1 Timothy 5:11-16

But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge. At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach; for some have already turned aside to follow Satan. If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed.

Younger women want to feel sensual desires instead of Christ which can lead to unGodliness. Women who are widows at a very young age lose their sight of Christ, and set it on finding a husband and a great life. This becomes a problem when people lose their fire for Christ. Paul is telling Timothy that women should get married, so they can continue to worship and follow the Lord in their daily lives. People who has dependent widows must be assisted, so the chruch must not be burdened. They must be helped because everyone less fortunate than us should be taken care of.

1 Timothy 5:8-10

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, having a reputation for good works; and if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed saints' feet, if she has assisted in those in distress, and she has devoted herself to every good work.

If people cannot take care of their family, they are unfit for God and faith. They are of no difference to unbelievers because they can do that also. Part of living our life for Christ includes taking care of the family that God has bestowed on us. As men and women of Christ, we need to care for our families. Good works do nothing without Jesus. I heard a sermon that said that Jesus plus nothing=salvation.

1 Timothy 5:1-4

Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity. Honor widows who are widows indeed; but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God.

We should always appeal to an old man as father, not rebuke him. Older men of God are highly respected in the family, and they should all be loved. It is acceptable in the sight of God to learn piety in the sense of raising a family. When a man and woman of Christ raise a family with true Christian values, they should truly be loved and respected.

1 Timothy 4:10-16

For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

Everyone has their hope on God because there is no hope in this worldly world. There is nothing that we can place our hope in except Jesus; our Lord and Savior. He is the savior of all men. For people who are saved Children of God, we need to go out and spread the Glorious word of Christ to everyone. It is so important that more and more people can hear the word of Christ, so that we continue to keep adding to our family. No one should look at age, but at someone's heart for Christ. We should act in a grateful manner with purity, love, and faith. Our heart for Christ is so important because whatever is stored up in our heart will come out of our mouths. If we have passion and love Christ in our hearts, we will continue to have passion and love for our neighbors, brothers and sisters. We should never abolish the spiritual gifts that we have received from God. These are special gifts that we have been given, and we should use them to the best of our God-Given ability. We should pay close to attention to what we do in the name of Christ because God judges everything that we do.

1 Timothy 4:6-9

In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Jesus Christ, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of Godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but Godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.

We should all be good servants for Jesus Christ. We should be fully living out our lives for Him. He is the one who has given us breath and life, and we owe Him everything. He died on the cross for us knowing what would happen. He loved us that much that he sacrificed Himself for us. We should continue and always follow the Bible which is the only doctrine that we should truly follow and live out. We should have nothing to do with myths and worldly fables that don't really accomplish everything. God wants us to be reading his word not reading silly myths. We should be disciplining ourselves for the sake that God loves us. We should all want to be men and women of God. Since God loves us so much, the least that we can do is to completely live our lives out for Him. When we live in Godliness, it doesn't only benefit us now but in Heaven also. Since Jesus is truth, we should completely live out our lives for HIM!!!!!!

1 Timothy 4:1-6

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

It is true when the Spirit says that people will fall from the faith because people pray and meditate to other things than God. Some people have the problem of idolatry and worshipping everything except Jesus. We have a big problem in this country with who we decide to worship. Trip Lee is one of my favorite Christian rappers. In one of his songs titled Cash or Christ?, he goes into how money is the only God we trust. In a way it's true, all of what people want to do is get money and spend it. This is not what God wants us to worship because He wants us to worship Him. Some people in this country read and study man-made doctrines such as the catholics, jews, mormons and jehovah's witnesses. These man-made religions teach the fact that we have to be afraid when we leave faith, or we will be shunned from our family. Another big problem with men who practice man-made religions listen to all of these rules to be saved. Their conscience is treated and manipulated so that they have to obey certain doctrines or follow silly rules. When God created the world, He created it with the intention of good. (Genesis 1:31) Nothing should be rejected since it is from God. Since we ask for things in prayer (which is made Holy in His name), we should never reject it, since it is a gift from God.

