Jeremiah 33:1-34:22, 1 Timothy 4:1-16, Psalms 89:1-13, Proverbs 25:23-24
Today is the 19th day of October welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is a joy and a deep, deep privilege and honor to be here with you today as we just come in, come in out of whatever’s going on, come in out of the storm. Come in its…there’s a roaring Global Campfire here and we’re all seated around it, we’re all here together and we’re all coming in out of the storms of life to just reorient ourselves to God, just let His Scripture, let the word of God wash over us, wash into us transforming us little by little, day by day. And, so, it is always a joy and a privilege to be around the Global Campfire. And, so, let’s dive in for today. This week we’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible continuing our journey through Jeremiah. Today chapters 33 and 34.
Commentary:
Okay. In the letter that we are reading known as first Timothy instructions were given to Timothy the one who this letter is written to, that he should…that he should basically train, work himself out, like train to be godly. And training to be godly, I mean, all…aren’t we all on that page? Like, I want to train to be godly. How do you train to be godly? And we have to begin with a what…what is what is it to train for anything? And to train means to practice, right, to receive instruction on proper form or whatever it is we’re gonna train for, to receive instruction and then to practice until mastery and then to keep practicing and to see just how far we can take it. That’s what training is. And, so, for we who are believers in Jesus then to train to be godly would be to do whatever we need to do to practice being Christlike, to practice being like our Savior. That’s kind of the goal of this Christian faith, is to receive this precious gift of eternal life and then to live into it by becoming essentially, according the Bible, a mirror image - to be Christlike. So, how does that training work? And this is so good. This is so good for us to consider at this point in the in the year because every time we come to a new week we call it a shiny, sparkly, new week and we think about the fact that we get to live into that week and how we’re gonna live into that week is what’s gonna make our week. Like, we said that yesterday, right? So, here we are now in that week we were talking about and the choices and decisions and motivations that we are employing today are telling the story of today and they are also one of the chapters telling the story of this week. So, we string these weeks together, living into being Christlike and things begin to change. We might’ve thought it was gonna be like a magic when it was actually going to be just like training for anything else - hard work, endurance and sacrifice, right? You’re training for a marathon, that’s what’s going to be required. If you’re training in the gym, that’s what’s going to be required. If you’re training to get your masters then that is what’s going to be required – sacrifice, endurance, hard work. And then practicing what we have learned over and over and over and over until it’s like we don’t even think about it anymore, we have become masterful at what we’ve trained to do. So, instead of like going back to yesterday and looking into this shiny, sparkly, new week or going back a month ago, let’s go back to the day we started our journey. If my calendars right, including leap year than that was 293 days ago. We started…we got on this ship and we set sail with the intention of voyaging together through the entire year, an entire year together every day making the Bible the center of the rhythm of our lives around this Global Campfire. And then what we found out is that there was so much more this journey. There were other people on this journey. This is not a solitary journey and we’ve fallen in love with each other. This is what happens as we take this voyage in the same direction. There are some who are not hearing me say this today because they did not continue to train, right? Like somewhere along the path who knows who they are or where they are now but somewhere along the path they drifted off this voyage and they are doing whatever they are doing, but some of us are hearing this and we have voyaged, we have traveled the entire amount of days to get here and we can see that it makes a difference, likely because this is the way we are. Likely we had other goals 293 days ago on New Year’s Day. Likely we had some fitness goals, most people do, some dietary goals, most people do exist. It’s like we get between Christmas and New Year’s and we start thinking about all of the things that we are going to change to have a more productive love filled, joyous year. And, so, we’re gonna make some of those changes, we’re gonna work on the marriage, we’re gonna…we’re gonna try to do, you know, get the promotion, whatever. We have these goals that we set, and usually spiritual goals are one of the goals and fitness goals are one of the goals. So, maybe we bought a whole new wardrobe to work out, we’re 293 days into this year. Have you continued? We can all go, “yeah, not so much because Covid. I mean like the world shut down this year. So, instead of losing 19 pounds for Covid 19 I gained 19 pounds.” But some people actually pressed in, found alternative ways to continue the journey that they had committed to for the year. And, so, have worked on their fitness, and I’ve worked on their spirituality and are feeling drastically different than they did 293 days ago because they trained. They practiced and practiced and practiced until change came. And change isn’t an immediately noticeable thing. If you gotta ose 50 pounds and you lose 10 maybe people are starting to notice maybe not, but there is no doubt about how you are feeling. You may be discouraged that it’s not happening fast enough but there’s no doubt that you are feeling more healthy because you are eating more healthy and you are giving your body things that your body knows what to do with instead of junk that it’s not certain what to do with and so it will put