Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—
Summary: Understanding Paul’s intent in this passage provides us with a valuable opportunity to reflect on what God wants us to do with our lives.
If we are correct in our analysis so far, Paul has instructed Timothy to command “certain people” who claim to be followers of Christ* to stop promoting “controversial speculations.”
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:4b – God’s Work”
But our citizenship is in heaven.
Summary: The idea of citizenship in heaven is a provocative peek into our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Citizenship is something many of us take for granted. Growing up, I never worried about carrying citizenship papers until I traveled overseas. Before traveling outside the country, I needed to get a passport. Getting a passport required proving that I was a citizen.
Continue reading “Philippians 3:20a – Our Heavenly Passport”
… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
Summary: Paul’s words in this passage challenge our concept of faith and what it means.
This passage is one of the most significant and possibly most ignored in the entire Bible.
Why is it significant?
It is important because it deals with the core of Christian living.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:12b – Faith and Action”
But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: …
Summary: Do we really have to “rid” ourselves of the things on Paul’s list of bad habits? The answer to that question leads us to a deeper understanding of God’s will for us. In the end, we discover that spiritual growth involves work, but this work is a response to God’s grace, not a means of earning salvation.
Our last meditation discovered an interesting link between our Lord’s parable about the kingdom of heaven and how we are to live our lives as believers. In our passage for this meditation, Paul doubles down on that discovery.
What was that discovery, you ask?
Simply this: God expects us to work for his kingdom while we are here.
Continue reading “Colossians 3:8a – Deeds and Weeds”What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.
Summary: Paul restates his argument using a different tack. How are belief in God and faith in the law related?
Continue reading “Galatians 3:17 – Faith and Action”
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure …
Summary: Talking blind is like walking blind, only with your mouth. When we talk about spiritual things, we are talking about the unseen. If we are not quoting the Bible, which is our only source of accurate information about spiritual things, then we are making things up.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:8a — Talking Blind”