1 Timothy 3:1-6

It is a trustworthy statement; if any man aspires to be the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentile, peaceable, free from the love of money,. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how we will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.

Wow there was a lot in this juicy passage, lol. If a man wants to be an overseer, he needs to do all of these things that are required. He must be above reproach. A man should not fall into the feeling of disappointed a lot. God never tells his people to be disappointed. It is important for a man of God to not commit fornication. He should marry a true woman of Christ, care, and truly be there for her. God intended man and woman only to marry. As a result of marriage, they would produce and take care of a wonderful child. This is a gift from God. He should also be moderate in everything He does. He should not eat in excess, drink in excess because these things are not pleasing to God at all. A man should always be prudent in everything he does. He should always act with love and care which comes from our loving God. He should also be respectable and hospitable. A true man of God would respect everyone and not judge. He would always welcome them into their homes, and treat them like how they would want to be treated. We should be able and be in a condition to truly teach the word of God, and only the word of God. We should not be addicted to alcohol or drugs because it conflicts with our mind when we are getting together to study God's Word. When people use drugs and alcohol, it puts their mind in a state where they are not fully focusing on God to comfort them, they are seeking outside methods. People should definitely be peaceful and free from the love of money. The love of money is not productive because it takes away from your focus on God. You spend all of your time thinking about money instead of God. Raising a good family is the last thing that is listed here. The bible says that if you cannot take care of your family, then you cannot take care of a church. If you do all of these things, you can become an overseer of the church. If we fall short of these things, this is where prayer comes in.

1 Timothy 2:5-8

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. Therefore I want men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

There is only one God. It is true Jesus is the mediator between God and man. Whenever we pray, we are praying to our loving and just Savior, Jesus. He is so loving that He saved us from Hell. He loved us so much that he died for us all on the cross, so that if we believe in Him, we can achieve eternal life. Jesus has to be the most loving man because He died for us. No one else has died for us. Everyone should pray. It is our personal time with Jesus. There are multiple ways that we can have with him. We can have community groups, quiet time, reflection and prayer. Prayer is so important, and it is a big problem. It has become a problem because we do not pray enough. At Rider University, prayer became a difficulty because no one would come to the prayer meetings. Then we all prayed, and Kelvin became our prayer leader. I thank God so much for letting him lead us in prayer.

1 Timothy 2:1-4

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desire all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

As it says in the scripture, prayers and thanksgiving should be given from everyone. Prayer is so important. It is our way of talking to God and bringing up our petitions to God. Since God is the only One who can hear our prayers and can do anything about it, we should give everything to God. Since God was the One who created us, we should definitely go to Him with anything; good or bad. To leave a life of tranquil and quiet life, we need to completely trust our lives in Him. Since He is an all powerful God who is always there for us. We need to live a life of Godliness and dignity. If you don't live a life like this, you will lose your tranquility and dignity. God desires all men and women to be saved and come to Him. Everything is good and acceptable in our God. Just think!!!! When God was creating the Heavens and the earth, He was thinking about us. Everyone has to come to God and know the truth. Evolution, Universalism, Atheism, Agnosticism isn't the truth. God IS THE TRUTH!!!!!!

1 Timothy 1:15-19

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophesies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.

Just think about that for a second, Jesus died for us. That is such an awesome thought to seriously ponder. He loves us that much that He would die for us. I don't know anybody off the top of my head who would die like that for me. Jesus you are so great!!!! There has been a lot of conflict because some people think it is degrading that we call ourselves sinners and that we need a savior. I see it as a good thing. Since we are depraved sinners, God sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. He chose such a courageous way to take away our sins. Since our God is so loving, He would go through with the sacrifice. When I was looking back on Jesus's death and resurrection, it was so merciful in what He did for us. In God's eyes our righteousness are like filthy to Him. (Isaiah 64:6) God has the glory forever and forever. God is the only God. This is the only God. We should keep fighting the good fight, and eternal life will be on the other end. Some people who don't have love and a pure heart will have a harder journey with God than people to do.

1 Timothy 1:11-14

according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. I thank Jesus Christ our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Jesus Christ.

