God's Wisdom

From the 27 Feb 19 Evening Devotional of Daily Light on the Daily Path

God...gives...profusely and doesn't scold.

Our first verse deals with wisdom. Wisdom is God’s way of thinking and handling situations. If we seek counsel from an expert in finance, medicine, education, law, or whatever business or personal situation we face, it will cost much money. Frequently, the better the counselor, the higher the fee. Yet with God, the greatest expert imaginable, the fee is zero; it is absolutely free.

Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you? She said, "No one, sir." Jesus then said to her, "I don't condemn you either; go, and do not sin anymore."

Here is an example of the great wisdom of God.

This passage deals with a tricky (from a human perspective) situation for Messiah regarding God’s Law, and the evil men who are trying to trap the Lord Jesus in the corner. No matter what the Lord answers; He will be condemned. How will He handle this situation? How would you handle it?

A woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. She was brought before Jesus. Those who caught her said, "Master, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. Now Moses in the law commanded us that such to be stoned, so what do you say?" (John 8:4-5 WEL).

She is standing before THE Messiah. What is she thinking? What is the expression on her face? What is the expression on the face of Messiah?

In my mind, I wonder where the man was? If the woman was “caught in the very act of adultery,” then the man was committing adultery, too.

This seems like she was set up. She committed adultery, yes, but perhaps these men set it up. I don’t know for sure, but it does seem suspicious.

If Jesus lets her go, then He will be condemned for not upholding God’s law. If Jesus casts the first stone, then He does not show love and mercy, for God wants everyone to repent.

So Jesus bends down and starts to write. What did He write? I imagine, He was writing down the names of the men present and the date they had committed adultery either in their heart or both heart and flesh. The men left one by one, convicted. John 8:7-9 WEL And as they continued to ask him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let him who is sinless throw a stone at her." Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. After hearing this and being convicted by their conscience, they left one by one starting at the oldest down to the last. Jesus alone was left alone with the woman standing in the midst.

God's grace and the gift by grace (also by one man, Jesus Christ), is more than enough for many... the free gift resulted in acquittal for many sins.

All of us are sinners. Some are worse than others. The penalty for lying, stealing, blaspheming, etc. is death. But God wants people to repent and believe in Him, trusting in Him for forgiveness of sins.

God’s grace (receiving what we do not deserve) gives us salvation. This is only through Jesus Christ.

It is free. However, it was very costly for Jesus in that He suffered and died for our sins. Once the Holy Spirit opens our heart and mind to the extent we are evil, we can resist His offer or we can accept His offer of salvation. We cannot work, earn, it. It is free. It is a gift. His salvation forgives, pardons, our many sins.

God who is rich in mercy, for his great love in which he loved us, even when we were dead because of sins, he has made us alive with Christ, for you are saved by grace. He has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

This work and offer from the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, shows what great love He has for us. He did not have to do this; He wanted to, because He wants all to repent and believe the Gospel.

We have a hope and promise that after death, we will be in heaven with the other believers, holy angels, and God Himself.

We were created for fellowship with God and to serve Him forever. Serving such a wonderful King is pure joy.

He didn't spare his own Son but handed him over for all of us. How much more will he not also graciously give us all things?

If God the Father sent God the Son, and if God the Son freely and willingly came for us, will He not also give us all things? These things are spiritual treasures not necessarily earthly treasures. The very first treasure is wisdom:

Psalms 111:10 GW The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Good sense is shown by everyone who follows God's guiding principles. His praise continues forever.

Proverbs 2:6-8 NRSV For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;  7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly,  8 guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of his faithful ones.

For those who resist God and refuse to repent, believe, and put their trust into the Lord Jesus for salvation, they also have a promise—eternal, conscious punishment in hell.

Please, do not resist.

Enjoy the beautiful, indescribable wisdom of God.

James 1:5: John 8:10-11; Romans 5:15-16: Ephesians 2:4-7; Romans 8:32

Bible verses are from the Welcome Bible Copyright © 2006-2019 by Len Gane. All Rights Reserved.

1 Timothy 6

1 Timothy 6:1-2

B1 Paul continues the pastoral responses to various congregational issues.

B2 Employers and employees

C1 Servants (I’ve already answered the question about slavery and the Bible).

C2 The application for most of us today is employee and employer relations.

C3 We are to give respect to our employer. The reason for this is that God will be honored and His teachings respected.

