Your Daily Bible

When you hear the word “resolve” what comes to mind? Maybe you pictured a determined athlete, the 2-year-old that doesn’t want to back down, or the health battle we will do everything to fight. 

The dictionary explains resolve as “fixity of purpose” or “firm determination.” We easily associate resolve with reaching the highest level in a sport or persevering through a diagnosis. But it also takes resolve to stay the course spiritually. 

In Daniel 1, Daniel shows what having resolve for God looks like. Daniel, an Israelite, is chosen to join the king’s service. With this new role, Daniel faced pressure to compromise his Jewish standards and fit into the Babylonian culture. But “...Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine” (Daniel 1:8). 

Daniel knew what he was being asked to eat and drink was not in line with Scripture. It would have been easy to partake in the meal and appease his new bosses, but Daniel knew this would be wrong in God’s eyes. 

Daniel knew God, knew His Word, and was fixed on God’s purpose. So when faced with an uncomfortable — and potentially costly decision — Daniel didn’t have to wrestle with what to do. Though it took courage to follow through, the decision not to defile himself was clear. 

Like Daniel, we need to first know God’s Word, then be intentional in our obedience to it. This is where resolve comes in. 

The culture we live in isn’t always conducive to our values as Christians. Though knowing and wanting to do what is right is important, it is the first step. We also need to resolve to carry out our beliefs even when the pressure is on.

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The church building was small, hardly what we might consider structurally sound. Light shone through cracks in the cement walls. There was no floor but the dusty ground. Gabonese church members filled the rows of rickety wooden benches and service began.

Unlike us visiting missionaries, the people didn’t drive or take a bus to get there. They left early that morning and walked for miles to reach the church. They poured their hearts out to God singing songs. And when it came time to give the offering, people without shoes, electricity or running water walked forward and placed money in a woven basket, Four different times!

In 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Paul commands those who are rich not “to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” Instead they are to “do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”

It’s easy to dismiss verses directed to the wealthy when we see people around us with so much more. But Americans are among the wealthiest people in the world. It only takes $32,400 a year, to be among the richest 1 percent in the world. So when we talk about the 1% and we all think they live in ivory towers… World wide many if not most of us Americans fall into that 1% category.

God asks us to give from what He has given us. We are to be generous with our time, our actions and our money. We have the ability to use what God has given us to bless others and point them to Jesus. And that is an investment that will always yield a return.

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When the desire for money and the pursuit of money is greater than our desire or pursuit to be more like Jesus, it breeds greed and discontent in our lives.

This was the case in Timothy’s day. False teachers were implying that godliness is a means to financial gain (1 Timothy 6:5). Paul warns Timothy to stay away from such teaching. He reminds Timothy that true wealth is found in knowing Jesus and recognizing that we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it (1 Timothy 6:7).

Money and stuff can be here today and gone tomorrow. When our worth is determined by what we have, we’re just one job loss, one house fire or one bad decision away from hopelessness.

The satisfaction we get from stuff is fleeting. There will always be something newer, trendier and more advanced just around the corner.

True contentment is not fleeting. It is based on Who we know, not what we have. God is well aware of all our needs even before we ask. When our value and identity is based on who we are in Christ, we’ll find that we already have more than we need.

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When the word “church” comes up in conversation, the first thing we think of is a building. We have this mindset that church is a place we go to on Sundays. As we get our family dressed, fight through traffic and get a good seat, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that we aren’t just going to church; we are the church.

In 1 Timothy 5, Paul describes the church as people dedicated to doing whatever it takes to reach out and help others. We have a responsibility to serve and help others in need as the church. Caring for each other as well as those outside of the church is the quickest way to see Jesus change lives. Too often, we see a need and wait for the pastor or someone on staff to take responsibility. But that’s not the way church works.

Each of us has been given skills, abilities and opportunities to serve. In Timothy’s church, for example, the women ran a widows ministry (1 Timothy 5:16), and elders directed church affairs while others were devoted just to teaching and preaching (1 Timothy 5:17).

In the Bible, church is always a reference to people, not a place. The church is a body of believers that live out the Gospel in their words and actions. The church is at its best when people inside the building take Jesus’ message outside the building and serve those they meet.

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12 Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. 13 Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.

14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. 15 Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.

In 1 Timothy, Paul is advising Timothy on how to handle a difficult situation. At the time, Timothy is being sent in to address areas of concern within the church. No doubt, this was an overwhelming task. Timothy was younger than many of the people he would be advising, and he also likely had less religious experience. This, however, was not concerning to God. What we see in others and ourselves is not what God sees. God sees the heart. God is concerned not with age or experience, but with our conduct, love, faith and purity.

Paul tells Timothy not to let anyone look down on him because of his age, but the principle extends far beyond just age. The broader message is that God has a plan for us no matter what our perceived limitation. As believers, we are called specifically to pursue God’s will above all else. This means that no matter our situation, we are without excuse when it comes to saying yes to what God puts in front of us. If we aren’t dead, God’s not done.

God is not waiting for us to reach a certain age, theological understanding or level of income to be used by Him.  Our value to God lies in our obedience — not our age, race, gender or how much or how little we may have. Despite all the shortcomings we see in ourselves, we have the ability to confidently share Jesus’ message with those around us.

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Running a marathon isn’t something we just wake up and do. To build the endurance to finish a 26.2-mile race takes months of strict, physical training. To get up every morning and run, whether or not you feel like it, takes commitment and discipline.

While there are physical benefits to this kind of training — strong legs, a healthy heart, there’s a spiritual benefit to learning discipline as well.  In 1 Timothy 4, Paul compares the drive it takes us to finish the Christian life well to the drive it takes to train for a race.

