Monthly Archives: December 2025

Daily Bible Study

December 12, 2025 Bible Study — Prayer Leads Us to Truth and Thus Helps Us See Through Lies

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Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Thessalonians 1-3.

Once again Paul begins one of his letters by talking about prayer.  First, he says that he feels like he ought to thank God for the Thessalonian Believers, which is praying.  Then a few sentences later he writes that he constantly prays for them.  We should follow Paul’s example and pray for the Believers whom we know.  And what does he pray for about them?  He prays that God might bring to fruition their desire for goodness and the deeds which their faith prompts them to attempt.  Paul did not pray for them to receive good things, he prayed that their desire for goodness would be fulfilled, that they would be good as they, in the Spirit, desired to be.  He also did not pray that all of their deeds would be successful, only those which their faith prompted them to perform.

Paul goes on to speak of Jesus’ return.  He writes that will not happen to “the man of lawlessness is revealed.”  He goes on to say that the lawless one will use signs and wonders to serve the lie and to use wickedness to deceive those who are perishing.  Those who are perishing are doing so because they refuse to love the truth and instead delight in wickedness.  I want to point out a connection between praying and a love of truth.  If we love the truth, we will pray to God that He will reveal it to us more fully.  As He reveals that truth to us, we will pray more.  Resulting in God revealing the truth yet more clearly.  And as we embrace the truth we will act on it.  The more we act on God’s truth, the more we will pray, leading us back to God revealing more of His truth.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

 

Daily Bible Study

December 11, 2025 Bible Study — Continually Seek to Improve Our Self-discipline and Our Love for Others.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Thessalonians 1-5.

Paul begins this letter by writing that he continually mentions those to whom he is writing in his prayers.  He begins many of his letters in this fashion and it is a challenge to me to pray more.  With the number of people whom Paul remembered in his prayers, even if he only did so by remembering them as part of a group, he clearly spent more time in prayer than I do.  I strive to discipline myself to spend more time in prayer.  Paul’s comment about prayer is part of his reminder to his audience about the message which he spoke to them when he visited their city.  Which brings me to something else that Paul writes in that introduction, that he was not, and is not, trying to trick them.  We must keep this in mind when we seek to bring others to Christ.  We must not use deceptive tactics in order to disguise our intent. Nor may we use arguments which we know to be false, or arguments which use faulty logic.

Finally, when Paul gets to the meat of his letter, to the things which he wanted to share with the Church of the Thessalonians, he writes that they should live in order to please God.  He writes that he understands that they are already doing so, but wants to encourage them to do so even more.  He reminds them to avoid sexual immorality, and learn to control their own body in a way that is both holy and honorable.   We need to seek to live our lives with self-discipline and love for one another.  Again, Paul writes that he knows they are already doing so in a way which is a model which believers in other areas are following, but that they should not rest on their laurels.  Rather, they should seek to do so even more so.  Let us seek to follow Paul’s advice to the Thessalonians.  Let us seek to improve our self-discipline and our love for others.

 

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

Daily Bible Study

December 10, 2025 Bible Study — Be Holy in God’s Sight

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Colossians 1-4.

Paul begins by telling us that we were enemies of God because of our evil behavior, but that He has reconciled us to Himself through Christ’s death.  He goes on to explain how we have been brought to fullness in Christ.  While we were dead in our sins God made us alive.  Therefore we should kill all sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed (Paul notes that greed is a form of idolatry.  It is the worship of money).  These are obvious sins to most people, but Paul says that we need to go beyond that.  We need to remove from our lives anger, rage, and filthy language.  Which are things we often justify to ourselves.  We must remove them and put on the things with which God wishes to clothe us: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  And this is where we see why we must take off, must remove from our lives, anger, rage, and filthy language, along with the more obvious things of which Paul tells us to rid ourselves.  Those other things are not compatible with the things which Paul says we should put on.  In this new being to which God calls us there is no room for dividing ourselves into groups.  So, let us serve the Lord and love one another.  Paul gives some other instructions about how this all fits together before telling us how a key method to accomplishing this.  He tells us to devote ourselves to prayer.

Let us strive to live the types of lives which Paul tells us to live.  While Paul ends with prayer, we should start with prayer.  That prayer divides into three parts.  Pray for others.  Pray that we can live lives of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love.  Pray that we can remove anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, immorality, lust, evil desires, and greed from our lives.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

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December 9, 2025 Bible Study –Rejoice in the Lord Always

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Philippians 1-4.

I find it interesting how two days in a row, the theme of the day before’s passage kind of bleeds into the theme of today’s passage (or, at least, the themes I saw in them).  Yesterday, I wrote about how Paul told us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received, which came out of what he had written in the passage for the day before about prayer.  Today, he tells us to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ as a sort of lead in to his message for today.  That leads into what he writes about how we should live our lives.  I was going to paraphrase what he says here, but, for a change, there is no way to say it any clearer.  This is how we should live:  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”  He goes on to support why we should live that way, but that right there sums it up.  Rather than “looking out for number one” as our society so often puts it, we should value others about ourselves and look out for their interests rather than putting out interests first.  

