Latest / The Daily Word / March 31 – Watch, Stand, Be Strong, Love
Transcript
- Brandon Dirmann: Well, good morning and welcome once again to another episode of the Daily Word podcast. Today is March 31st and we are reading, journaling, meditating today in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 16. The book of 1 Corinthians chapter 16 is where our New Testament reading is for the day. Hey, in you haven't met, my name is Brandon and I'm one of the pastors at our church. And this podcast, someone asked me the other day, what's the point of the podcast, Brandon? Like what is your goal? And I said honestly the point of our podcast is twofold. Number one, it's to be a daily encouragement to anyone who's listening. Want to just simply encourage you and challenge you and strengthen you with the word of God. But also, second goal, secondary, ⁓ want to help you to remember that God wants to meet with you every single day. And so simply what we're doing on here is we're taking our Bible reading and journaling and we're just sharing it with you. This is not a sermon that we've prepped. This is not. something that's been theological, doctrinally ⁓ studied, and we've gone to commentaries. I mean, maybe people are doing that. I'm not doing that. This is simply our Bible reading and journaling for the day. We believe that the power of spending time with God every day, it's not just getting more information, and it's not just getting smarter, but it really is allowing God to speak to you in a transformative way that he's sharpening you. He's challenging you. Just the other day I was at a coffee shop with a group of guys doing my Bible reading and journaling. ⁓ man, God was just kicking my butt. And can I say the butt on the podcast? I just said it twice. Here's the third time God was kicking my butt. Because it wasn't like, I wasn't getting smarter, but man, the book of Proverbs, I was reading the Proverb of the day and Proverbs 17, it was just challenging me to change my attitude. Yes, we're gonna get smarter and we're gonna get more theologically sound as we do our Bible reading, but the point of our daily devotions is our life changing. It's every day letting God come with a chisel and just chisel away things that are not right. ⁓ Add to us things that need to be added to our life. Encourage us, strengthen us, redirect us, change our thinking. The Bible says, don't be conformed to the pattern of this world. but be changed and transformed by the renewing of your mind. We're renewing our mind. And so every day we're just taking time and we're sharing our Bible reading and journaling what God is speaking to us. So I want to share with you today quickly, 1 Corinthians 16, chapter 13. By the way, let me pause real quick. I think, I think that's a terrible thing to say what I'm about to say. I think today is my youngest sister's birthday. ⁓ If it is happy birthday Brianna Revis another test last time I did a podcast It was my sister Brittany's birthday, which I know is the 26th But I always get confused between the 30th and the 31st for my sister Brianna's birthday. I love you so much Brianna This is a test to see if you listen and subscribe to our podcast, but whether it's yesterday or today Happy happy birthday to Brianna PS. That's kind of giving you a little hint that we pre record these ⁓ because if it was the 31st, like literally while I'm recording this, then I would already have known if it was yesterday. All that being said, happy birthday, Brianna. I hope you listen to the podcast. All right, 1 Corinthians chapter six, verse 13. Here's what it says. The apostle Paul writes, watch, stand fast in faith, be brave, be strong, and let all you do be done with love. It's 1 Corinthians 16, 13 through 14. Watch. Stand fast in faith, be brave, be strong, and let all that you do be done with love. These are the final exhortations in this book that Paul is writing to the church at Corinth. This is his conclusion. And here's what he says, he goes, in conclusion, here's what I want you to do. I want you to watch. I want you to be sober. I want you to be aware of what's happening around you. I want you to stand fast in faith. I want you to stand firm in trusting God, believe in God. I want you to be brave and be strong. Have courage, have confidence, be brave and be strong in the Lord and in everything you're doing, let it be done in love. Here's just four thoughts for us. Final exhortation from this book, 1 Corinthians that we've been reading for the last 16 plus days. Number one is this is let's watch. We have to be sober and be aware of not only the days that we live in, but what's happening around us. I don't just mean globally. We live in a globalized world because of technology, but I mean like maybe just in your own life. Hey, are you sober and aware of what's happening in your own life? Are you monitoring your heart, your life, your habits, your patterns? Are you sober and aware of what's happening in the lives of your kids? Sober and aware of where your marriage is right now? Are you sober and aware of how, how friendships and like, like just in life, are you living just letting everyday pass you by or are you sober and aware? And are you watching to make sure that the life that God has given you and the life God wants you to live and lead is where it needs to be and should be right now? Or are you watching? Number two, are you standing fast in faith? Life is hard. Life's full of challenges. Life's full of difficulty. Life's full of uncertainty. But are you choosing to say, I'm going to stand fast in faith and trust God and believe God and let His word and His promises be the final say in my life? Number three, are you being brave and being strong? Sometimes things that God asks you to do, they're scary. But the Bible says so many times, be strong and courageous. Be brave, be strong. Trust in God. So not only am I standing in faith, like believing God's gonna meet me, but am I taking steps of faith and action forward, being brave and being strong, and lastly, is all that I'm doing being done in love? I think these are great fence posts, great, great, great pillars for fence posts to put in our life to say, all right God, in every season, am I watching? Am I watching? In every season, am I standing fast in faith? In every season, am I living with bravery and courage? And every season is everything that I'm doing being done in love. Maybe today that God would highlight one of those to you. Maybe today that God, maybe he would highlight one to you and you go, you out of all those, I really do need to pay closer attention. You know, out of all of those, I need to be brave and strong because there's things that God's asking me to do that I'm just not doing them because I'm scared. Maybe you're in a season where you're like, you know what, I'm tempted to give up, but I need to stand in faith. Or maybe. Maybe you're in a season where God's going, hey, you're just mean. You're rude. You're short. You're self-centered. Let everything you do, let it be done in love. I'm telling you, I'm challenged by every one of those today saying, God help me to be more sober and aware of the life that I'm living and leading and how am I doing? Where is my spirit? What are the patterns of my life? God, how is my marriage? How are my kids? what's happening in the lives of those. Like I wanna be more sober, more aware, more watchful. I wanna be more faith-filled. And there's things right now in my life that I'm like, I don't know. I'm really struggling to see whether or not it's even gonna, I'm staying in faith. Behave, be brave, be strong. Step out in faith and do things that you don't think are smart, but you know God's saying to do it. You gotta be brave and be strong. And Brandon, do a better job walking in love. So those are the things that I'm thinking about today as we conclude this book of 1 Corinthians. And I'm praying that one of those four things, or maybe all of them, strengthen you today. So let's pray. God, today I'm praying in the name of Jesus that you would help me, but help us, everyone who is listening, that you would help us, Lord Jesus, in all four of these areas to be mindful today. God, help us to be watchful and to be sober and aware of everything around us, our life, our family, our marriage, the calling. the world we live in, God help us to be more sober and more aware. God I pray that you'd help us to be people of faith today. Any area where we need strength or we need confidence, help us to stand on the truth of your word and on the faithfulness of your character. God I pray you'd help us to be brave and to be strong. Give us the strength and the courage today to do everything and obey you fully in everything you're asking us to do. And God lastly help us to be people of love. That we'd walk in love and demonstrate the love of Jesus to everyone everywhere we go. We thank you for it today. Keep changing us and transforming us through your word in Jesus name, amen. Once again, love you so much. So thankful as you're listening to this podcast. Last day of the month, may this be a good last day of the month and may ⁓ tomorrow be an amazing first day of the month. We love you so much and we'll talk to you soon. In fact, tomorrow, how about we talk tomorrow on another episode of the Daily Word Podcast? We'll see you then.