The gospel of Jesus is so awesome. It is the best news that I have ever heard. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, so that if we believe in Him, and trust our lives in Him, we can have the gift of eternal life. Jesus, I do thank you for everything that you have done in my life, and will continue to thank you. Jesus, you are so great. I can never repay you for what you did in my life. The gospel of Jesus has strengthened me and my faith so much. When I was an alcoholic and a heavy drug user, I was a monster and a bum. I heavily worshipped alcohol and drugs. Now Jesus has completely changed me into a cleaner human being. Jeremiah 29:11 says that I have plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. That is awesome. Jesus comes in and shows us His plan for us. I used to be a blasphemer and a violent person. Jesus changed us completely. Thank you Lord!!! I was so ignorant in my unbelief and I doubted your existence. It was a complete mistake for me to ignore you. You offer us a free gift which is better than money and cars. I love you with all my life, Lord!!!! There is an abundant amount of love in Christ. YES!!!!!!!

1 Timothy 1:8-10

But we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,

God made the law to be used for Good. He meant for the law to be obeyed because He felt if the law would be carried out, the world would be a great place. Law is not made for a righteous people but is meant for the immoral person. Paul lists the different kind of immoral people that need the law. When God put law into society, He meant it for people to obey it. Our Holy Father is so great in that aspect that He knew the law, and He knew what would happen when law was introduced. I love God!!!!!!!!

1 Timothy 1:5-7

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.

In the Bible, Jesus teaches us that we should love other people because He first lived us. (1 John 4:19) Love is so important because it teaches patience, courage, and etc. Having a pure heart is also important. Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8) It is very important for us to have a pure heart because we truly see God in the way He would want us to come to Him. Having a good and clear conscience is great because it will allow us to see God truly. He wants us to come to Him. Having a sincere faith is very beneficial to us. Jesus died on the cross, so we should be living our lives for Him. When some men and women stray from Jesus, they have no idea what they are talking about like the scripture says. The Bible is God's way of speaking to us. When we don't read His word or dont't truly study it, we will struggle and lose momentum in our journey with Him.

1 Timothy 1:3-4

As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrine, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.

This is a very important part of scripture. It is telling us that we should be not teaching alternative doctrine from the bible, and we should not be teaching doctrine. This is important because if we teach strange doctrine, people will lose the message of Jesus Christ. One of the most important things that we have in life is the truth of Jesus. Jesus is the truth, the way and the life. (John 14:6) The Bible is God's word, and his high authority. Jesus is so great, and he is so loving and just. We should also not pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. This means that we should not pay attention to myths, superstition, and horoscopes. For people who don't know, horoscopes are different signs by month. They supposedly explain our characteristics based off what month we were born in. The only person who knows us, and everything about us is our Lord and Savior; Jesus Christ. The only thing we should be doing with our lives is furthering our faith journey with Jesus by reading and studying His word.

Mark 4:21-22 NASB

And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not to be brought to be put under a blanket, is it, or under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on a lampstand? "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.

This passage is so important to me. Jesus is asking us, should a lighted lamp be hidden or be put on a table to be shown? He is comparing a lamp to our love for Him. Should we hide Jesus or should we tell people about Him? One of the most important things is that we shouldn't hide our faith. Jesus is so great, and He has worked so much in our lives. He has changed us from our old selves to a new creation in Christ!!!!!!!

JOHN 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His ^[a]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

This is one of the greatest verses in God's Word. In this piece of juicy scripture, God is showing us how Jesus died for us. Just think about that for a second.... JESUS DIED FOR US!!!!! The wage of sin is death, but the gift of Christ is eternal life. (Romans 3:23) Doesn't that sound great? ETERNAL LIFE???? Jesus is so awesome. He has given me a new life when I was made a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We try to be righteous, but our efforts to be righteous are like filthy rags to God. (Isaiah 64:6) It is so important to realize that there is nothing we can do to appeal to God like good clean people. Jesus is always there for us.

