Nehemiah 11:1-12:26, 1 Corinthians 10:14-33, Psalms 34:11-22, Proverbs 21:14-16
Today is August 16th. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today. It’s great to be here with you every day and I say that most every day because it’s true. It’s great to be here with you taking this next step forward moving our way into the back half and toward the weekend. What an honor, you guys. I mean, have you ever stopped to think like that we live in a time that we can actually do this and actually even take it for granted that we’re doing this. What you and I are participating in as we come around the global camp fire every day is the kind of stuff that people would write science fiction about just a century ago. And here we are connected all over the world taking steps forward as we go through the entire Bible in a year all over the world. It’s a great day to be here with you. I’m glad that we can take this next step. So, let’s do that. We’re reading from the Good News Translation this week and we’re working her way through the book of Nehemiah. All the people have come together and repented before the Lord. The walls of Jerusalem are rebuilt. So, restoration is afoot. Like, things are moving in a very positive direction and we’ll see how that goes. Nehemiah chapter 11 verse 1 through 12 verse 26 today.
Commentary:
Alright. So, as we’re continuing through Paul’s letter to the Corinthians that we call first Corinthians, Paul was answering questions. And, so, one of the questions was essentially, if you passively participate in something that could be sinful, if you actively participated in it, is it still sin, like if it’s a passive thing? So, specifically what he was being asked was whether a person can eat meat sacrificed to a false idol. So, like on the face of it, we could be like, “well, no we shouldn’t do that”, but it’s kind of complicated. Corinth’s a big-city, people worshiped Greek gods, people worshiped the Roman gods. And, so, the meat from these sacrifices finds their way into the market, like just going grocery shopping making it basically impossible for a Christian, a believer in Jesus, to know whether or not they’re eating sacrificed meat. So, they’re trying to figure out, like, “how do…how do we navigate this? Like are we sinning if we just eat meat not knowing where it came from?” And, so, Paul was essentially making clear the meat isn’t the issue, they could eat in good conscience, but if they’re trying basically to walk the line here, like if they’re asking this question to say, “hey can we worship Jesus, but then can we also go worship at this…at this temple and eat there?” So, the meat, the food wasn’t the issue, it was the posture of heart was the issue, which basically just brought up follow-up questions. “What if…what if somebody who worships another God invites me over to have dinner? That me could have been sacrificed to an idol because I know they worship this false God and this meal that I’ve been invited to could be eating in the idols honor. Wouldn’t this be participating in idolatry?” And, so, Paul answered like this, “If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you decide to go, eat what is set before you without asking any questions because of your conscience. But if somebody tells you this food was offered to idols than don’t eat that food for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience sake. That is, not your own conscience, but the other person’s conscience.” So, basically Paul’s saying like, “look, if you’ve got a friend who worships another God and you’re invited over to eat then go eat with your friend, but if your friend actually honors you by telling you that what your about to eat has been sacrificed to this other God and warns you about the food, well then, the right thing to do is not go like, “I don’t care”. The right thing to do is honor them by not eating.” Ok, like we’re zooming this into today, like I…you probably never go to the grocery store and wonder what…wonder if what you’re picking up’s been part of a cultic ritual, but there’s a principle here that does apply, and that is that we must be very much aware of the effect our lives and our convictions have on other people and treat other people with respect and honor, especially if there respecting us and giving honor to our convictions. And this just ties in with what we were reading yesterday because it’s the same letter where Paul’s saying he tries to look at everybody with dignity, like he tries to lower himself to the point that he’s serving everyone, he’s looking at everyone with that posture. So, Paul kind of sums the whole thing up. We just kind of spent a few minutes talking this through, but Paul really sums the point up very well. And the truth of the matter is if we would remember this posture, if we would remember what Paul said, if it were something that would come to mind continually it would very much help us. Paul says, “whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God’s glory. Live in such a way as to cause no trouble either to Jews or Gentiles or the Church of God. Just do as I do. I try to please everyone in all that I do. I’m not thinking of my own good, but it’s of the good of all so that they might be saved.” So that’s first Corinthians 10:31-33. Very comprehensive, very simple instructions for life and no less practical right this minute than when this was written.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, we invite You into that. We get all caught up on what people do and do not do and what we do and what we do not do. And when somebody’s doing something that we would not do we usually condemn them and judge them and then really we’re just trying to gain an identity by what we’re not or trying to gain an identity by comparing ourselves to what someone else is or isn’t and it’s a waste of energy. We are who we are because of You. There is no identity outside of You. You have fashioned us in Your image and given us the breath of life. It’s not about what somebody else does and it’s not about what somebody else doesn’t do, and for that matter it’s not really about what we do or do not do. What we do or do not do, our behavior, should be shaped by our intimate love affair with You and there is nothing that You have withheld from us, but there has plenty we have withheld from You and this kind of stuff seeps out in the things that we do, the way that we judge people, the way that we condemn others, and the ways that we try to be slave drivers on our own selves, trying to perfect ourselves before You when it can’t be done. It’s a gift. So, Holy Spirit come. Help us to receive the gift of Your mercy and grace today that we might walk in freedom and as we walk in freedom that we might not put anyone around us in bondage for anything. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.
