Andrew M. Rector's Blog

1 Timothy 1

Thoughts: I’m so proud of my niece and nephew. Over the last few years, they walked down the aisles of their respective schools and received diplomas in their fields. I’m happy to say my niece is a practicing occupational therapist, and my nephew is a sales associate in commercial real estate. It seems like yesterday I babysat them. But now that they have received degrees in their various fields, they practice their craft.

When we receive a badge of honor, we can speak as an authority. It could be a new job title, a promotion, or even a business card that tells someone what we do.

Paul received his “badge of authority” the hard way. He was temporarily blinded. And even though he was ordained by Jesus himself, Paul was still sometimes feared by his brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul knew he was not perfect. He also knew he had experienced God’s patience and love. And in the first chapter of 1st Timothy, he speaks with the authority God had given him to his protégée, Timothy.

I think about all the times I’ve failed God, but I have to remind myself that His patience is infinite. Satan wants me to feel like a loser. God, however, wants me to remember I’m loved. And like Paul, God can use me no matter my past.

Key Phrases: Shown mercy; immense patience

Memory Verse: But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:16-17, NIV

Luke 2:8-12

Thoughts: That night, shepherds were minding their own business, doing their job, and watching their sheep. Suddenly, these celestial beings transported out of nowhere, lighting up the sky brighter than lightning. Of course they were frightened. They may have not had the highest place in society, but Jesus came for them along with everyone else. Their profession even received the honor of Jesus being called The Great Shepherd (John 10:11-18). Sometimes, we may feel powerless in this world; we may feel afraid of our circumstances. Losing a job. Losing a relationship. Losing our life. But we gain so much by giving our fear to our savior. The baby was born to be our Savior in this world so that we won’t face fear in the next world.

Key Phrases: Be not afraid

Memory Verse: “Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!” Luke 2:11

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Photo by Frank Cone

Luke 2:1-7

Thoughts: At one point in most people’s lives, they all feel like an outcast. There’s no room anywhere. Or so it seems. But the Father will take them in. No matter what they’ve done. No matter who they’ve hurt. No matter where they’ve been. He offers a room — more than a room — for anyone who believes a baby was born two thousand years ago who would take their place. The baby would grow up to pay the price for those things done they’re not proud of. There’s always room.

Key Phrases: there was no room for them in the inn

Memory Verse: “She gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 1:7

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Luke 1:57-80

Thoughts: Remember back in Luke 1:5-20 when Zechariah didn’t believe what the angel said about he and his wife having a baby? Because they were too old? And remember when the angel said Zechariah wouldn’t be able to talk until the child was born? Well, now that’s happened. John the Baptist is born. Yes, Zechariah messed up, but he was given a second chance. That’s what God is all about. We mess up. We sin against Him. But is more about second chances than being angry at us. Ask God how He can give you a second chance in an area of your life that may need forgiving.

Key phrases: His name is John; and he (Zechariah) began to speak praising God

Memory Verse: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people. Luke 1: 68

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Luke 1:39-56

Thoughts: With COVID-19, some churches have not been meeting in person, opting instead to meet online. Others churches have reopened, using social distancing and other healthy practices. My home church will reopen soon. I can’t wait. I may or may not go right away, but when I decide to meet in person with my brothers and sisters in Christ to worship, my heart will leap with joy.

Key phrases: the baby leaped in her womb

Memory verse: “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Luke 1:47

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Photo by MERABTINE ABDELAZIZ from Pexels

[image error]The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-18 (ESV)

[image error]Matthew 1:18-24

Sometimes when I laugh, I can hear my father’s laugh. It surprised me the first this happened. It’s called genetics. Half of my DNA comes from him, so I inherited a certain amount of his physical traits.

My mother’s father died at the age of fifty. In the photos I’ve seen of him, it’s feels odd that he will never be older than that. Now that I have reached that age, I see a certain traits I inherited from him, specifically, his eyes. From him, and then through my mother, I get the shape and color of my eyes.

Whether you are the biological child of a man or the adopted child of a man you call “Father”, your life was and is somehow affected by the person in this role.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus had God as his Heavenly Father and Joseph as his earthly father, also a descendant of King David. Joseph could have walked away from the situation: Mary, pregnant, and it wasn’t his. They were engaged, which by Jewish customs meant they were married in every way except the one way that would bring about Mary’s pregnancy. Even though he believed the baby had been conceived of the Holy Spirit, no one else would.

But Joseph chose to obey God and risk humiliation. He adopted the baby as  his son. What a great reflection of God this act was. Didn’t God adopt us as his children, just as Joseph adopted Jesus?