He goes on to tell us that he counts all of his accomplishments as nothing.  In fact, he counts them as negatives inasmuch that they might tempt him to rely on them rather than seeking to know Christ.  In so writing, Paul tells us that we should do likewise and strive to know Christ and, through Him, the power of His resurrection through embracing the sufferings which come as a result of putting our faith in Him.  In that faith, we should rejoice and let others judge us by the way we live in imitation of Him.  We need to put aside our worries and be anxious about anything.  Paul even answers how we deal with our anxieties, by prayer and petition, which we present to God with thanksgiving for what He has already done for us.

Finally, I am going to leave you with this: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”  That is such a great list of things which we should fill our minds.  If we fill our minds with such things, we will find sin fleeing from us.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

Daily Bible Study

December 8, 2025 Bible Study — Live a Life Worthy of the Calling You Have Received

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Ephesians 4-6.

Yesterday, I wrote about the importance of praying, and of my need to pray for those who read what I write here.  In today’s passage, Paul begins by telling us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received.  That calling is to serve God and to preach His good news to all we encounter.  Paul tells us to make the most of every opportunity which we have.  In many ways the rest of the passage (or most of it anyways) is about how we need to behave in order to be sure that we are making the most of our opportunities.  If we want to be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities which arise unexpectedly we need to do everything in our power to remain unified in the Spirit with our fellow believers.  That requires us to be humble, gentle, patient, and to bear with each other’s failings in love.  Related to that Paul tells us something which comes up again and again in the New Testament.  We must give control over what we say to the Holy Spirit.  We need to strive to not grieve the Holy Spirit, to not make His job harder, by what we say and do.  Paul tells us to not allow any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths.  He clarifies what he means by “unwholesome” when he tells us that we should only say those things which are helpful for building others up.  I want to note that Paul specifically tells us that what is helpful for building others up varies depending upon the individual.  Some need us to take a gentle and kind approach, others need us to be brutally honest about their faults.  However, before we act on the latter we need to examine ourselves to make sure that we are not speaking out of bitterness or rage.  In fact, we need to always make sure that we are not slandering others, or trying to start a fight.  Paul goes on to show us that there is a link between obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse jokes and sexual immorality, various types of impurity, and greed.  Instead of allowing that kind of language to infect our minds we should speak words of thanksgiving and praise to God.  We should be kind and compassionate, forgiving of those who cause us harm, and our language should reflect these attitudes. 

I want to end this by saying that I have written as much as I have today because I feel like I am failing to express a point about this, but it feels like I am just repeating myself.  So, I am stopping here.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

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December 7, 2025 Bible Study — Pray That All of God’s People Will Grasp How Great is the Love of Christ

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Ephesians 1-3.

When Paul wrote about praying for the Ephesian Believers at the beginning of today’s passage I felt convicted that I do not pray enough.  Particularly, that I do not pray enough for others.  Although, now that I think about it, I also do not ask you, my readers, to pray for me.  As I write that I realize that I do not pray enough for those who read this blog.  Going forward I will strive to pray that those who read this blog will have the eyes of their heart enlightened so that they may know the hope to which God has called us and also Know His immeasurable power.  Paul comes back to writing about his prayers for the Ephesian Believers at the end of today’s passage, and gives me even more to add to my prayers for those of you who read my blog, and not just for you, but for Believers everywhere.  I ask that you pray the same prayers for me.  So, what does Paul add to his prayer, and mine, at the end of this passage: he prays that we be rooted and established in love and thus grasp just how extensive Christ’s love is.  Further, he prays, and I pray, that you will be filled to the fullness of God with that love.  I want to note that Paul does not ask that we be filled to the limits of human fullness with Christ’s love, but to the fullness of God.  Finally, remember that God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, and He has put that power to work within us.  I want to emphasize that God is able to do, not just more, but immeasurably more, than we can imagine.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

Daily Bible Study

December 6, 2025 Bible Study — Does Our Faith Cause Us to Follow the Law, or Produce the Fruits of the Spirit?

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Galatians 1-6.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians contains a lot which is easy to misunderstand.  For most of the letter Paul condemns those who insist on living according to the Law of Moses.  He points out that unless one can keep every bit of that Law being circumcised is of no value.  Indeed, he points out that we should not dedicate ourselves to following specific rituals and feasts on specific days.  Doing so makes those things into idols which we worship in place of God.  Paul reminds us that the original covenant was with Abraham, more than 400 years before Moses and the Law given at Mount Sinai.  We do not need to become Jews, to enter into the covenant which God gave to the descendants of Jacob at Mount Sinai, in order to receive the salvation which comes through faith in Christ and His death and resurrection.  Through Christ we are all returned to the state in which God created us, we are all returned to the image of God.  As a result, in Christ there is no Jew nor Gentile, no slave nor freeman, no male or female, just people made in the image of God.

