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1 Timothy 5:24 The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. (NIV) When my son was four or five years old, I doubt that he caught much of the Sunday morning sermon. When the pastor read about a prostitute however, I got, Dad,…
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1 Timothy 4:8 Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. I spend several hours a week in the gym, where I sweat and sometimes bleed for my workout.…
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1 Timothy 2:3,4 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. When I first met my wife and fell in love, I wanted what was best for her, but I also longed to…
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1 Timothy 1:14,15 The grace of our Lord overflowed for me . . . Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. Working with addicts and inmates, it is easy to be frustrated by recurrent destructive behavior. Why do you keep making the same mistakes over and over?…
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1 Timothy 1:6,7 Certain persons . . . have wandered away into vain discussion . . . without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. In medical school, I learned the phrase, Often wrong, never in doubt, used to describe the incompetent person who is paradoxically, supremely…
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2 Thessalonians 3:6,10 Keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness . . . If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. It is not uncommon to hear from someone who is greatly distressed by an alcoholic family member, only to find that the person telling me about the alcoholic…
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1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit. My father-in-law, a pastor, who passed away in 2015, frequently said that if I wanted to know God, I had to first understand that He was a person. As such, He can know me and be known to me personally. Once I have a relationship with Him,…
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1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God. I am not much of a cook, but still, grilling is my domain. As I was making the burgers the other day, my wife asked me if I would make them smaller, which I did, with a poor attitude. When…
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I Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing . . . At the local jail, we were recently discussing prayer, when Ron told me that he was uncomfortable praying in front of others as he did not know how to pray. He said his only experience with prayer was simply talking to God all day, carrying on…
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1 Thessalonians 5:5-7 You are all children of light, children of the day . . . So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. When I read a passage, I…
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