THE WORD
Today’s Reading: 2 Timothy 3-4
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
Celsus Library – This library is one of the most beautiful structures in Ephesus. It was built in 117 AD as a monumental tomb for Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the governor of the province of Asia. The grave of Celsus was beneath the ground floor across the entrance, and there was a statue of Athena over it because she was the goddess of wisdom. The Celsus Library facade has two-stories with Corinthian-style columns on the ground floor and three entrances to the building. They used an optical trick. The columns on the sides of the facade are shorter than those at the center, giving the illusion of the building being greater in size. The statues in the niches of the columns today are copies of the originals. The statues symbolize wisdom (Sophia), knowledge (Episteme), intelligence (Ennoia) and valor (Arete). These are the virtues to which Celsus aspired. No doubt at some time Celsus had heard the message that “In Whom, (Jesus) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). The library scrolls and the manuscripts were kept in cupboards in niches on the walls. There were double walls behind the bookcases to protect the scrolls from the extremes of temperature and humidity. The capacity of the library was more than 12,000 scrolls.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
What was to be the substance of Timothy’s message? Firstly, The Holy Scriptures (3:15). Secondly, “all Scripture” (3:16). Let us remember that the New Testament had not yet been compiled. “The parchments” to which Paul refers in 4:13b were probably portions of the Hebrew Bible. “The books” Paul asks to have brought to him may have been writings of general knowledge, such as those found in the great library of Ephesus. Even back then, “readers” were “leaders.”
A background reading today might be Acts 19:23-41. As Paul writes what may have been his final letter before his beheading in Rome, he challenges Timothy to concentrate on using Scripture to fight against doctrinal error and moral evil. This is vitally important for us, as it was for Timothy. Paul had the credentials to say these things. He had proven himself by demonstrations of faith, such as found in 1 Corinthians 15:32, “I have fought with beasts at Ephesus.” Paul may have indeed been placed in the arena for the entertainment of the people of Ephesus. God must have shut the mouths of lions once again as He had done to protect Daniel. The book of Daniel may well have been in the parchments Paul wanted. We may want to read Daniel 6:10-28.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, we are living in perilous times right now! Therefore, I pray that, as never before, I will effectively “convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” May I preach the WORD everywhere in messages in the pulpit, in the media, as well as in personal one-to-one witnessing. I make this request through Jesus, the One who is in Himself the full Expression of Your WORD! I ask for Your grace that I may fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith. Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
From my earliest days of public preaching, I sought to fill my speaking with “The Word of God,” the Holy Scriptures. I reached the conclusion that when I did this faithfully, I saw results. God has not promised to bless my verbal wanderings, but He has promised to bless His Word!
Yours for the greatest possible effectiveness of God’s Word in our lives and in the lives of everyone we meet,
David
P.S. Those parchments which Paul wanted brought to him may have included “The Psalms.” God willing, we’ll start those Scriptures in tomorrow’s reading.
Ruins of the ancient Celsus Library in Ephesus (described in the photo caption above). In the second century after Christ, the gods and godesses of ancient Greece and Rome were still prominent, but as a result of Paul’s three years here, as well as the ministry of Timothy as Pastor and others, the Church of Jesus Christ was growing stronger all the time.
I’m not receiving these devotional any longer which I absolutely enjoy reading every morning. Is there anyway you can include my email address in your distribution list.
betty.al@icloud.com
Thank you very much Betty
I miss getting them in my email as well .
Same for me. .? Not receiving it anymore. Been on it from it’s inception.
I’m not getting them either.
Blessings all
Thx
I am not getting David’s blog each morning is there someway you can include my email so I will receive them each morning as I can’t find a place to subscribe to them
Ridout49@hotmail.com
Thank you.
Carole Kemp
If you know how,go to https://100words.ca/ and ‘copy’ the link.Then Paste it into your toolbar or save it as a bookmark.I started using that link each morning several years ago for the same reason.God bless
PS:Here are several tutorials on how to do this.Pick one and follow it,one step at a time.Blessings
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=copy+and+paste
I think this goes along with yesterday’s teaching more than today’s.It’s one of my favourites.May God bless
Search Me
Search me,oh Lord,I’m Your’s,
Remove the cobwebs that hide,
Find out what my heart stores,
Then put the wrong far to one side.
Search again,oh Lord,for light,
Let not darkness cloud my mind,
That I may freely do what’s right,
For I want a heart clean and kind.
Search my soul,Oh Lord,for me;
Don’t let me be vain and phony,
For such get lost and can’t see,
Then become the devil’s crony.
Search my heart,oh Lord again,
Leave no trace of greed within,
Then I can show,without pain,
The love betrayed by my sin.Amen
G W Marshall / 08-Nov-013
Very well put William, thank you for sharing with us.
Hi Ron, is 100 words continuing, as I no longer am receiving daily blog, as I have been for a very long time
Would appreciate receiving this blog.
Thank you,
Elaine
I have been updating the 100 Words website each day, but the person at Crossroads who sends out the emails is no longer with them and a new person is trying to get the emails back up and running. Until it’s fixed, you can still find all the daily writing at https://100words.ca
God bless! -Ron Mainse
Thank you Ron. God bless you!
For everyone not receiving the blog, it seems that the person who is supposed to send it may be on holidays. I sent an email to 100 Huntley Street about it. Hopefully they will fix this for you. You can access it yourself online and save the tab to your toolbar, then click on that every morning. This is what most of us have been doing since the beginning.
I think that 100 Huntley wrote, about? a week ago, that they were working out a glitch in their system, so they are aware of mailing problems.
🙏🏽
Yes, you’re right Laur, they did:
100words
on September 4, 2021 at 2:40 pm said:
There is a glitch in the email system. thank you for your patience!
Hope that the Muscle Bx. Went smoothly and that your body isn’t too sore today.🙏🏽
Beverlee, Hope Muscle Bx. went smoothly and your body isn’t too sore today🙏🏽
The surgery did not go well. The freezing did not take and I felt every slice of it for 15 minutes. Staples in for two weeks and cannot swim for 30 days. Continued prayer that it does not get infected and heals.
Will pray, Beverlee Trusting that things will go well very quickly.
I am also praying for you Beverlee.❤️🙏🙏
Heal our sister Beverlee In Jesus Name Amen!!
Will be praying for you Beverlee!!!!
Sorry to hear about your experience yesterday, Beverlee. That must have been very painful. I also am praying for you along with our blog friends.
Thank you Doreen, Eleanor, Luisa, Laur and unnamed saints for your prayers. They are greatly appreciated. It has been too difficult of a road of late. I am always gratefully reminded of the Lord’s leading and hand upon me by your gracious prayers and encouraging comments. May His light shine upon you all. .❤️
Also, I wanted to respond to Anne’s comment of my recent re-post of Rob. Yes, indeed, God has a calling for everyone at a certain time and in His way. However, that does not mean we cannot miss someone on the blog and pay hommage to them, which was my intent. Rob may not be continuing with us on 100words but I feel his spirit remains with us. Every now and then, I am going to re-post one of his prayers as they were always so beautifully and eloquently spoken. .❤️