The Beautiful Diamond

Spring 2010 Dear God, I don't think I'm meant to be a Pharmacist.  Quite frankly I don't want to deal with upset people hurrying to get their meds that will make them feel better (or not depending on how they use them).  I'm going to stay on the Biochemistry tract and go into Pharmaceutical research.  This way I can still help the people, but I can be in a laboratory making the medicine and ensuring the quality.  I hope this switch is under your guidance and not just me going my own way. Sincerely, The Wayward Chemist

Philippians 1:3-4 3. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4. always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy There are some people in our lives that we need to remember to thank God for.  They hold a special place in our heart, but we must remember that it was God first that created them and orchestrated events to bring us together.   When these people need something, it seems almost an honor to ask God that what they request is taken care of.  It is okay to ask that they obtain godly personality traits or blessed days.  Knowing that God is taking care of the ones that have touched you is something that should fill you with joy.   

Philippians 1:1 1. Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ. 1. As we noticed in 1 Timothy 1, Paul was discipling Timothy, therefore when writing to the people at Philippi, Timothy considered himself to be a bondservant for Christ just as Paul did.  As with all his letters, he gives the intended recipients of the words.  Because this letter is to a group rather than an individual, he gives their location.  Here he is speaking to a saved group (because he calls them saints in Christ Jesus) that are in an organized congregation (with the bishops and deacons as leaders).   2. They are given a blessing by Paul and Timothy because grace and peace from God and Jesus are wished upon them.  

1 Timothy 1:18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 1 Timothy 1:19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 1 Timothy 1:20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. 18) Paul tells Timothy to keep in line with the doctrine discussed in the previous verses (3-11).  Paul had previously told the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 4:17) that Timothy was going to remind them of what Paul taught, so here he is telling Timothy to act accordingly.  Reputations are important.  Many people claim to be athiest because of some "hypocrite" in the church that claims to be Christian and doesn't act like it.  The witness those people could have gave by keeping a pure reputation is lost.  (Yes we need to get in the world to witness and lead others ...

1 Tiomthy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God alone who is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever, Amen.  After Paul described how he was saved even though he was a sinner.  He talked about the mercy and grace of God.  He now goes into talking about some of the characteristics of God. He is the King.  Not only is He the King, but He is the eternal King.  He is called this in a few places, including: Luck 19:38, Isaiah 33:22, Revelation 19:16, 1 Timothy 6:15, John 19:19.  A king is one who rules and has the authority to pass judgement.  In some ancient cultures, the word of the king could not be undone by anyone (sometimes including himself as seen in Daniel and Esther).  God in his authority as the King has declared that unless we are born again, we cannot enter heaven (John 3:3).  He made a way that we could come unto Him, but it is by His way not our own (John 14:6, John 17:3, Romans 3:22-23, Acts 4:12).  ...

1 Timothy 1:16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.   In writing this, it seems as though Paul knew his life would be used as an example years down the road.  Many say he is the greatest sinner that turned into the greatest saint.  Because in verse 15 he mentioned he was the chief of sinners, he admits he needed mercy and that Christ was patient through it all.  Paul's preconversion life showed that although Christ was sorrowful for the death of His followers, He still didn't give up on the hard hearted man.  Because of the example that Christ showed through Paul, we have been shown that we must give mercy to those who don't deserve it (for we have been given it ourselves) as well as the patience through the hurtful and painful times.  If we continue in this way, those who are on the edge of believing may see our l...

1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into to save sinners, of whom I am chief. When it seems like everything is falling down around our ears, when life is so different from how it use to be, when our world is turned upside down, there is one truth we can hold onto.  This is something that will stand true till the end of time.  It needs not be questioned, for it will hold true in all circumstances.  This is that Jesus came to earth to SAVE sinners.  He didn't come to show how much better He was than us, He didn't come down to put those who do wrong into a cruel punishment, He came to save those which was lost.  We have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and deserve the worst Hell has to offer.  But God in all His love and mercy decided we needed a way out.  He sent Jesus to pay our debt that we may be saved.  When we accept Him as Savior, He washes away our: lies, backstabbing, hate, shame, pri...

1 Timothy 1:14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. As Paul explained in the previous verse that he wasn't good enough on his own.  It took divine intervention for the undeserved from the One who had power over everything.  Not only did He supply enough grace to cover the moment, but He gave an extremely ample supply of grace.  So much so that there is nothing that is not covered by it, no matter how old we live nor how many wrongs we do, there is a surpassing amount of grace.   This concept is greater than we can imagine, so it takes both faith and love to accept it.  Faith because sometimes we think that what we have done is too horrible for God to forgive.  We think that when we keep falling into the same traps of sin, that God has given up at our persistent disobedience.  This is not the case.  God is faithful to His promise that our sins are removed from us (Psalm 103:12). ...

1 Timothy 1:13 although I was formally a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. Although Paul didn't live and meet up to what most could call a "potential Christian", he still was able to receive mercy because all he did was believe... no strings attached.  When we are wronged, we need to realize that those who are doing so don't have the convictions about the actions they take as we do who represent the Kingdom of God (2 Corinthians 5:20).  We must do as God did with us, give them mercy especially with their unbelief.  This is something I am still working on.  A lot of the people I deal with on a regular basis are lost, when they offend me whether on purpose or unintentionally, I must remember that it is I who is held to a higher standard not they.  When I show I'm upset, sometimes the statement, "I thought she was a Christian" or "Christians are suppose to forgive everything...