There are going to be mornings where we don’t feel like reading the Bible. There will be Sundays where we don’t feel like serving. There will be people we don’t feel like forgiving. But like the athlete who pushes through to reach his goal, we make a conscious choice each day to push past our feelings and circumstances to keep following Jesus.

The difference between physical training and mental training is the reward. "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).

The medal we receive at the end of a race is nothing compared to the spiritual strength we receive when we learn to value discipline. Striving toward physical goals are great goals to have. But striving toward godliness has value in this life and the one to come.

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Pretend for a moment that you’re standing outside in a blizzard with only a T-shirt on. Would you refuse a jacket if one were offered to you? In the midst of freezing temperatures and billowing snows, the warmth a jacket provides would be more than desirable.

Not many of us would stand bare armed in a blizzard and refuse a jacket. We do, however, often refuse refuge from an even harsher environment. The raging storms of this world, that can knock us clean off of our feet. However, we often find ourselves running toward the storm and away from the protection of a loving God.

When we refuse God, we also refuse His goodness and His blessings that he has available for us in every situation. When we turn away from his outstretched hand, we turn away from the protection and warmth He longs to give us.

Nothing this world can offer us, even the good things, will ever lead to true contentment. The only thing this world has to offer us is a temporary fix that deceivingly leads to more emptiness.

Fortunately, we serve a God who holds more fulfillment, love, peace, healing and security than we could ever ask for. Ephesians 3:20 says God’s good is beyond our wildest imagination, and far greater than anything good this world has to offer. If we let go of our good things and open our hands and hearts to receive God’s goodness, we will have more good in our lives than we know what to do with.

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The Truths of Our Faith
14 I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, 15 so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

16 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:

Christ was revealed in a human body
     and vindicated by the Spirit. 
 He was seen by angels
     and announced to the nations.
 He was believed in throughout the world
     and taken to heaven in glory.

 In 1 Timothy 3, the apostle Paul is giving Timothy, a young pastor, instructions about how to lead his church. In case Paul got delayed on his way to see Timothy, he wanted the church to know how to live like people who follow Jesus.

Paul writes that part of the church’s role is to be a pillar of truth and to explain to the world the secret of how to be godly (1 Timothy 3:16). The answer to how we are made right with God is revealed in the hymn that follows:

• Jesus appeared in the flesh. Jesus was fully human. When Jesus was born, God came and lived among us.
• Jesus was vindicated by the Holy Spirit. Jesus completely obeyed God and lived a perfect life. The resurrection was proof of the Holy Spirit’s power in Him.
• Jesus was seen by the angels and taken up in glory. Jesus wasn’t just fully human, he was also fully divine.

As a man, Jesus lived a perfect life and gave us a perfect example of how to live. As God, Jesus gives us the power to do what is right. It is possible to live a godly life by following Jesus.

The church exists to share this message, because being made right with God starts with believing this one revolutionary idea: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

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Every decision we make reveals standards we set for our lives. Giving in to the pressures of purity, buying what we can’t pay for, talking about someone we think we are better than all reveal our character. How we act will be determined by whether we are allowing the values of the world or the Bible to set the standards of our lives.

 When our standards are dictated by people rather than God, we are automatically limited. We have to be careful not to draw conclusions about our value from what others say about us. Being a Christian is about how we live out our faith, and oftentimes, the right stance isn’t going to be the most popular one.

In 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Paul gives us guidelines to live by because they are consistent with what God says is right and true. God is more concerned with who we are than with what we do. We are not given a list of duties to carry out, but qualities to live out.

Living a godly life starts at the heart. When we make God’s priorities our priorities, we’re less likely to allow work or volunteer activities to take us away from family responsibilities. When we see people the way Jesus saw people, we’re less likely to treat people we know well and treat people we don’t know poorly.

As a Christian, we represent Jesus at all times. Whatever we do, wherever we go, whatever we say, we make an impression of who Jesus is by what we say and how we act.

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9 And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. 10 For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

This is one of those teachings that is so counter cultural that we struggle with it deeply. It offends us and we immediately go on the defensive.

Modesty is one of the most abused words in the Christian dialect and is usually only spoken about girls showing to much skin. Modesty goes much deeper than simply that.

Modesty and humility go hand and hand. Humility is evaluating ourselves properly, with sober judgment (Rom 12:3). Modesty is behavior that flows out of remembering our true place of service, and does not conceitedly boast about the self, but boasts in God (2 Cor 10:17) (Phil 2:3-4) Modesty, or the lack thereof, reveals where we’ve placed our identity. 

Rich women in the ancient world arrogantly declared their high status, their value, their identity with expensive clothing and jewelry. How do we go about boasting in ourselves today?

We live in an identity-addicted society. We strive to put our tastes and our stuff on display so that everyone knows who we are. We’re told to accentuate our best features, get what we want out of life, stand up for and express ourselves. Social media is often the megaphone we use to herald our personal identity and covertly brag about our smarts, body, sexuality, culture, politics, sports, relationships, family, insecurities, experiences, and possessions.

People who are growing in there faith to become more like Jesus instead love to fade into the background, serving the needs of others, asking Jesus to take center stage. We’ve been freed to have a truly modest life, which will make the world wonder why we’re not fighting for our social status and incidental preferences. Maybe we can be so freed from human approval and praise that they begin to inquire, “Who are you?”

And we can respond, “I am not my own, for I was bought with a price. I belong to God”(1 Cor 6:19-20); (Romans 14:8)

Living modestly is to intentionally take the focus off of ourselves and shift people’s attention to God. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” (Psalm 115:1)

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