Philippian commentary

This link may point you in the right direction for starting a more in depth reading on the book of Philippians.  It's a commentary by Gordon Fee, one volume in the IVP New Testament Commentary series.  It's a bit older, but you may recall from previous posts that I had read a great book called "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, which was co-authored by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.  I was a fan of that book, so Fee's commentary on Philippians seemed like a great place to start!

Old habits

Well, it's certainly been a while!  Whoever said old habits die hard was wrong - either that, or this daily bible reading habit was not an old one.  I must admit, I've been struggling to keep up with the regime we created back in September.  Granted, I have been quite busy lately, but that's not much of an excuse.
Here's the latest news flash - since the bible reading plan was so successful, at least in keeping us on top of reading the bible, I've decided to do another plan of sorts so that we can still try and stay accountable in studying the bible.
The next plan is to study Philippians.  That involves more than just reading the text.  We're going to look more heavily into the history of Philippi, read some commentaries on this book, and find out what others have said about Paul's letter to this church.  We won't be reading large chunks of it at a time, like with the previous reading plan, so there likely won't be a daily post.  That's not to say you shouldn't check back here daily for more news!  As you read along in Philippians, feel free to leave your own comments on this book, and how Paul's words to them may be affecting you.

The end

Well faithful readers, it's over.
If you followed along, you will have finished reading the entire bible in 9 months as of yesterday.  It has been quite a journey!  I've learned a lot, and I hope you have too.  Although one thing I learned is that it's difficult to get into the meat of the bible when you're trying to race through it at lightning speed to get it done in 9 months.  It was a great experience, but I think a slower pace would be the best way to go.
I hope you'll stick with this blog even now that the reading plan is over, because I still intend to keep on reading my bible, as you should as well.  I've certainly gotten into the habit of regular bible reading!
Stay tuned for more conversations on topics relating to the bible and Christian theology and history.  I'm sure there's a lot more to uncover than what we have discovered over the past nine months.

Forgiveness

Philemon
I just noticed that I had to revise the last day of the reading plan to ensure that I indeed read the whole bible in the 9 months.  So today's reading included Esther 7-10, Proverbs 17, Philemon (the whole book), and Luke 20:9-26.  That's it!  We have finished the journey!
I would just like to comment briefly on Paul's letter to Philemon.  Paul requested that Philemon welcome back a runaway slave who had become a Christian while he was away from Philemon.  The outcome isn't clear, as we are only privy to Paul's request, not Philemon's response.  However, we know the right response - welcome back the one who wronged you with open arms, especially since Onesimus (the runaway slave) was repentant.  We must extend grace to those who have wronged us, just as Jesus did.  Even if they aren't requesting forgiveness, we should respond in grace and love.  This may have been a tough ask for Philemon, and for us, and we'll have to rely on God's strength to help us make that move.  Just remember though, it can be done!

Proverbs
Just a side note on Proverbs 17:17, which says "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."  I never saw the connection between the two parts of the verse before, but now I have realized something.  When it says that a friend loves at all times, there should be a focus on the fact that a good friend is with you not only in the good times, but also in the bad.  Since a brother is "born for adversity" that means that the brother will be with you in troubled times, like a friend is.  I'm not sure why I didn't clue in to this before now, but there you go.  It pays to re-read your bible!

Man's way leads to death

Proverbs

Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”  Our judgment is fallen due to original sin, so regardless of what we do, if God isn’t in our plans, we won’t get too far.  The moral of this verse seems to be, make sure you consult God first!
This is in line with yesterday's post about committing your plans to God.  If you haven't done that already, make sure you do!

Commit to the Lord

Proverbs
Proverbs 16:3 says "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."
I wonder if this is a conscious commitment that you have to make every time you plan something.  I know deep down that everything I do is dependent on God, and I want Him involved in everything.  But do I have to tell Him every time I'm hoping to do something that I trust it is in His will?  I've laid my plans in His hands even before I start to make them; when I plan out specifics, should they be brought to His attention as well?
What is your approach to planning? Do you commit your plans to the Lord?  If so, how?

Eager to do good

Titus
Paul said that God brought us salvation that gives us the ability to have self-control, to live godly lives while we wait for the return of Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to purify for himself a people that are eager to do what is good (Titus 2:11-14).  I read that, and it sounded great, but am I eager to do good?  Not all the time!  Sometimes it is such a chore.  Why do we always have to put others ahead of ourselves?
In the end, it is more rewarding to do good.  Proverbs has tried to teach us that over and over again.  I think the desire has to be consciously cultivated, though.  So that's something I'll be praying about - being eager to do good!