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October 6, Sunday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Signs of Holiness — Followers of Jesus are described here as being “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved” (v. 12). Those things are what God has done for us and how He views us. Twice in this passage, Paul commands us to “put on” something, picturing putting on a garment. These are things we are expected to do. Dress properly! There are 13 garments listed as signs of holiness: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with others, forgiving, love, thankfulness, knowing Scripture, teaching, admonishing, and singing. How are you dressed? Are these character qualities and actions seen in us by others? This is how we let our light shine. Several of these are also “fruit of the Spirit” qualities (Gal. 5:22), resulting from our relationship with Him. Be dressed in holiness!
Be a Light for Jesus – YouTube
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October 7, Monday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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The Ministry of Glory — The New Covenant is referred to here as “the ministry of the Spirit” (v. 8). The death of Jesus initiated this new era, but the Holy Spirit empowers it. That is what the Old Covenant lacked, the power to change lives; it only set the rules. Although it was God-given and glorious, it resulted in “condemnation” for disobedient people. On the other hand, “the ministry of the Spirit” is called “the ministry of righteousness” (v. 9) because that is where it leads and what it provides. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is not only powerful, but it is also permanent (v. 11). It is the end of God’s plan until Jesus returns. We are living in the time and experience of the Spirit’s ministry, so we need to draw on the divine power made available to help us live the godly lives we want to have. That is a life of glory.
All Glory Be to God on High – YouTube
The following verse was not included in the video.
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October 8, Tuesday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Benefits of the Spirit — The three places “the Spirit” is used in this passage have caused some controversy: “the Lord is the Spirit … the Spirit of the Lord” (v. 17) and “the Lord who is the Spirit” (v. 18). All three certainly involve the Holy Spirit, but each of these expressions are used in combination with “the Lord.” Christ is often referred to as “the Lord” in the NT, which seems to be implied in the expression “the Lord is the Spirit” (v. 17a) because Paul was just speaking of Christ in verse 14 and seems to be referring to Him when he wrote, “when one turns to the Lord,” in verse 16. On the other hand, throughout the Bible, Yahweh is often referred to as “the Lord” (or “the LORD”), which might be the case here as well. This is not suggesting that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one Person, however. Instead, it is reflecting the intricate unity of the three Persons within the Godhead. All three are involved in our salvation and in our gradual growth in holiness. The two benefits mentioned in this passage are freedom (v. 17) and sanctification (v. 18). We are freed from the bondage of sin when we come to know the Lord, and we are being sanctified as we are “beholding the glory of the Lord” (v. 17). We behold this glory every day as we read God’s Word.
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October 9, Wednesday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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The Spirit as a Guarantee — Paul figuratively sees our human body as a temporary tent and our resurrected body as a permanent structure. Our earthly body is limited, deteriorating, and affected by sin, whereas our heavenly body will be perfect. How can we be sure of this? “God … has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (v. 5). Our real experience of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our lives provides confidence that the resurrected body that we anticipate is assured. We read about this just a week ago, where Paul wrote that God “has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Cor. 1:22). The next time you are experiencing pain from an injury, or you are lying in bed because of an illness, let it remind you of the perfect and eternal body God has promised for you in heaven. It is true, and the Holy Spirit is our guarantee of it.
He’ll Make It Alright – YouTube
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October 10, Thursday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Commended by the Spirit — Our lives as Christians are testimonies to the people in the churches where we worship and serve, and to the sinful world around us. Paul wrote that “we commend ourselves” (or “prove ourselves” v. 4) by how we conduct our lives. He first concentrated on the hardships he had gone through in verses 4-5. One powerful witness to the world that we are truly different is how we handle life’s difficulties. We all face them, but does it result in bitterness, like it does for most people, or in trusting acceptance as something God can use to strengthen us? People are watching how we handle trials. In verses 6-7, Paul shifted to positive qualities that others can see in our lives, like purity and kindness. In the middle of that list, he includes “the Holy Spirit” (v. 6). Why? This is an invisible quality. They don’t see the Holy Spirit, and neither do we, but they see the effects of His divine presence in our lives. He is our empowering presence. We Christians are changed people and people notice the positive qualities He is producing in our lives.
Father, Hear the Prayer We Offer – YouTube
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October 11, Friday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Fellowship of the Holy Spirit — Paul’s final comments in his last letter to this trouble-filled Corinthian church centers on the need for unity. He gave them five commands: “…rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace” (v. 11). That is not a normal attitude for most groups of people. Criticism and division are attitudes that better fit the human tendency of being selfish. Groups of Christians should stand out in their unity as being unusual. What makes us different is the presence of God in our lives. As a promise, Paul said that if we concentrate on unity, “God … will be with you” (v. 11), and in a prayer he asked that “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you” (v. 14). The Holy Spirit is “with us” in fellowship. When we are in fellowship with Him, He enables us to overcome our human, selfish tendency so we can have harmonious relationships with other Christians.
Blest Be the Tie That Binds – YouTube
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October 12, Saturday
An audio recording of the following reading is available below.
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Refreshing Love — Onesimus was a slave who had run away from his master, Philemon. After leading Onesimus to Christ in Rome, Paul sent him back to Philemon in Asia Minor with this letter of explanation. Paul wrote that “I hear of your love … for all the saints” (v. 5). From whom did he hear this? It seems that it was Onesimus who had told Paul about the kindness of his master. That is a very good testimony of Philemon’s character. Although the slave had run away from his master, he praised him for his goodness. The second mention of “saints” here was when Paul wrote of Philemon that “the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you” (v. 7). Philemon had a church meeting in his home (v. 2), which was one way that he was refreshing the saints. How do you refresh other believers? Do you have a ministry that aims at encouraging them? Philemon had found his niche in serving the Lord by ministering to His saints.
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