C4 If our employer is a believers, then we must not despise them. Even though they are our brother or sister we are to obey what they expect of us in our work.

1 Timothy 6:3-5

B2 Insist on these things

C1 What is the pastor or church to do when another member disagrees with these rules?

C2 They are described here as proud, ignorant, challenging words, and nitpicking.

C3 Their attitude and actions result in envy, discord, abusive verbal attacks, and evil suspicions. If a church member acts like this list, then it could be they are the person described in the first part of verse 4.

C4 Not only are they in a sick spiritual state, but they are also described as having corrupt minds, a total lack of truth, and have the wrong attitude that if he/she is rich, they are held in high regard by God.

C5 God advice Withdraw from this type of person. Put them out of the congregation, because they only cause trouble for the others.

1 Timothy 6:6-10

B3 Material wealth

C1 Even though many have the idea that being rich equals a person pleasing to God, God has a different thought—godliness with contentment is great gain.

C2 Money is not held in high regard with God.

C3 We were born naked and penniless, and whatever we have here, we will not take it with us when we die.

C4 We should be content if we have a place to sleep and clothes to wear (the clothing part of verse 8) and if we have food.

C5 Contentment:

D1 Hebrews 13:5 WEB Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.

D2 Philippians 4:11-12 NRSV Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.

C6 Being materially rich in this life might be spiritually dangerous. Be careful. They face:

D1 Temptations that others do not

D2 Traps

D3 Harmful cravings/desires

D4 All of which results in destruction and eternal ruin.

C7 A very serious warning from God—do not love money. Loving money will result in:

D1 Straying from the faith

D2 Piercing pains with many heartaches

1 Timothy 6:11-16

B4 Live the Christian life consistently

C1 We are to run away from those hurtful things.

C2 We are to seek and cultivate righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and meekness.

C3 We need God’s grace to continue in the faith. Let us be mindful of that and be careful about temptations. Sin is addictive.

C4 We must always have a good confession, not being ashamed of the Lord Jesus, His teachings, and His way of life.

C5 The time WILL when all will know for sure—they will see it with their own eyes—Jesus reigning in power. He is King of kings and lord of lords. God alone has:

D1 Immortality

D2 Living in light (a clear mind, a clear conscious, and no evil)

D3 The light that is so bright, no one can stand in His presence

D4 Perfect and everlasting honor

D5 Omnipotence

1 Timothy 6:17-19

B5 Instructions to the rich

C1 It is not sinful to be rich, but the rich have certain temptations

D1 Arrogance, haughty, because of their money

D2 Trusting in money, instead of God

D3 Tendency to not depend on God

C2 Some helpful suggestions are given to help them keep perspective

D1 Do good

D2 Be rich in good works rather than money

D3 A readiness to donate

D4 A cheerful willingness to share

C3 Doing these will result in

D1 A good foundation (solid and sure of faith to stand the spiritual blows and temptations of this life)

D2 Eternal life The eternal life will not come from what they do, for it is only through grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. What it means is they will not lose their salvation.

1 Timothy 6:20-21

B6 Warning about false logic

C1 A warning to be careful, to be steadfast, and to be faithful to Jesus Christ.

C2 A warning to avoid ungodly and fruitless discussions

C3 A warning to avoid leaning and depending on philosophy for life. Philosophy is useful, and God bless those brothers and sisters who study and use it for apologetics. The idea here is that faith might be lost if one depends and puts their trust in human knowledge ALONE.

B7 Applications

C1 We are to treat our employees God’s way.

C2 We are to respect our employers God’s way.

C3 We are not to trust in money or philosophy.

C4 We are to trust in God.

C5 We are to be content.

1 Timothy 5

1 Timothy 5:1-2

B1 This chapter gives instructions to church leaders for various classes of people and situations in the congregation.

B2 Respect the brethren

C1 The word rebuke is the Greek word ἐπιπλήσσω epiplēssō (G1969). It is used 1X in the New Testament. It has the idea of getting in someone’s face and yelling at them for being so stupid. God does NOT wants us doing it.

C2 We are to plead. The Greek word is παρακαλέω parakaleō (G3870). It is used many times in the New Testament. It has the idea of a gentle, calm approach.

C3 So we do to brothers and sisters in the congregation

C4 Proverbs 25:15 WEB By patience a ruler is persuaded. A soft tongue breaks the bone.

1 Timothy 5:3-16

B3 Widows

C1 Most widows can be and must be assisted by family.

C2 Some widows have no family or that family will not help because the widow is a Christian.