1 Timothy 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, Christ is the one who gives us the abilities, on our own we can't do anything (Philippians 4:13).  When we try, we may end at the same point, but we are nothing but angered and frustrated.  We wasted all our energy walking when we could have been riding.  In addition, He gives us gifts according to where He plans on putting us in the ministry.  Paul goes into detail in 1 Corinthians 12 about how gifts from God work.  We don't need to compare ourselves and our gifts to each other because we have been given a specific purpose that is not greater nor weaker than that of another member of the body of Christ.  Yes some gifts and positions require more responsibility (such as the pastor and teachers), but those who are to be encouraging are just as needed (many times a word from them are needed for that moment more than a lecture f...

1 Timothy 1:8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, If we use the law as it is suppose to be used, everything works well and it accomplishes what it needs to.  Notice that it doesn't say the law is good all the time, just when it is used legally.  So when the people used to do lynchings in the name of the "law," it was not good law.   1 Timothy 1:9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for the murderers of fathers and the murderers of mothers, for manslayers 1 Timothy 1:10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is anything contrary to sound doctrine The law wasn't given to show the righteous how good they are (by not "breaking" it [this could be by definitions or "loop holes"]), but for those who break it to show that none of us are good and all ne...

1 Timothy 1:7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. The people from verse six who left the path God has set in place think they know everything (or at least more than those who have stayed on the path).  They want to teach others what's right and wrong, be put in a position of authority.  However if they don't see why the path (from which they strayed) was put in place in the first place, their own rules have no value and they tend to contradict themselves.  They don't even understand the consequences of what they are believing and backing. One example that comes to my mind in the latter part of this verse (understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm) is the idea of the big bang theory and evolution to greater forms of a species.  I am a biochemist, but I am foremost a Christian who believes in creation.  In physics and physical che...

1 Timothy 1:6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, When we leave the path God sets up and stop living out of love, a mask is formed and everything we say is for nothing (and no one cares about what we say).  Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:36, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it on the day of judgement."  Although saying something 'jus cuz' doesn't exempt it from having consequences. We need to be mindful of the things we say.  We don't need to set aside giving encouragement to someone to chase after the latest news of the town.  Words that don't have a purpose should be thought over before being said.  I write these things, not as someone who has mastered this art, but rather as someone who is convicted about how much I talk and the relevance of those words.    <3 God Bless

1 Timothy 1:5   Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart,  from  a good conscience, and  from  sincere faith, Paul isn't telling Timothy to do this because it's going to be fun, but rather because it needs to be done.  Timothy is to teach the commandment (one commentator says this commandment is the law, thus exposing sin) out of love.  This can't be the superficial "oh I'm telling you this cause you need to know" but rather by having an attitude of love that emits his true intentions.  When telling someone they are in the wrong, they are very defensive and looking for all your weak spots.  If you tell them out of a pure heart (more than good intentions), not having done something that makes you feel guilty and incompetent while giving them the commandment (good conscience), and knowing that this is what God has you to say (sincere faith); He will have them listen whether they show it or not, it w...

1 Timothy 1:3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia- remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Paul tells Timothy to stay in Ephesus and tell some of the teachers to only teach the right doctrine. 1 Timothy 1:4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which causes disputes rather than goldly edification which is in faith. He tells Timothy to instruct them to not go off on fairy tales or all the "begots" that make people mad and cause debates... this does no good to the building of the faith (God's work isn't being advanced).

I know it's not Tuesday (my apologies on being late, stuff came up I will try to do better in the future) but here is the truth for the week. 1 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul knew Timothy was real in the faith (not one that he questioned and that "only God reads the heart"), by naming him as a "true son" it was clear Paul wanted the best for Timothy.   He asked for grace from God.  Grace is undeserved favor from the King of Kings.  He wanted Timothy to receive help from God to receive miracles etc.  Imagine how great an honor it is to have favor with the Great and Powerful Creator.   Next he asked for mercy from God.  Mercy for forgiveness from his sins, that God would hold back the hand of wrath and that His judgement would be light.  Mercy, like grace, is also undeserved.  Mercy is hard to understand until it is experienced.  When you rece...

1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, God told Paul to write to Timothy, not as a suggestion but as a commandment.  Timothy was young and needed encouragement and guidance.  God places people in our lives who are willing to do His will no matter how time consuming, inconvenient, or seemingly simple it may be.  Paul gives his "resume" as an apostle of Jesus Christ, not many claimed this title (much persecution ensued over it (Acts 4 is an example).  Next he says he is the scribe of the true Author, the one who gave him the commandment in the first place.  It seems the "our hope" is out of place.  But I know in my life, it's a good reminder that Jesus Christ is our hope.  He bore our sins, was separated from His Father, died for us (Mark 15) .  But He loved us enough to not only take the sins from us, but also finish paying the dept and rose from the grave (John 2...

I have determined to be more active in my Bible reading and blogging.  Therefore, I am going to do my best to blog on Tuesdays about a verse or passage from the Bible.  Thus far all I have in mind is posting the verse and a paraphrase and/or thoughts I have while reading that verse.  I pray God blesses you as you read the postings. <3 Desiree'