Now, having spent most of his letter telling us that we should not allow ourselves to be bound by the law, Paul also tells us not to allow ourselves to be bound by sin.  In fact, he tells us that if we have been saved by faith in Christ we will live by the Spirit.  If we live by the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the flesh but will display the fruit of the Spirit.  In doing this Paul is referring to the same idea which Jesus was talking about when he said “Thus by their fruit you will recognize them.”  While Jesus was primarily talking about recognizing false prophets, Paul shows us here that it is not just about recognizing others.  He tells us that we should judge ourselves by our fruit, and we should strive to produce the fruit of the Spirit rather than demonstrate the acts of the flesh.  You can read the acts (or fruit) of the flesh in the passage, but I want to list the fruits of the Spirit which we should strive to produce: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  The great things about these is that the more we exhibit these traits, the easier it is to practice them…and the harder we find it to indulge in the acts of the flesh.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

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December 5, 2025 Bible Study — Do Not Judge by Appearances, but Be Aware of the Obvious Facts

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Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 9-13.

In today’s passage Paul encourages us to generously aid those in need.  He tells us that if we sow generously, we will reap generously.  If we pay close attention to all of what Paul writes we will realize that Paul is not telling us that generously giving to those in need will result in us becoming wealthy.  However, if we give generously in our time and resources we will be generously blessed.  That blessing may be in wealth, but it may just as easily be in things which cannot be measured.  However, we should not overlook that Paul says that if we are generous with our resources, God will bless us so that we can be even more generous.  Of course, the passage also speaks of being not just generous in supplying the needs of God’s people but also in thanksgiving to God.

Paul goes on to speak about his planned visit to Corinth.  Some of the people in the Corinthian Church dismissed Paul as someone that they need not fear.  Paul warns them that while he prefers to approach them with gentleness and humility, he will speak as necessary to bring them into alignment with God’s will.  In particular, Paul warns the Corinthian believers not to allow appearances to blind them to the obvious.  He tells them that while he is an untrained speaker, he has received knowledge from God.  Those other teachers who suggest that Paul can be disregarded have (or perhaps whose teaching others are relying on to say that Paul can be disregarded) have become enamored of ideas which are contrary to the Gospel.  Paul does not debate, argue, or fight as the world does.  And we should imitate Paul in fighting with divine power rather than with the weapons of this world.  Paul made his every thought captive to, and obedient to, Jesus.  We should strive to do likewise.  Examine our minds for any thought which does not serve Christ, for any argument or pretension which interferes with our knowledge and service to Him.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

Daily Bible Study

December 4, 2025 Bible Study — Becoming a New Creation While Being Reconciled with God and Our Fellow Man

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Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 5-8.

Paul begins today’s passage by comparing our physical bodies to a tent, while comparing the bodies we will receive after our resurrection to houses.  Paul seems to use that metaphor for two reasons.  The first is that tents are places of temporary residence while houses are permanent.  Second, tents provide only partial shelter from the elements while houses provide more complete shelter.  As a result of viewing things in this manner, Paul longed for the day when he would be united with Christ in the resurrection.  Nevertheless, he sought to serve Christ for as long as God chose to keep him in this life.

As a result of this understanding, Paul sought to persuade others of the gospel, as should we.  God has made us new creations in Christ, reconciled to God for eternity.  Since we have been reconciled to God, we have been given a ministry of reconciliation.  That ministry of reconciliation contains two parts.  First, we introduce others to the reconciliation with God which He offers through Christ.  Of highest importance we should strive to show others that God has reconciled them to Himself and that they need to merely accept that reconciliation.  Second, now that we have been reconciled with God we need to reconcile with our fellow man, and reconcile our fellow man with each other.  As followers of Christ we need to seek to persuade others to be reconciled with God and with each other.  Of course, part of that persuasion is persuading them, and ourselves, that they can only be truly reconciled with their fellow man by being reconciled with God through Jesus Christ.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus

Daily Bible Study

December 3, 2025 Bible Study — We Believe and Therefor We Speak (and Write)

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Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Corinthians 1-4.

Today, I am going to hit on a few things which Paul wrote in the passage.  Paul begins by mentioning the troubles and pressures he experienced stating that he has set his hope on God for delivery.  Then mentions that the readers’ prayers played an important role in God delivering him.  This passing mention of prayer reminds us of the importance of prayer.  I know that I need to improve my prayer life.

A little later in today’s passage Paul writes, “we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand.”  This is an important thought to keep in mind while reading all of Paul’s writing.  Paul does not write for someone with a Doctorate in Theology, or some other advanced degree.  He writes for people at all levels of understanding.  In fact, this particular quote applies to all of Scripture.  Anyone who wishes to understand what Scripture says can do so.  Closely related to this is another quote I pulled out of todays passage, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”  Our ability to understand Scripture comes not from within ourselves, not from our abilities.  Rather our competence in understanding Scripture comes from God.  If we genuinely seek God, He will use Scripture to guide us, and will guide us in understanding the Scripture.  

The final quote and segment I want to pull out of today’s passage is where Paul quotes Psalm 116:10 from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament used by Jews in the first century). He writes the following, “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Paul explains that if we truly put our faith in Christ and believe in His resurrection we will be compelled to speak of that faith, sharing the gospel with those with whom we interact.  

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I have created a Patreon page for those who would like to support me in writing these blog posts every day: https://patreon.com/AttilaSoldus