C3 Qualifications for the congregation to help.

D1 60 or greater is age.

D2 One woman wife. This is only one husband at a time.

D3 Has and doing good works. For example, raised children, hospitable to strangers, washed the feet of God's people, helped the afflicted, and diligence in doing so. These examples are to family first, Christians second, and non-Christian last. That is the order of priorities.

C4 Younger widows must be rejected, in most cases, because they might give a pledge, a promise, of serving others full time. If and when they want to get married, they forsake their promise.

C5 Be careful. Because a widow is accepted in the registry, they might, for whatever reason, turn against God and follow satan.

1 Timothy 5:17-21

B4 Support the ministry

C1 Elders and honorarium

D1 Unless agreed upon, there should be some honorarium given for the time serving.

D2 Especially for those laboring in word (Scriptures) and teaching.

D3 It takes time to prepare and time to present.

D4 Scripture supports this:

E1 Deuteronomy 25:4 NRSV You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.

E2 Luke 10:7 NRSV Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.

D5 An honorarium is not to make the elders rich.

D6 It needs to be known to the congregation.

C2 Elder misdeeds/sins

D1 This deals with the leaders, not individual Christians as Matthew 18.

D2 The accusation needs to be 2 or more witnesses.

D3 This would include pastors, deacons, and deaconesses.

E1 Would need to be adults.

E2 Pastoral abuse is rampant.

F1 These fake pastors love money.

F2 And love power.

F3 When people start questioning what they are doing, they abuse to shut them up.

F4 They have a certain respect, so they love to cover up their evil. John 3:19-21 "This is [the reason for] the judgment, because light is come into the world and people loved darkness rather than light, because their actions were evil. 20 "Everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, so that his actions may be discovered and reproved [discovered and reproved is one word in Greek]. 21 "But the one who does the truth comes to the light, so that his actions may be plainly seen that they are done for God."

F5 Imagine an abused person or even a child coming to meet their sexual molester, rapist, or abuser in private (Matthew 18). This would be a very great evil, and it MUST not be allowed.

D4 This needs to be public, not private. Public means to everyone in the congregation and outside it.

D5 Rebuke is needed.

D6 Fake pastors will not be ashamed or in godly fear.

C3 Both of these activities must be without prejudice or favoritism.

C4 God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels are watching and will testify against us if we do otherwise.

1 Timothy 5:22

B5 Ordain carefully

C1 Be careful in whom we ordain. Use background checks and have them be a part of the congregation for awhile.

C2 If they are ordained when they are unqualified in God’s sight, it will be a sin that is remembered by God. We will have to give an account.

C3 We are to be pure. Purity is God’s definition, so personal, how the spouse and children are treated, money, sex, work, criminal record, etc.

1 Timothy 5:23

B6 For your health: wine is for health and medicine. Whiles some can use without problem, many cannot. Think, seek counsel, and act wisely. God is watching.

1 Timothy 5:24-25

B7 Good deeds

C1 Whether it be elders or others:

D1 Some sins are public, so all know about.

D2 Some are hidden.

D3 God judges both. He knows everything in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds.

C2 Again, whether it be elders or others:

D1 Some good deeds are public, so all know.

D2 Some are hidden but it will be know eventually.

D3 Let us do all to the glory of God.

B8 Applications

C1 These are God’s wishes and instructions for elders and the congregation. We must do them. We are God’s servants.

C2 Those members of the congregation who need help, need to receive it first before we give to outsiders.

C3 God knows who is sinning and what they are doing.

C4 Thank God for His mercy and instruction.

1 Timothy 4

Three Outlines Today

1 Timothy 4:1-5

B1 Warning of Apostasy

C1 This is for the latter times

D1 End of the church age

D2 Just before the Tribulation

D3 Society falls apart

D4 Like the days of Noah and the times of Sodom and Gomorrah

E1 The sins of society are NOT any special sins.

E2 They are the breaking of God’s Commandments as summarized in the 10 Commandments.

E3 Every law is broken in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds.

E4 Truth changes from the correspondence theory (reality) to the Narcissistic theory (what I say is truth, is truth).

C2 Characteristics of those times

D1 Depart from the faith—leaving the Gospel and doctrine as taught by the Lord Jesus and the Apostles.

E1 The main doctrine modified concerns the Gospel. Works or something else become necessarily.

E2 Then the doctrine of God, the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are changed.