it wherever it can. If you stick to that training if you practice change will come. It’s inevitable. Why do we not realize that that is a spiritual reality as well? If you train if you practice if we center ourselves in God’s word, and then start watching ourselves watching like when we become angry and how a switch can be pulled and that anger ratchets up to like rage, how does that happen? We have to train to watch ourselves so that in the moment at the crossroads when wisdom is saying go this way and don’t go that way, we have trained ourselves to listen and obey and catch ourselves. And this can be about any aspect of our lives. This is how we submit ourselves to God. This is how we train to listen to the Holy Spirit. And if we will continue to practice change is inevitable. This is kind of what is being said to Timothy, “train yourself. Train yourself to be godly, to be Christlike.” May we all take that one on board and carry it forward into this week because we’re still at the beginning of the week and we still have the story of this week to tell. And maybe we can train, we practice being Christlike. And maybe, maybe if we keep doing that, maybe we can master it because the Bible seems to indicate that that’s where this is all going. That’s where we’re headed. Will we master it in our own strength? No. We’re not on our own though. We never have been. We do have to endure. We do have to practice. We do have to train. We do have to stay focused. This is what training is but it’s possible. What do we have to lose? Like how many times have we said that this year? Look in the mirror. Just look around. Like, is everything perfect? Is it how you want it? If not than what is there to lose by trying to be Christlike, which is the goal of our faith?
Prayer:
Father we invite You into that. Jesus come. It is Your face that we seek, it is Your life, Your character that we read of that we are trying to live into and Your Holy Spirit has promised to lead us into all truth to reveal this narrow path that leads to life that You spoke of. And, so, we are here, we are open, we are once again resetting, we are once again repenting. Your word continually presses in upon us to show us the way to go and here we are, and this is the way to go. And, so, come Holy Spirit, well up within us as we start to train as we pay attention to what we are doing and how it is we lose control in any way, how we lose…when we relinquish control of ourselves we have abandoned what You are doing in our lives. And, so, we don’t want another day like that. It’s counterproductive. It’s leading us in the wrong direction. And, so, lead us forward as we pay attention as we train ourselves to be godly in the name of Jesus we as. 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.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Yeah, my name is Joel Maddox and I was just calling in because I need prayer. I have a lot of stuff going on in my life and I’m ready to give up and throw in the towel. I’ve lost everything because of stupid choices and decisions in my life. I lost loved…a loved one that I cared about more than anything and I can’t stand to see myself in the mirror anymore. I don’t know what to do. Everybody has kinda left me and then, you know, you get these scriptures where they’re trying to say, “hey, you’re still gonna make it, you’re gonna make it” and all I want is a hug and then to be told that I’m loved and actually be loved. So, I need you guys to pray for me. I need it so badly because I’m some so ready to just give up. I’m so tired. I’m just so tired. Please God help me.
Good morning everyone this is Joyful J in the Everglades. I just listened to October 11th, 12th, and 13th kind of doing a little catch-up and there was a gentle man I believe is…he said it was the Mosher family who’s nephew’s life was taken by the hands of another person on October 2nd. Oh, my goodness my heart is so going out to you and your family and your sister. Lord I just thank You so much that You do care enough that we can come as a family before You and we can lift up this family who is hurting so bad. To lose four family members in four years, oh my, I can’t even imagine. But my heart is crying for this family, for this sister. Lord, You know what they need. I can’t even…like to have a family members life taken from them at the hands of another person. Oh. I pray for protection for all of the people in this country, in this world. Protect us from the evil that lingers out there in the streets. Protect us from the evil that wants to knock on our doors and wants to knock on our souls that wants to take over our minds Lord. I pray Lord that You are just push that away, let us learn to come into Your hand. Let us learn to put on the armor of God. Let us seek You, let us get comfort sitting in Your hand Lord. I just have no words. There are no words. Lord but my heart is crying for this family…
This is Candace from Oregon speaking specifically to God’s smile. You’ve been in such deep waters, floods threatening to engulf you. Sister we love you so much. I feel God leading me to lead all of us in prayer for you. From Psalm 69 is where most of these words and thoughts have come from. Lord for all that God’s Smile must endure we pray to You Lord in the time of Your favor in Your great love oh God answer God’s Smile with Your sure salvation. Rescue her from the mire. Do not sink. Deliver her from those who hate You Lord. We rebuke all foul spirits who torment her in any way and ask You to lift her from the deep waters. Do not let them engulf her or the depths swallow her up. Answer God’s Smile Lord out of the goodness of Your love in Your great mercy. Do not hide Your face from Your servant. Answer her quickly when she is in trouble. Come near and rescue her Lord. We think about that time Lord when You were dying for us on the cross and they put vinegar up to Your lips. Oh Lord be with God’s Smile afflicted and in pain may Your salvation protect her. She presses Your name along she glorifies You Lord with Thanksgiving. It pleases You. Thank You so much for how she has blessed us all.
