Short Reflection from 1 Thessalonians 1-5

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (BRW-M) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[10:47 pm, 07/03/2022] S.R:

𝟙 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙:𝟝

"for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake."

Gospel (and all the word of God) must convict us.

 

𝟙 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟚:𝟙𝟠

"For we wanted to come to you--I, Paul, more than once--and yet Satan hindered us."

Don't underestimate the schemes of Satan. If he could hinder Paul, and the angel (to Daniel), he can frustrate a lot of our plans!

 

𝟙 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟛:𝟡

"For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account,"

The greatest joy of a godly minister is to see their spiritual children maturing.

 

𝟙 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟜:𝟙

"Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝔼𝕩𝕔𝕖𝕝 𝕊𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕄𝕠𝕣𝕖."

This exhortation is repeated in v10. Our goal and standard is excellency. We can't afford to be complacent. We can't afford to be satisfied with our sanctification. We can't get tired of doing good. Not 99.99% but 100%👍

But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; (1 Thessalonians 5:21, NASB)

 

[9:11 am, 22/05/2022] S.R: 𝟙 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟝:𝟞

"so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober."

Of all people, Christians should be alert and sober in all matters of 'spiritual' life.

Ignorance is not bliss, it's sin only!

Short Reflection from Colossians 1-4

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (BRW-M) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[7:49 pm, 03/03/2022] S.R:

 ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙:𝟙𝟘

"so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

We can't be only Sunday Christians, but at all times, in all situations.

And we must be fruitful, not lazy.

And we must keep learning, not ignorant!

 

ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟚:𝟠

"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."

The word of God is the supreme authority over all ideas. This is the perfect verse to counsel a schizophrenic guy.

 

ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟛:𝟙𝟟

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

Whatever we do and say must be saturated with the word of Christ. How guilty fallen are we!?

 

ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟜:𝟞

"Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person."

Try cooking curry without salt. Salt is that important.

Try eating eggs or anything with an overdose of salt. It's disgusting.

We need the right pinch of salt for each dish.

So our response is "to each person"

Short Reflection from Philippians 1-4

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (BRW-M) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[8:06 pm, 27/02/2022] S.R:

ℙ𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕡𝕡𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙:𝟙𝟠

"What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,"

Paul's desire was for Christ to be known. 👍

 

ℙ𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕡𝕡𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟚:𝟙𝟘-𝟙𝟙

"so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Christ will be seen as the Lord of all by all, even by those who were born blind, deaf, and with down syndrome!

 

ℙ𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕡𝕡𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟛:𝟚𝟘

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;"

Indeed, if we are of heaven, we ought to live like heavenly citizens. Doing our business for the place we belong!

 

ℙ𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕡𝕡𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟜:𝟡

"The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."

Wow! I wish I have the confidence, conscience, courage, and character to say this! Wow!

𝔹𝕥𝕨, 𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝟞𝟙𝕤𝕥 𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟚. 𝕆𝕦𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕕 𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟 (𝕄𝔸ℝℂℍ) 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕦𝕖𝕤.... 👍🙏

Short Reflection from Ephesians 1-6

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (BRW-M) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible] 

[9:51 pm, 21/02/2022] S.R:

𝔼𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙:𝟙𝟠

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,"

As a pastor, what could I pray better than to imitate this!? 😇 This is my prayer too for you all, tonight! 🙏

 

𝔼𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟚:𝟠

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;"

God is amazingly gracious. I am sparingly gracious 😬😂

I want to be increasingly gracious!

 

𝔼𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟛:𝟠

"To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,"

Paul considered himself the least of all saints. What a statement of humility!

 

𝔼𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟜:𝟙𝟙-𝟙𝟚

"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;"

According to this passage, the work of the ministry is not done by pastors but by church members. The job of the pastor is to equip the church members!

 

𝔼𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟝:𝟛

"But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;"

Some sins shouldn't be even named/mentioned among us, which should be avoided!

 

𝔼𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟞:𝟙𝟡

"and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,"

Paul asked for prayer; then we all should ask for prayer all the more!

About Complaining

These days I have been having a sulky heart. I struggle to be grateful to God. I am unable to pray long. I don’t enjoy reading my Bible. I find mischievous satisfaction when I count all the things (what I think) the Lord has wronged me. In short, I complain too much.

I listen to sermons concerning discontentment, bitterness, and pride to help my dispirited soul rejuvenate; they pierce but don’t heal as of now. My blog post today is not about how I overcame this feeling, nor about what one should do in such despondency. I am writing (and putting up this blog post) because I find pleasure in writing about it.