E3 Christianity departs from evidence and a reasonable faith to one of experience and mysticism.

D2 Turning to seducing spirits and teachings of demons.

E1 Lifestyle is determined by whatever a person decides.

E2 Doctrine and messages come from meeting God(?) in the silence. The people are deceived to think it is Yahweh who gives these messages, but the messages come from the false. 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 CSB - For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

D3 Lies and hypocrisy

E1 What these false teachers say and do are not the same.

E2 They love to cover up and hide.

E3 Many fake pastors hide various abuses and financial documents from the faithful.

D4 Conscience seared—people do all these things and do not feel any guilt.

D5 Forbid marriage.

D6 Teach the necessity to avoid certain foods.

E1 These are not foods related to health, but to spiritual progress. Some teach that Christians must follow the dietary laws outlined in the New Testament. If someone wants to follow them, so be it, but if they teach it is spiritually necessarily for the Christian, it is false teaching. I am a Christian not a Jew. God bless the Jews.

E2 The truth is Christians can eat. The reason? God created these foods to be partaken with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. So if a teacher teaches the necessity of not eating something for spiritual reasons, they are teaching lies. Beware! We have been warned.

E3 These foods are spoken by the Holy Spirit to be good and not to be refused. We are to be thankful for them, when we eat any food.

E4 These foods are sanctified.

F1 Because God said so.

F2 Because of prayer.

E5 We can also worship on Sunday or any other day: Colossians 2:16-17 WEL So then don't let anyone condemn you in food, drink, religious festivals, new moon, or the Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of things to come, but the real substance is Christ.

E5 A link about Torah observance by Jews for Jesus.

1 Timothy 4:6-10

B2 Remind brethren

C1 These are for the pastors/leaders

C2 We are being good, that is, pleasing servants of the Lord Jesus.

D1 We remind our fellow believers of these things. Thusly, we must not do these things.

D2 We have to remind ourselves through Bible reading, Bible study, prayer, and fellowship.

D3 We have to be open and listen when our fellow believers remind us.

C3 We have to be nourished in the faith. This is knowing the Gospel and Biblical doctrine.

C4 We have to follow them carefully. We do not follow them to be saved or to be better Christians than someone else. We do follow them because we want to be good servants of Jesus Christ.

C5 We are not to follow crude myths or old wives’ stories. These are not doctrine. They are religious myths and stories. None of them are something Christians need to believe. Some examples are

D1 An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

D2 Breaking a mirror will bring you seven years bad luck.

D3 Cleanliness is next to godliness.

C6 We need to be in training for living a godly life.

D1 We must know the Bible.

D2 We must know what we believe.

D3 We must know how to live a Christian life.

D4 We must be able to answer questions challenging our faith (apologetics).

C7 Physical exercise is OK but will not enhance our faith.

C8 We need to be ready for living tomorrow with God’s standards stronger in us then today.

C9 Believing that Jesus is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe is offensive to many people. The Gospel is offensive. Jesus is offensive. A Christian life is offensive to many. God’s standards are offensive to many.

B3 Applications

C1 Christians are different. Saving faith is different. Jesus is different. Jesus suffered, so will we.

C2 God gives us grace and strength for whatever we face.

C3 We need to be taught and to teach each other.

C4 We need to encourage each other in the faith.

C5 We need to pray for each other.

1 Timothy 4:11-14

B3 More pastoral advice.

C1 Paul is speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so all these words are not suggestions, they are required.

C2 Command and insist on these things

D1 This is not elder or pastoral abuse.

D2 A controlling pastor is either miseducated or more likely, evil.

D3 The word command has the idea of emphasizing the importance.

D4 The command is from the Holy Spirit.

D5 Teach has the idea of letting people know.

D6 Whatever we teach and emphasize MUST be followed by us. We cannot be someone who says but does not do. That is a hypocrite, and God will judge.

C3 All Christians need to be an example.

D1 Those who have been a Christian for many years better be an example.

D2 Those who have not been a Christian for many years can be an example to those who have.

D3 The idea is be an example.

D4 We are to be an example in our thoughts, desires, words, and deeds especially in love, attitude, faith, and purity. There are too many abusing pastors. They are not pure.

C4 Read, exhort, and teach.

D1 We are to do these things to ourselves.

D2 We are to encourage these things to others.

1 Timothy 4:15-16

B4 Be steadfast in your belief

C1 We need to think. We need to deeply think. We need to carefully.

C2 The things of God are most important to our life today and in the future life.

