Jeremiah 19:1-21:14, I Thessalonians 5:4-28, Psalm 82:1-8, Proverbs 25:9-10
Today is the 12th day of October, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I’m Brian, it is wonderful to be here with you today, doing what we do every day, taking the next step forward together and our next step will lead us back into the book of Jeremiah. We’re reading from the New Living Translation this week, Jeremiah chapter 19, 20, and 21.
Commentary:
Okay, so we concluded Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, today, I Thessalonians. Which means that II Thessalonians is coming and we’ll begin that tomorrow. But as is generally, typical, there’s like lists of characteristics, things that get listed out that Paul’s summing things up with the need to be remembered. We talked about that we finished Colossians a few days ago. We looked at those lists and there's…there’s a list in I Thessalonians as well and it's…it’s a good one. And so, we’re obviously gonna review it. That’s what we’re supposed to do, that’s what the original receivers of this letter, they would’ve read this out loud in the congregations and they would’ve heard these lists. And maybe not characterize them as a list of behaviors or stuff to live into, but things to pay attention to. And so, we can do the same thing. We can go well, alright, hear give me the list and let me find out what I need to change, how I’m failing, and we can certainly read and go yeah, we got some work to do in this area. But what Paul is describing is what is supposed to be our normal way of things, what normal in the kingdom is supposed to look like. And so, we can review this and realize we’ve got some work to do. Or, you know, look at how we’re failing or we can also read this and understand this is what I am to be becoming. This is where my life is going. This is where I’m aiming and ultimately this is what sanctification will work out in me. This is how normal is supposed to look, this is what I am becoming. And so, let’s take a look. This is basically I Thessalonians chapter 5, then we begin with verse 12 and work our way through verse 22. This is where we find these characteristics. Honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Maybe I should have named that number one. Number two: live peacefully with each other. Number three: warn those who are lazy, encourage those who are timid, take tender care of those who are weak. Number four: be patient with everyone. Number five: see that no one pays back evil for evil. Number six: always try to do good to each other and to all people. Number seven: always be joyful. Number eight: never stop praying. Number nine: be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Number 10: do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Number 11: do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said, hold on to what is good. And number 12: stay away from every kind of evil. And so, again we look at his list and go okay this is my list. This is my to do list, the you know, this is what I’m going to try by brute force, live myself into, and that, so that means self-discipline is a necessary part, having self-control is a necessary part of our faith journey. But we can also look at this list and I imagine that we all agree on these characteristics, like we’re all trying to move in this direction. So, to look at this list and go this is what normal is for a believer, helps us understand where we are headed in this life of faith as we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Prayer:
And so, Jesus, we ask for your help Holy Spirit. We need You in this. We read these things and realize that we’re failing in a lot of them and heap condemnation upon ourselves and self-loathing and hatred that we’re never going to measure up and then we realize we can never do this on our own without You. And so, we need You and the point isn’t to condemn us it’s to encourage us that there is a better life waiting for us. Available to us now, like now. So come, Holy Spirit, into this as we consider these things today. The places that are a leading edge of work for us, places that we need to more deeply surrender to You. Things we need to slow down on, things that we need to press into. Come, Holy Spirit, into all of this, leading us and guiding us. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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And that’s it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Prayer and Encouragements:
Good morning family this is Trent from Rockville. I’m just gonna call in and give you a little story. I worked as a supervisor in construction years ago. Had a guy that was in the company, couldn’t get along with any supervisor, wanted to fight, and was pretty rough. They put him with me and I started talking to him about God. And, he said “Well my wife has been begging me to go to church.” And I looked at him and I said “what do you have to lose?” “Well, I don’t really want to go.” And I said, “well, what do you have to lose, really? To go spend one hour for your wife after all she does for you.” He went. On that Monday he came in, he said “it wasn’t so bad” he said, “I kind of really enjoyed it.” And, then he turned his life around and started going to church and as far as I know he still goes to church today. So, my prayer is that at least one of us, or everyone try to reach out and touch someone that doesn’t know God. And try to bring them closer to God. And I pray for all those that don’t know God, to please come to God. If we all come to God this would be the greatest world there ever was to live in. So, that’s my prayer and I ask for prayer for it too. And, I just want all ya’ll to know that I love you.
