Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
… believe in him and receive eternal life.
Summary: Believing in Jesus takes work. Not the kind of work that can save us, but the kind that it takes to resist jumping back into sin.
Once again, Paul includes the Gospel in its essential form. His “trustworthy saying” stated it this way:
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:16b – The Work of Believing”
Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
Summary: Paul challenges us to ponder what it means to know Jesus.
Oddly, Paul has just told us all the things he has not yet obtained (vs. 12). Yet, in this passage, he points to things “we” have already attained.
Continue reading “Philippians 3:16 – Attainment”
… in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Summary: Paul’s simple little phrase about places above and below the earth opens a door of wonder about how things work in the spiritual realms.
This is an interesting passage. Paul could have said, “At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow,” and left it at that, but he didn’t. Instead, he added these words:
“… in heaven and on earth and under the earth…”
Continue reading “Philippians 2:10b – Spirit and Flesh”
[Therefore God exalted him to the highest place]
and gave him the name that is above every name…
Summary: Paul’s words about Jesus’ name give us a reason to pause and think about why names have meaning and how Jesus’ name reflects who he is.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
— Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II
As a kid, I sometimes wondered,“How do we get names and why are some more important than others?”
Continue reading “Philippians 2:9b – God’s Rose”
… even death on a cross!
Summary: The challenge of understanding who Jesus is continues to haunt us as we read more of Paul’s words. It is one thing to jump on a grenade to save your friends; it is entirely something else to allow yourself to be flayed alive and hung on a wooden cross until dead.
In our last meditation, “Our Selfless God,” we stumbled across what the Bible calls the “stumbling stone.”* In our version of the “stumbling stone,” we realized:
Continue reading “Philippians 2:8c – Life and Death”Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”
Summary: Like many things, curses come in different sizes and shapes. There is a difference between people cursing each other and people falling under God’s curse.
Continue reading “Galatians 3:13 – “Curse You, Red Baron!””… until we all reach unity in the faith …
Summary: Looking at the question of unity causes us to ask, “What causes disunity?” The answer could include a million things, but today we look at the need to forgive.
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:13a – Forgive Like Jesus”
I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets …
Summary: What do you think of when you recall the words of the holy prophets? If we turn to Jesus, he makes it easy for us.
Continue reading “2 Peter 3:2a — The Deadly Pun”