C3 We are to be dedicated to God’s ways.

C4 We need to grow in the faith.

C5 We need to be careful what we to and teach.

C6 We need to continue in the faith.

C7 We need to encourage all the brothers and sisters to continue, and they to encourage me.

B5 Applications

C1 There is a Christian life for our thoughts, desires, words, and deeds.

C2 We need to study, teach, and life the Christian faith.

C3 We need to actively think about God’s teachings.

C4 God will give us grace to do these things.

C5 Do not quit.

Jesus' Teachings Bring Truth and Set Us Free

John 8:31-32 WEL Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, "If you continue in my teaching, you are truly my disciples, 32 “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

The formula

1. Continue in my teaching
2. Truly my disciples
3. Know the truth
4. Being set free

Continue in my teaching

B1 What Jesus taught IS the teaching of God: John 7:16 NKJV Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.

B2 Everything that Jesus taught was founded in the Old Testament: Luke 24:27 NKJV And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

B3 The Lord Jesus fulfilled all the requirements in the Old Testament: Luke 24:44 NKJV Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.

B4 His teaching is based on the same summary: Mark 12:28-31 NRSV One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" 29 Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.

B5 The future: Mark 14:62 NRSV Jesus said, "I am; and 'you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,' and 'coming with the clouds of heaven.

B6 He exposes false teaching and false teachers: Matthew 7:15-20 NRSV Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits.

B7 He gives an invitation to join Him and learn: Matthew 11:28-30 NRSV Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

B8 He teaches that we must obey what He taught either directly or through His apostles: John 14:23-24 WEL Jesus answered and said to him, "If a man loves me, he will obey my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling place in him. "The one who doesn't love me doesn't obey my word, and the word you hear is not my own but the Father's who sent me.

C1 No one can obey unless they have placed their faith and trust into Jesus Christ alone. Our works are trash and garbage.

C2 Obey is the fruit of a new creation, which is a creation of the Holy Spirit. It is a totally different nature than the one we were born with.

C3 If there is no obedience, there is no salvation, because obedience is the fruit of a born again, regenerated, person.

C4 He is the King of kings and Lord of lords and reigns forever.

C5 He is a loving shepherd leader, not a controlling, selfish dictator.

B9 Acknowledge His words are eternal and are life.: John 6:68-69 WEL Simon Peter then answered him, "Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. "And we are convinced and have come to know that you are the Christ, the son of the living God.

B10 What He taught, He lived, so should we: Luke 9:23-24 WEL He said to all, "If any wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same one will save it.

Truly my disciples

B1 If we are truly His disciples, what He taught, we will believe, we will do, and we will teach others.

B2 We have to show consistency in what we say and do both in public and private.

Know the truth

B1 God understands truth as reality.

B2 The words

C1 Hebrew:

D1 The Hebrew word is H571 אֶמֶת 'emeth.

D2 It means (TWOT): This very important concept in biblical doctrine gives clear evidence of the biblical meaning of “faith” in contradistinction to the many popular concepts of the term. At the heart of the meaning of the root is the idea of certainty. And this is borne out by the nt definition of faith found in Heb 11:1. The basic root idea is firmness or certainty.

C2 Greek

D1 The Greek work is G225 ἀλήθεια aletheia.

D2 It means (TDNTa): A. The OT Term for Truth.

1. The common OT word for truth appears some 126 times. It denotes a reality that is firm, solid, binding, and hence true. With reference to persons it characterizes their action, speech, or thought, and suggests integrity.

2. In law the word is used for a. the actual truth of a cause or process as shown by the facts (cf. Dt. 22:20; 1 Kgs. 10:6; Dan. 10:1).

C3 The Greek word for know is G1097 γινώσκω ginosko. According to TDNTa, it means The Greek Usage. The ordinary use is for intelligent comprehension (“to perceive,” “to understand,” “to know”), at first with a stress on the act. As distinct from aisthánesthai, ginṓskō emphasizes understanding rather than sensory perception, and as distinct from dokeín it is a perception of things as they are, not an opinion about them. Related to epistḗmē, gnōsis needs an objective genitive and suggests the act of knowing rather than knowledge as such.

B3 Thus, knowing truth is an intelligent understanding of reality.

Being set free

B1 Free from what?

C1 Lies

C2 False teachers

C3 False teachings

C4 Lies used to manipulate us

C5 Lies used to hurt and shame us

C6 False guilt

C7 False doctrine

C8 False preachers

B2 The more we know and study the Bible; the more we are set free.