Do we take this for granted? Think about it. We may have earthly fathers, biological or adoptive, but as believers, God is our Heavenly Father. Sometimes it’s easy to forget this. Let Joseph’s unselfish act remind us how wonderful it is we are heirs of the Father.

Don’t forget. Father’s Day is June 18th.

Further Study:

My book, Christ Simply, is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

[image error]Luke 1:26-38

I remember sitting in my history of western civilization class at the university and feeling angry. The professor, a woman with glasses and long dark hair mixed with gray, had just said, “this was around the time Jesus is said to have been born. Of a virgin.” She smiled. “Although I don’t know how a virgin got pregnant back in those days.”

Hey, I get it. It’s a miracle. It’s not suppose to be an everyday occurence.

But why did she have to editorialize in the middle of her lecture? If she chooses not to believe it, she is just exercising the free will God has given her. However, her attitude made me angry: her tone of voice, her snide smile, her mocking words. She mocked my faith.

This happened before the era of “political correctness” flooded our society. Of course, if I said something snide about another religion, I would be in the wrong. But apparently back then and up through today, it’s okay to dismiss Christianity as myth.

But even as Christians, don’t we sometimes have trouble believing Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit? How is that possible? Was my history professor right to mock such a ridiculous story?

Here’s another question: do you believe there is a God who created the universe?

Most Christians would say ‘yes.’ Those who say ‘no’ to such a foundation of Christian belief may need to evaluate their Christianity. So if  a believer says, “Yes, I believe God created the universe,” then believing God could send the power of the Holy Spirit to make Mary conceive is much easier, right?

Eric Metaxas, in his book Miracles, says it this way:

“If God could insert the entire universe from ‘outside’ the system, why couldn’t he insert a sperm cell into the otherwise ‘closed’ system?”

Today I think: what a cliché–a university professor who is an atheist. She probably chose not to believe there is a God who created the universe. So her disbelief in a virgin birth is understandable. But for those of us who do believe God created the universe–and to us humans, the universe is a big place–then our belief in a Savior born of a virgin is much easier.

My book, Christ Simply, is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

[image error]Luke 1:5-25

This really sticks out to me:

18. Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19. The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.

20. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Wow. All Zachariah says was the obvious: I’m old. So is my wife. How can we have a child? And zap. Zachariah was punished. He wasn’t able to speak until after his son was born.

I don’t know if this was a real punishment or God using Zachariah’s lack of faith as an object lesson for everyone else in the Jewish community. But don’t we doubt God when we need to just have faith immediately and without question?

It’s like a little kid who tests his parents. Mom or dad says, “On the count of three, you better stop doing that.

“One. Two …”

Most of the time, the kid waits until the parent gets to “three.” Not with God. God doesn’t count to three. He expects us to obey immediately. If not, He’ll find someone else, or an answer to pray may pass us by.

So the goal is to have faith that God will be there for us without any of our conditions or questions. It’s hard. But the next time you are faced with a test of faith, see if you can give Him your trust unconditionally.

Find my latest book on Amazon: Christ Simply, A Chronological Self-Guided Study through the Life of Christ.

[image error]Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38

Child of God. Adopted by God. Heirs of God. These are things I’ve heard so many times, I took them for granted. I have earthly parents, but as a Christian, I need to remember I am actually a child of God.

I have to sit down and take that in.

Because I am an actual child of God, I have worth. Sometimes, that’s the only thing that gets me through the day. If you need the proof, here it is:

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:10, NIV.

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:16, NIV.

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba,  Father.‘ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” Galatians 4:4-7, NIV.

“… if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ …” Romans 8:17, NIV.

Jesus is God’s son, but he also had a human lineage. I can only name my ancestors back a few generations, but for Jesus, two separate lists record his ancestry. Check out Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38.

These may seem like boring lists of ancestors, but each had a point. They signified Jesus belonged to a lineage of God’s chosen King of Israel. The ancestors of Jesus were the most famous figures of the Old Testament.

Matthew, being Jewish, focused on showing how Jesus’ ancestry went back to Abraham, the first Jew, while Luke, being non-Jewish, listed a genealogy going back to Adam the first man. Jesus is called the Son of David, and both of these lists show King David as a forefather of Jesus.

Jesus is the son of God. We are children of God if we believe and accept Jesus as Lord of our lives. Take time today to think what it means to you to be a child of God.

Find my latest book on Amazon: Christ Simply, A Chronological Self-Guided Study through the Life of Christ.