Good morning DAB family it’s the 7th of October at 9:15 AM this is Sarah from London. I hope you all are having a lovely, blessed week. Just praying that God is meeting each and every one of your needs. And I am just calling to say that I’m so, so sorry to hear about the loss of your brother Victorious Soldier. When I heard that my heart just really broke. It just shows the kind of person that you are even in the midst of your loss, a big loss as this, you still call in to pray for others. It just shows your heart and may God continue to send blessings your way. Cause you are such a woman of faith and I admire that. I’m just praying for God’s comfort upon you and your family during this very difficult time. May God be the strength of your heart. Just to let you know that I’m praying and I’m thinking of you and the family. I love you and I love you all DAB family.
Hey DAB fam, it’s Refined by the Fire in Ohio. Oh Brian, man, this passage in your commentary today for October 7th, oooh, just slices. You know I think we have all made a dish – whether we followed the recipe or tried to make it up, that went completely sideways and ended up in the trash and we ordered pizza or whatever happened. So, to compare that to our spiritual recipe and what are we choosing to whip up for the day and as much as I would love to say “Oh my gosh, I get up every morning and you know, I put on my armor and I grab those ingredients of the Spirit and I am ready to go.” The truth is that is not how that rules on a regular basis and instead I dig in the trash and I pullout those things that I shouldn’t be clinging to, and they seem so easy just to sprinkle over top of things and I just thank you for your words today. Thank you for the reading today and just gosh for just allowing the Spirit to do its work and I will be taking that with me through today and hopefully further but I do just thank you just for continuing to speak so. Love you guys all have a great day.
Hi this is Victorious Solider just calling to pray for some of the DABers. I want to pray for our precious Tony, it’s so good to hear from you Tony. I’m sorry to hear about your mom and the COVID. And we’ll pray for her that God will give her the victory. I want to also pray for Ransom Soul and her physical condition. She says her health is declining and her and her son and daughter is going through depression. I want to pray for them also. I want to pray for Susan from Canada and wanted to pray for Moreen, that she’s having some medical issues. I want to pray also for Bonnie who’s going through some challenges and Susan whose going through some challenges. Gracious Father, we come before You today, we just praise You, we just ask You to forgive us for any sin that we may have committed that is not pleasing in Your sight. Lord, we need You like a flower need rain. We ask You to touch those souls, Lord and those who are going through this Coronavirus Lord. We ask You to touch ‘em and we ask You to heal, we ask You to deliver, we ask You to give them life and save them Father. In the name of Jesus. We ask You to have Your way in the life of the DABers and Your people, You have Your way. In the name of Jesus, Lord, You have Your way. We thank You for the victory, we thank You that You’re an awesome God. We thank You that You’re a mighty God. We thank You that You’re a Holy God, that no other God is greater than You. And we thank that You’re a God that answers prayers and we thank You for the prayer. We thank You for the victory, we thank You for those coming out of the hospital being healed. We thank You Lord for the victory in the name of Jesus. And Lord, we give You the glory.
Hi, this is Bonnie from Virginia. I wanted to thank Susan who prayed for me and for Mark in Australia. Thank you so much for your prayer. And I also wanted to request you to continue praying for me because my both children are not following God, now a days. My daughter is married to a Hindu guy and she has stopped going to church. My son, has moved out and is living with his girlfriend and he’s also not following God or going to church. I raised them in Christian faith and along with the Christian surroundings or people but I don’t know what I missed. It really hurts because I always followed God. I was an orphan and grew up in an orphanage home so I used to feel that God is only the one that I have in my life and I walked in His path every day in my sorrow or happiness. And I tried to do the same thing for my children to lead them to trust in God, but I don’t know. Maybe, it’s the surroundings that they are now is diverting them from God. So, I would really, really, want to request you all to pray for me. I love listening to Daily Audio Bible. The minute I open my eyes I will just start listening to