We learn:

B1 The importance of the teaching of Jesus Christ.

B2 The importance of continuing in His teaching.

B3 The importance of avoid “new” words of faith, “new” words of doctrine, and “new” ways of living.

B4 If we really are a disciple or not.

B5 What truth is.

B6 How to be set free.

B7 How to stay free.

Goals For the Christian

1 Corinthians 13:13 NRSV  And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

John 6:38 NRSV  for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

B1 Jesus came to do His Father’s will.

B2 So should we.

Goals—Some goals for us

B1 Philippians 3:10, 12, 14 CSB My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, ... Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. ... I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

C1 To know God better.

C2 His power and promise of the resurrection.

C3 To be patient in sufferings

C4 Heaven

B2 1 Timothy 1:5 CSB Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

C1 God teaches us through reading and studying the Bible.

C2 Our faith needs to be genuine.

C3 God gives us grace and help to make it to heaven.

B3 1 Peter 1:9 CSB because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

C1 The goal of our faith is our salvation.

C2 Whatever we face here is only temporary.

C3 Be faithful

B4 1 Corinthians 14:1 NLT Let love be your highest goal!

C1 Love is the highest and best characteristic.

C2 It is in short supply.

C3 You and many others have been cheated from love that was deserved and needed. Parents may have failed, teachers, pastors, religious people, church goers, employers, etc.

C4 God love is constant.

B5 2 Corinthians 5:9 NLT So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.

C1 We want to please the saviour, our Messiah.

C2 He promises to deliver, but He does not say when He will deliver.

C3 Our thankfulness for His goodness is never forgotten.

B6 Galatians 1:10 NLT Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.

C1 Pleasing people is not a good goal.

C2 Too many people take advantage of us and hurt us.

C3 They lie and cheat us.

C4 Pleasing God is doing His will.

C5 His blessings are eternal.

B7 1 Thessalonians 4:11 NLT Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.

C1 Some people are loud.

C2 Some people are obnoxious.

C3 Some people are both.

C4 God does not want us to be either of them.

B8 John 17:4 NLT I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

C1 To bring glory to God rather than ourselves.

C2 God will honor us.

C3 Let us finish His work that He has given us.

D1 Every Christian has a some work to do for God.

D2 It could be praying, listening to others, helping when possible, being kind, etc.

B9 2 Timothy 4:7 NLT I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.

C1 We need to be faithful.

C2 We have God’s promise to help us.

C3 We pray for each other.

Goals—Some goals of God

B1 To live with His people

C1 Leviticus 26:11-12 NLT I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people.

C2 Psalm 23:6 NLT Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

C3 John 14:23 NLT Jesus replied, "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.

B2 To seek the lost: Luke 19:10 NRSV For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.

B3 To reconcile with His enemies, that is, humans: Colossians 1:20-21 GNB  Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.  21 At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought.

B4 To never leave nor forsake us: Hebrews 13:5 NRSV Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you.

B5 Others answered: What is God's ultimate goal? Why did God do everything he did (e.g. creating humans, angels, and animals)? What does he gain? Isn't he perfect, and supposedly has no needs?

Anthony Zarrella, Lifelong Catholic and avid student of theology

Answered Jan 17 2017 · Author has 2.3k answers and 8.4m answer views

You’re right that God has no needs. The greatest Saint adds nothing to God’s perfection, and God would be no less great if there were nothing but Him.

However, God’s nature is love, and love seeks to be shared.

So, God created Man - a free moral agent who could choose to do good (and therefore, by necessity, could choose to do evil), and who could choose to love God (or not).

It’s not that the existence of Man is good for God - God doesn’t need us. But the existence of Man is good for Man.

It’s the same with prayer - God doesn’t need our prayers, but prayer and worship puts us in better “alignment” with His nature, and therefore with our own best nature, and so He demands it of us just like a parent demands that a child eat his vegetables (it’s not like the parent gets any benefit from the kid eating nutritious food, right?).

As to His reasons for creating other stuff (animals, angels, etc.), He’s the only one Who knows for sure, but it’s strongly implied that all Creation is “aimed at” Man - that is, that the universe in all its splendor has us as its goal. I’m talking theology here, not science, by the way - I have no desire in this particular thread to debate whether it is scientifically reasonable to believe this (I think it is, but it’s a discussion for another time and place).

Psalm 18:6 NLT But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.

Psalm 69:3 NLT I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.