Category: Bible (Page 54 of 356)

Suffering in a dank, underground Roman prison (one you can visit today), Paul wrote of his situation in a letter to a young pastor watching from afar.

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.

Paul, the great missionary statesman, languished under arrest. But despite his status, the good news Paul proclaimed remained free. The message of God as found in the Bible might be buried, lost, covered up, outlawed, criminalized, ridiculed or spat upon, but it cannot be chained.

The word of God remains living and active, despite successive generations taking actions against it. Even today the Scriptures cut through chains. Spend time within the book and drop some of yours.

2 Timothy 2:9 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Seth

Paul continually encouraged young leaders. He wrote to Timothy, fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Don’t hold back. Apparently Timothy tended toward reticence, but Paul urged him to step out with confidence. Imbued with the Holy Spirit, Timothy moved from timidity to godly assertiveness.

The Holy Spirit, given to Timothy and each true believer in Jesus, carries certain characteristics into our lives. One is power. We’re filled with a power from without, a reliance on the Lord and new abilities beyond ourselves. An immediate outcome of this power? Love. Not dominance or control, but a tiny slice of God’s unhindered love.

Self-discipline follows. Our worst natures, the tendency to wander, actions and attitudes we hide or disguise all shrink before the power of God. Again, not a power over others, but an increasing power over ourselves in order to serve others.

Paul pressed Timothy to remember the Lord’s gift and strengthen his backbone. I pray for such fortitude as well. Here’s a prayer you and I can bring to God today:

Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit and direct me with his ways. Let me experience power leading to love and self-discipline. May your power lead me, and those I connect with, to your paths.

2 Timothy 1 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Shivansh Upadhyay

During our Camino de Santiago journeys I take note of the shoes people wear. What types of footwear do pilgrims choose for long walks day after day? I see hiking boots, lots of trail runners, sandals, and one time a young man in shower slides. I’m happy with my shoe choice, but I’ll admit I’m always looking for the next best option.

Such goes the way of contentment in my life. Paul wrote about contentment to Timothy, his young protégé: Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

In this constantly selling world contentment remains a challenge. Daily I see ads for something I didn’t know I need, but now I want. Paul’s list for a contented spirit consisted of food and clothes. I would add shelter to that list, but Paul traveled hard and slept where he arrived. I might also add coffee and a good book. You see the challenge—with just a little bit more I’ll finally be contented.

Our entertainment-advertising complex never rests. A key to contentment for me is turning away from all that, and finding a few moments to consider what the Lord has given me (which is a great deal). Gratitude leads to contentment, and contentment feeds my gratitude. It’s a virtuous cycle—but a hard one to access.

With feelings of gratitude and trust, I can better answer the question, Do I really need that shiny object? I might purchase a double-decker air fryer or a new car, but even so my satisfaction remains in God, not the objects provided for me.

I hope to grow in contentment this coming year, which remains a challenge. But looking back at Paul’s list, a high-end pair of trail runners with a gore-tex outer and a rock plate fit into the clothing category, do they not? I’ll order those, and then I’ll be contented…

I Timothy 6 in Through the Bible in 2024

After weeks of travel and walking the Camino de Santiago, it’s nice to return home. Nothing better than sleeping in my own bed and enjoying a bowl of cereal in the morning.

In the midst of any journey I find it comforting to remember that wherever I might find myself, the Lord is there beside me:

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast (Psalm 139: 7-10).

On whatever side of the ocean I lay my head, the Lord stays with me. No place escapes his presence. The good book also tell us: The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who live in it (Psalm 24:1).

So whether I’m gone or back again, I can slow down and enjoy the presence of the Lord.

Camino de Santiago 2024

Photo by Global Residence Index