Good morning everybody. Hey this is Annette Allison from Oklahoma City actually in the middle of nowhere east of Amarillo Texas coming back from a wonderful vacation with my sons in Colorado, Durango. It was wonderful. It was great to see them both. God’s Smile this morning you were on my mind. I was listening to your heart just pouring out paying that you’re going through, and I wanted you to know sister that I am praying for you and that I love you. I understand how it feels to go through pain that’s just unmanageable and I do I do I do, I lift you up and I want you to know that when you were on the…on the prayer request line, I’m a few days behind, I’m trying to catch up today I was praying for you and something crazy happened. I was driving down the road and I’m sitting here praying and praying and I come over this rise and there is this giant cross on the…in the middle of the highway. When I get off the road, I’m going to send this picture to you. It’s like crazy. I…I…I just have to take it that that’s a sign that God says He hears you. I know, I know every time that the Lord hears I know that He always like gives an answer, doesn’t He? And, so, I don’t know what His answer and His plan is for you, but I just have to say that I think, I know that the Lord hears you. I know that He does. So, I love you sister. I hope you feel better very, very soon and I just want you to know that I love you very much. All right? Have a great day. Bye, Bye.
Hello Daily Audio Bible this is Duane from Wisconsin. All praise and glory to our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Calling in today for God’s Smile. All of us on the Daily Audio Bible know who God’s Smile is and her wonderful praises that she sings and gives out encouragement she gives out to everybody. What a blessing she is for this community as well a number of others of you, for all of…all of you. But today she needs us to lift her up. Dear Lord, we’re lifting up God’s Smile to You. The pain that she is suffering Lord, we pray, we’re on our knees. We’re begging, we’re pleading with You that You would take that pain away from her. Lord she is such a good and faithful Christian. We are asking, though we know we have no right to ask, but we are. We’re on our knees, we’re begging and pleading that You would please take away the pain. Allow her to sing for us Lord, to lift praises up for You, to encourage others Lord without any pain. Our heart is breaking for her. We’re reaching out to You Lord. Please Lord we are begging You that You would relieve her of this pain. We ask this in our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Brian and Jill, we again thank you for this wonderful podcast.
Hi Jeannie from Florida this is God’s Grace for Japan, my prayer for Japan. And I’m going to pray for you. You asked for us to pray for you to lose weight so I’m going to do that. Lord I pray that You take Jeannie’s hand and that You encourage her that she is fearfully and wonderfully made, that You love this beautiful glorious body that You have provided for her. You care for it You want her to care for it too. You want her to nurture it You want her to train it and make it strong You want her to feed it well with really beautiful good things that You have provided for her to eat. I pray that You encourage her to use her body as the temple for Your Spirit that You have asked her to use it for. I thank You so much that You encourage us and equip us with these beautiful bodies that You have given us and I pray that You will take her on a wonderful journey to learn how to glorify You with her body through how she uses it through how she feeds it through how she loves it and cherishes it. But I also ask that You encourage her to know that this is Your beautiful body that You’ve already given her. And You will heal the parts of it that need to be healed and You will carry her through the journey of healing that is necessary. So, if there’s something wrong or if there’s something sick or she has too much weight on it, something holding her down preventing her body from being the temple that You require it to be Lord I ask that You guide her through that journey of finding that and coming to a healing place so that she can glorify You with this beautiful temple that You’ve given her. Love you Jeannie. Bye.
Hello family my name is Chris from Florida. I’ve been listening about two years now out of a recommendation of a friend of mine. I listen to the reading. I listen to the explanations and I’ve gotten a lot from this community. I listen to everybody’s prayers after. Don’t always get to the community prayers just due to the length of time, how many there are. But today I come to you in need of prayer for my daughter. She’s 12 years old and her mom passed last night. So, if you could, keep us lifted up for peace and healing. She’s a believer so we know that she’s home, but I can’t imagine going through what she’s about to go through at that age and she’s gonna need everybody in her corner that’s willing to be there for her. Thank you.