June 14 Paul begins 1 Thessalonians 2 talking about how he and his companions ministered to the church with such care for the people. He talks about how he and his partners conducted themselves when they ministered there in 1 Thessalonians 2:7–12. In 1 Thessalonians 2:13–14, Paul repeats what he said in yesterday’s Bible readings…
June 13 It can be very dangerous to imitate someone. But the key is who you are trying to imitate. Paul doesn’t hesitate to praise the Thessalonians for imitating him and his partners, (1 Thessalonians 1:6) and he goes further in 1 Corinthians 11:1 to tell them to imitate him as he imitated Jesus. Paul…
June 12 Several times in Acts 17, we see more problems with Jews over the proclamation of the Gospel. They are clearly jealous that people are coming to faith in Jesus. (Acts 17:5) In this first instance, they formed a riot and raided the home of “Jason” in Thessalonica. Little else is known about Jason,…
June 11 In Paul’s final chapter of Galatians, he tells the church to restore brothers and sisters who have been overtaken in any wrongdoing. (Galatians 6:1) He warns them to be careful, lest they, too, might fall into sin. In other words, Paul is telling the church’s mature believers to reach out and restore someone…
June 8 In yesterday’s Bible reading and devotional, we saw that God’s people are not slaves, but children of God. Today, in Galatians 5, we see what freedom in Christ looks like. Paul says that we were set free for the purpose of being free: free to live a godly life. Paul says that if…
June 7 In Galatians 4, we see a new dynamic in the relationship between God and His people. Under the Old Covenant, God’s people only knew God as an “out there” God. But in today’s Bible reading, we see that God is not “out there”. God’s people saw themselves as servants of God. However, under…