Morning Thoughts 1/12/11

It was a very interesting morning today. I had to wake up really early today so my cleaning lady could clean today. It got me thinking, and I prayed for like 15 minutes to start my day today. God was speaking to me, and I felt a calling to read some scripture after I got back from breakfast. I ended up reading 2 Samuel 11 where it takes it talks about David and Bethsheeba. This chapter is all about sin, and the evils of covering up your sin. This is one of the best passages in the bible to me because it speaks to me the most. One of the problems that people face with sin is how to deal with it after you have already committed a sin. In this specific example, David sleeps with Bethsheeba, and tries to find a way around the horrible sin he committed. He tells the army general to bring her husband back and tries to get him drunk. In this, he hopes that he would sleep with her, so he would think he got her pregnant. Yoriah was too much of a decent man to do that. He says my brothers are fighting in the war, so I won't. David is angry when he hears this, and tells the army general to put him in the fighting lines and have everyone else stand back. The army general did this, and he was killed. This passage of scripture shows that when we commit sins and we try and cover them up, it ends up getting worse and worse. Moral=Pray to God for forgiveness for your sins. He loves you, and they will be carried off. Jesus is so great whenever i commit a sin, I go to Him, and He comforts me....

Interesting Day Today 1/11/12

It was a very interesting day. I didn't really do much, but I thought and prayed a lot. I am coming up on a semester that basically is going to determine whether or not I am allowed to stay at Rider. I have had some of the best days of my life at Rider. I am blessed to meet my brothers and sisters of Christ at Rider. God has shown me His direction for me, and what He wants me to do with a degree from Rider. When God put Bryan, Jeremy, Mike, Beth and TJ in my life, I know that he was showing me that I should pursue youth ministry. All of the awesomely blessed students that I have the opportunity to work with and help lead have been a big blessing on my life. A lot of people want a lot in life. Some people want money, shopping, movies, television, to win the lottery. All i want in life is to truly follow Jesus, my Lord and Savior. I don't want a fancy car, or a fancy house. I just want to follow Jesus, and tell as many people about Him as I possibly could. Jesus is so great because He has completely changed my life. He changed me from being a drug user and an dependent alcoholic into a follower of Christ. I love Jesus so much that I want to let the whole world know about Him.

Prayer

I woke up and had a very interesting prayer time this morning. I woke up, and wanted to tell God about Rider and the campus. Our campus is struggling right now, and I felt like it needed a ton of prayer. A lot of people are struggling with different issues such as pride, selfishness, greed, no compassion, alcohol/ drug problems. We have a great prayer leader on campus named Kelvin. He is one of my best friends on campus, and I am blessed to have him as a friend. He means so much to me because he is always there for me. God has been so good to me because He has blessed me with great friends like Kevin, Caroline, Brandon, Kelvin, Zach, Joe Y, John Q, Jean L, Gabriel Y, Audrey, Chris W, Bobby, Joe McGrath, Dan Morse, Joe Marchell, and etc. God is so great because when you need an ear, He is there for you. This break has been so relaxing to me because I have had a lot of time in God's word, and reading other books. Yes, I am about to plug a book. This is so not me, right? If you have any time, you should borrow or get a copy of the book Radical by David Pratt. It is SO GOOODDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!! It is basically about how we should truly be living our lives for Christ.....

Christian Pastors/ Passion 2012

I have been doing a lot of thinking and researching about Christian pastors. There are some great Christian pastors who stick by biblical doctrine. Recently in the news, Hell and Heaven have been heavily discussed. There are certain pastors who are correct in the doctrine who should be listened to and respected. Some great Christian pastors are Francis Chan, Mark Driscoll, John Piper, Louis Giglio, and etc. They were at a conference from 1/2-1/5. This conference was called Passion 2012, and it was used for the purpose of showing awareness and fundraising for human trafficking in different countries. They raised almost 3.6 million dollars. The conference included artists such as Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, David Crowder Band, Charlie Hall, Christy Nockles, and others. This conference was so powerful because it showed what good can be done in the name of Jesus. I hope that I can make the conference next year. It seemed so great influentially, and is a great example of what people can do. Jesus is so great, and He shows us the light and direction in order to know what to do. This conference is a great, and I hope to make it there next year.