Posts by Alan Allegra (Page 7)

1 Timothy, Day 5 1 Timothy 6:3 – 19 | Being a 4F Christian Soldier  In army-speak, “4F” means that a person has failed to meet the medical requirements — either mental or physical — for joining the army. It means one is unfit to be a soldier, even if one should don the uniform (which must have been acquired improperly). Fun fact: This dates back to the Civil War, when recruits who did not have 4 front teeth to…

1 Timothy, Day 3 So, you want to be a pastor . . . (I Timothy 4)  “I always say to young fellows who consult me about the ministry, ‘Don’t be a minister if you can help it,’ because if the man can help it, God never called him. But if he cannot help it, and he must preach or die, then he is the man” (C.H. Spurgeon, 1834-1892). Nothing like a Spurgeon quote to begin a devotional focusing on…

1 Timothy, Day 1 THE GOSPEL LEADS TO PRACTICAL, VISIBLE CHANGE IN BELIEVERS’ LIVES “Introduction and Warning About False Teaching” 1 Timothy Chapter 1 1 Timothy is one of the four epistles that Paul wrote to individuals (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). The first three are typically called the “pastoral epistles.” All were written near the end of Paul’s life. Timothy was a young man who had a great passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Timothy had a Jewish mother…

Colossians, Day 5 Colossians 3:1 – 4:6 Avoiding the Religious Wardrobe Malfunction If you’ve been on many websites, you’ve probably seen those annoying ads at the bottom of some pages that advertise the equivalent of Barnum and Bailey freak shows. “The scene that took My Mother the Car off the air!” “What does Gary Coleman look like now?” “Wardrobe malfunctions that make Happy Days look like Woodstock!” There is always one that has to do with some weird, supposedly provocative…

Colossians Day 4 Exhortations to the Colossian Church What Are You Filled With Today? Colossians 2:6 – 23 “[A]nd you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority” (Colossians 2:10) Although a French physician (Anthelme Brillat-Savarin) stated in 1826 that “You are what you eat,” the idea that our health is defined by our diet has been around for thousands of years. This idea also applies to our spiritual health and strength, and our…

Ephesians, Day 6 | Ephesians 5 – 6:9 Becoming a Genuine Imitation I snicker at phrases that, after some thought, seem either contradictory or painfully obvious. For example, “jumbo shrimp.” Or “civil war.” “Free gift.” “For sale by owner” — no kidding. How about “Seating is limited.” Otherwise it would be an infinite theater. One of my favorites is the warning found in the heating directions on frozen meals: “Caution! Product will be hot!” Duh. The same could be said…

Galatians Day 5 Galatians 6:11 – 18 | Paul Sums Up His Case January 8, 2021 Paul is serious about the Gospel. In this epistle, Paul has been warning the Galatian gentiles to not mix works with faith — even God-ordained rituals — to obtain God’s favor and salvation. This reminds me of what the writer to the Hebrews wrote: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that…

Galatians Day 4 FREEDOM Galatians Chapter 5 FREEDOM: liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another: INDEPENDENCE (Merriam-Webster) I love the saying “Freedom isn’t free!” To obtain freedom, something or someone has to give up something. Addictions plague many people, robbing them of freedom: alcohol, pornography, cigarettes, covetousness, greed, wealth. These are just a few areas of our life that will keep you from experiencing freedom. Where are you at? What is keeping you from freedom? Christ…

First Baptist Church New Year’s Day Devotional Resolution or Revolution New Year’s Eve has passed. The dishes are done, the Christmas cookies have been eaten, we’ve earned another wrinkle, and the party favors have been tossed. And so, probably, have been the New Year’s resolutions. New Year’s is a time of new beginnings, or at least new aspirations. On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, participants eat apples dipped in honey to picture their wish for a sweet new year.…

Advent Season (Anticipating the Birth of Jesus) 28 Names of Jesus | December 29, 2020 Name #26: “Messiah” Daniel 9:25 – 27 (NASB) “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the wrongdoing, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. So you are to know and understand that from the issuing of…