In today’s Bible reading*, Paul highlights several solid marks of godly people. Godly people are known by what they flee from: False doctrine, the love of money, disputes and arguments over words, envy, quarreling, slander, and evil suspicions. Paul argued against these things throughout his letters. Godly people are also known by what they pursue…
In today’s Bible reading*, Paul tells Timothy to guard against people looking down on him because of his youth. We don’t know how old Timothy is. There may have been some concern that this young pastor may not have enough experience or maturity to fulfill his ministry. There’s a lot to be said about someone…
In today’s Bible reading*, Paul tells Timothy what to look for in church leaders. I don’t know that Paul’s checklist is so much a checklist as much as it is a reminder that character matters. And character matters … a lot. I find it interesting how Bible teachers and commentators read their Bibles. Many modern…
I’ve had my share of tests. I’ve done well on many. I’ve done poorly on some. In today’s Bible reading*, Paul urges the Corinthians to examine themselves to see if they pass the test of faith. (2 Corinthians 13:5) Actually, Paul asks the Corinthians two questions: 1) Are you in the faith? and 2) Do…
Here we are again, looking at frequently-occurring words. Today’s word is grief. It appears in one form or another eight times in only four verses (2 Corinthians 7:7-10) in today’s Bible reading*. The Greek word translated as grief in English means “to be sad as the result of what has happened or what one has…