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Community Prayer and Praise:
Hi family this is last Michelle from Central Florida. I have a big prayer request. So, my husband and I have a very effective prison ministry. We minister to men that are coming out of jail and we have pantries that we support in eight different persons and we also have a pantry, a large pantry, with our church and it’s like exploded in growth and we each have a small business that we operate on top of everything else. The small business that I operate we took over a year ago and it was a loser, but we got a great deal on it and got into it. So, I’m asking that you guys pray with me. I’ve had a lot of difficulty with one of our vendors. I’ve gone back and forth with them for months and spent many, many hours proving to them, you know, that we’ve paid payment on different invoices. And when I say hours, multiple hours multiple calls, multiple emails. So, please be in agreement with me and I would like to take a moment to pray for all the small business owners in the DAB family. Father I just thank You Father for my brothers and sisters and for the DAB family members that own small businesses. I pray Lord God, Moed moments, Moed divine appointments, that You’ll put the right person in front of them at the right time, that You’ll give them favor and that You’re going to just work circumstances and situations out, that You’re gonna bring forth the answer from the North and South East and the West, that You’re gonna increase the fruits of their labor Father, that You’ll show them where to sow seed. And God, that in a time of famine or what seems like famine that You are gonna give them increase on every side and I thank You for…
Hi family it’s Terry from southern California. I’m calling on behalf of the prayer request from Laura who was calling in from California as well on behalf of her friend Barbara who introduced her to the DAB family a few years ago. And Barbara has lost her daughter Marcy and has passed away. And, so, Laura just thank you for calling on behalf of your friend. And I just want to lift up Barbara right now in the name of Jesus. Father God I pray Lord that You would just draw close to Barbara’s family God, to her mother and her teenage boys as well, the teenage boys of Marcy who had passed away late July this year. And I pray God that You would comfort them, that we would give them that peace that surpasses all understanding in those things which are just hurtful and full of heartache. And I pray God that Your presence will be felt in their lives and they will know that You will be with them and You will help them through this situation and that You will just bestow Your love and kindness upon them and that they will be able to rejoice in knowing that they serve a risen Savior and that one day Marcy will rise and be with the Lord Jesus Christ. And just comfort them right now, comfort her teenage boys Father God. Let them know they have __ her family and allow them to draw close to You during this __ time dear God. And so, __ thank You so much for calling on behalf of Barbara to allow the DAB family to lift her up in prayer during this very difficult time in their lives Father. So, thank you so much family…
Find family, hi Brian, this is Sally from North Dakota I am calling to give an update and a praise report on Maddie our friends daughter who ran away from a youth home. This past week she reached out to a family member and she was returned safely. It is such good news and our prayers were answered. Her family says thank you to all of you. I wanted to say hi to Jane Root from Nebraska. You said it had been a while since you called in. I’m so glad that you did. You expressed how much the DAB means to you and I feel the exact same way. how I, too, am becoming attached to each one that I hear and love. Isaiah from Delaware, I hope I got your name right. On August 1st you were the last caller that played that day. Thank you for your encouragement and prayer on thanksgiving. I love what you said, “so may we choose this day to be faithful to glorify God and be grateful for what He has done for us and all that He has in store for our lives.”
Hello Daily Audio Bible this is David from Clinton Massachusetts and I’m just calling because I heard some people calling talking about people with migraines. And I suffered with migraine for about 15 years. I had cluster migraine. I had to go into a dark room three times a week with absolutely no light. Any light would feel like a dart piercing through my eye. And I just…my heart goes out to anyone suffering from these migraines because I remember the intense agony that I suffered through so often and my wife was very loving and patient through all of that and very good. It’s always good to have somebody who is very patient with you, but if you don’t, guess what, you have a God and I’m here to tell you that the way I really got through those migraines and have not suffered one in years now was I praised the Lord through the storms. Okay? Anytime I had one I would…I’d just start praising God. Okay? And, so, I know I only have two minutes and…but I just wanted to try to encourage you to praise God through those migraines and get in the word more. Okay? Those are two things, those are the two ways that you get through it. Alright? So, I just want a quick prayer. Father God, anybody suffering with these migraines Lord I ask that You be with them and comfort them Lord, that You would relieve them, that You hold their hand Lord so that they are able to praise You Lord. Comfort them and show them the way out of that dark tunnel and let them know that there is a way out. In Jesus precious name I pray. Amen.