think Grandma Lois knew what would become of Timothy as she prayed over him while changing his diapers? Do you think Momma Eunice knew of her son's future when she had to discipline him as a pre-teen or make him attend worship (at someone's home) when he didn't want to?

Probably not. Yet these women invested into Timothy's life, and that investment compounded into a "genuine" faith. The word for genuine can also be translated as "without hypocrisy." This kind of faith is only reproduced by seeing other Christians who are the real deal.

By the time Paul ends up on the scene, his job was relatively easy. He was laying his hands on a young man who was readied by strong women of faith.

Today’s reading: 1 Timothy 6:1-21

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.” - ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Knofel Staton wrote, “Someone has said that the wisest investors are those who invest in what outlasts life. Investing in kingdom work outlasts life on earth.”

What are your financial goals? I recently saw an article that was saying that most of us will need around a million dollars in retirement to live comfortably for the final 29 years of our lives. Do we really think that having this kind of money saved will bring us the security we are looking for in this life?

The acquisition of wealth seems to be a trap. Once we acquire it, we crave more; we set another goal. Trusting in money is like drinking saltwater. It doesn’t satisfy, and it only intensifies our thirst.

Trusting Jesus deeply satisfies.

Give generously.

Let God show you the right way to think about money. It leads to freedom.