I love to read Tim Challies about anything. He is simple to read and relevant to identify with. I consider him an ordinary Christian who writes about ordinary things; however, I believe even the smartest Christians (I am not among them) have many things to learn from him. So, let me pull up some of his articles that deal with complaints—complaining, etc. I am posting here several screenshots—of some of the lines I identify with his writings—with web links to them. 

October 13, 2015, Stop Your Complaining

March 23, 2018 Life Has Not Been Easy

February 20, 2013 For You It’s Sin, For Me It’s Service

February 25, 2019 When Grumbling Meets Gossip

October 26, 2016 Things Christians Just Don’t Get To Do

November 28, 2017 But Others Have It Worse

September 11, 2023 Infants Are Easily Discontented

Short Reflection from Galatians 1-6

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (BRW-M) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[8:22 am, 15/02/2022] S.R:

𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙:𝟚𝟜

"And they were glorifying God because of me."

I want Christians to glorify God because of me (God's grace working in me)

I want non-Christians to glorify God (becoming worshippers) because of me (by means of evangelism)

I want fellow leaders to glorify God because of me.

Is "because of me" egoistical and self-centric? Well, Nah! Paul said so. May you be wrong every time and Paul be right! 😎😂

 

𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟚:𝟚𝟘

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

One of my favorite Bible verses. It's not enough to memorize John 3:16, this verse must complement well! 🙏👍😇

 

𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟛:𝟚𝟞

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

Not only is our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, we are also sons of God through faith.

Jesus is the original/unique Son of God; we are the adopted sons of God.

 

𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟜:𝟙𝟡

"My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you-"

This is what a pastor should be known for!

 

𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟝:𝟙𝟛

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."

𝔽𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕕𝕠𝕞! That's the word!

 

𝔾𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟞:𝟡

"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary."

A good verse to encourage those who are rich in good works. Today, while I was praying in one of our church member's homes, I quoted this because they were rich in hospitality and serving the church!

Short Reflection from 2 Corinthians 1-13

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (BRW-M) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[6:20 pm, 02/02/2022] S.R:

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙:𝟙𝟙

"you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many."

One of my main jobs as a pastor is to make every church member a prayerful person!

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟚:𝟙𝟚-𝟙𝟛

"Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia."

Someday, I would like to recall such similar incidents in my life, not that I want to be worried, but the compassion and relationship I have with others!

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟛:𝟙𝟠

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."

Biblically speaking there's nothing called backsliding Christian. That's poor terminology for a real problem. Every Christian is becoming better and better day by day.

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟜:𝟙

"Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart,"

Gospel Ministry workers can't afford to be discouraged but actually is discouraging. I think all works and professions are too discouraging at certain times, and maybe rightly so, but not the Gospel Ministry for the mercy and grace of God abounds!

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟝:𝟚-𝟜

"For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life."

But, do we groan???

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟞:𝟙𝟙-𝟙𝟛

"Our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is opened wide. You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections. Now in a like exchange--I speak as to children--open wide to us also."

Sometimes leaders are the problem, but other times, people are the problem like the Corinthians!

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟟:𝟙𝟘

"For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death."

Sorrow accompanied by a change of lifestyle!

 

[7:07 am, 09/02/2022] S.R: @Chakhuangam, Today is the 40th day of our update. And I just want to acknowledge that you are the most consistent person among all the 50+ participants. You are even more consistent than me! In that you put up your update between 00:00 to 01:00 AM every day! A person like you should become an IAS officer! 👍The rest of us in this group should be glad to have you become our DC saheb! 🙂

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟠:𝟚𝟜

"Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you."

Paul often boasted about others whom he had mentored. In fact, he even said that they were his crown, his joy, and his comfort.

Even in day-to-day life we often say, "Bro, I am proud of you" when someone we know achieves something great.

Likewise, it's appropriate that I boast about @Chakhuangam for his consistency! 😇

I want to boast about all of you in other groups! 😎 And let me know if I can help you boast about me.

Paul was a boaster! 😎😂

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟡:𝟛-𝟜

"But I have sent the brethren, in order that our boasting about you may not be made empty in this case, so that, as I was saying, you may be prepared; otherwise if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we--not to speak of you--will be put to shame by this confidence."

It's okay to impress one another! It's okay to plan to impress one another.

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙𝟘:𝟙𝟛

"But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you."

Boasting has its areas, sure!

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙𝟙:𝟛𝟘

"If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness."

Boasting that magnifies, glorifies, popularizes, or sanctifies God is a holy boasting!

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙𝟚:𝟡

"And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

One of my favorite Bible verses in this book!

 

𝟚 ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝟙𝟛:𝟙𝟜

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."

One of the most loved benedictions is from Paul to the Corinthians in this verse! 😇👍