Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for …
Summary: As Paul leads us into his list of people the law was made for, it is good to pause and consider our personal role in the Body of Christ.
Paul’s sentences can be difficult to follow. He says: ”We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for …”
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:9a – Challenge Enough”
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
Summary: Paul’s words in this passage are almost poetic. He describes himself striving for his goal. Our goal is to understand what he means.
Oops! Observant readers will note that there was a glitch in the order of meditations last week. For some reason, I skipped over this passage. Today, we correct that oversight, and tomorrow we will be back on schedule.
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Once again, we are confronted with the question, “What is ‘it’?”
Continue reading “Philippians 3:13a – Seeking God”
[Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,] since as members of one body you were called to peace.
Summary: Peace in the body of Christ is a beautiful thing. It is also a key indicator of spiritual wellbeing.
There is a reason Paul mentions God’s peace in our hearts first. Paul’s thoughts are racing ahead to the image of Christ’s body that Jesus has revealed to him (Galatians 1:12).
Think, for a moment, about the “body of Christ.” It is people. That is what the “body of Christ” is—just people.
Continue reading “Colossians 3:15b – Doing What is Good”
… from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
Summary: The body Paul describes can seem elusive in a world marked by divisions in the church. Exploring the concept in more detail leads us to a place of hope and introspection.
Paul raises a very interesting question in this passage: Does the body grow from the head?
It seems like a silly thought, but then I’ve never seen how the body of a human (or anything else) begins life. The miracle of life always begins hidden away from sight.
However, if we use the body as a metaphor for an organization, then yes, it begins with the head. Jesus is not only the “head” of the church, he is also the heart and the soul.
Continue reading “Colossians 2:19b – In Search of a Body”… with all kinds of prayers and requests.
Summary: All who believe are called to be part of the body of Christ. As Paul reminds us, there are many different parts in the body. All of us need the armor of God, and all of us have questions.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:18c – Request Granted”“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
Summary: Following the bread crumbs in Paul’s thinking leads us to a meditation on how cancer affects the body. How does the metaphor of cancer provide guidance for the modern family and church?
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:31 – Uncontrolled Growth”… for we are members of his body.
Summary: Being a member of the body of Christ is more than simply saying, “I believe.” We must find a way to get along with other believers, too.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:30 – The Need for Humility”… but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—
Summary: What does it mean to care for your body? A second look at this question reveals that Paul is right. Everyone does care for their body.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:29b – Caring for the Church”From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Summary: Paul continues with his description of the body of Christ, and with it, we continue our exploration of what that means.
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:16 – What if God Sneezed?”… we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Summary: Today’s passage brings us to a place where we consider the body of Christ in a new light. If we are, in fact, the body of Jesus, what should we be doing?
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:15b – What Will Jesus Do?”