Scripture text for Wednesday, May 5th, 2010: 2 Timothy 2:1-2:26

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I love the second verse from our passage for today, 2 Timothy 2:2 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” I’ll throw out the phrase “philosophy of ministry” to describe this principle because I believe it was a foundational element both for Jesus and the NT church. Clearly this is what Jesus did with the 12. He could have gone about his ministry in many other ways, starting a school comes to mind or a political movement or a commune but he did none of those. Instead, he took most of the time during his three year public ministry to invest himself in the disciples and then trusted them to do the same with others. They did so, or I wouldn’t be writing this devotional and you wouldn’t be reading it.

Scripture text for Tuesday, May 4th, 2010: 1 Timothy 6:3-6:21

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“Is Money Really the Root of All Evil?”

We’ve all heard the phrase “Money is the root of all evil.” It’s usually a phrase used to explain why someone has embezzled company funds or has sacrificed any sense of basic human morality for profit. Recent experiences on Wall Street provide some vivid examples of how money can corrupt people. However, the Bible doesn’t really say that money is inherently evil. What Scripture does say is that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Scripture is full of stories of individuals and whole societies that chose love of money over love of God. But money isn’t the problem. Our response to money is the problem.

Scripture text for Friday, April 30th, 2010: Colossians 1:1-23

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Is this world all there is? Is what we see and experience the beginning and the end of life? Is Willy Nelson right when he says, and I am paraphrasing here, “Life’s not so good and then you die?” Or, alternatively, is there more to this world and our experience than meets the eye or than that we know from our experience?

In Colossians 1, Paul describes Christ and in his description it is clear that he understands Christ to be beyond this world, before and above and sovereign over creation. Yet Christ also physically entered creation as the divine Son of God, the “image of the invisible God” (v. 15), and made redemption possible. The language of this passage is stirring and lofty. The passage reminds us that the most significant things have and will continue take place beyond our ability to see.

Scripture text for Thursday, April 29th, 2010: Philippians 4:2-4:9

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When I first agreed to write a devotional, I asked Pastor Dan to give me a passage I could work to develop while I was spending a weekend with my “bff’s.” God was certainly in control of which passage was to be assigned, Philippians 4:2-9. This passage includes the first scripture I memorized after committing my life to Jesus Christ, Phil. 4:6-7. You see, I spent the last weekend with a dear friend from Lafayette, meeting up with another dear friend who happens to be the one who led me to a relationship with Christ. This friend long ago began challenging me to memorize scripture, take all my trials to the Lord, and give thanks for all things in the name of Jesus Christ.

Scripture text for Wednesday, April 28th, 2010: Ephesians 6:10-20

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Did you know that traditional battle armor weighed between 40 and 60 pounds? Presuming you were strong enough to both hold the armor up and move . . . can you imagine how indestructible you would feel? I imagine that much armor would make someone very confident. “Come on, hit me with your best shot!”

In Ephesians 6, Paul tells the faithful how to arm themselves with God’s “mighty power.” It is this armor that will enable them to “stand against the devil’s schemes.”