Disciple – Three Minute Bible

July 11, 2026July 10, 2026

1 Timothy 6:2 – Top Dog

Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves.

Summary: Expectations are a cruel master if we set them too high. Being realistic about who we are and what we do makes life much better and pleases our God.

What if my boss is a believer? Does that mean I can expect special treatment?

Good question!

“Hey boss, I’m sorry I’m late (again). I’ll try harder next time. You’ll forgive me, won’t you?”

It would be nice if it worked that way.

Unfortunately, very few people are what you might call the “Top Dog.” In the dog world, the Top Dog is the one that all the other dogs defer to. Nobody messes with the Top Dog because they know that they will get their butt chewed … literally!

When it comes to the world of people, even the “top dogs” in the people world have to be careful around others. Remember Caesar when he sadly looked into his friend’s eyes and said, “Et tu, Brute?” (And you, Brutus?) For all practical purposes, Caesar should have had nothing to worry about, but “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

If even Caesar had to keep an eye out for someone looking over his shoulder (or stabbing him in the back!), then who is safe? Your boss, or in ancient times, your master, had others to worry about over him.

A mature believer understands this. The boss (or master) has to answer to someone else. The difference between a boss who is a believer and one who isn’t is the fact that one serves God and the other does not.

A boss who is a believer lives by the Great Commandments —

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

At least he or she will try to be fair. You won’t have to live according to someone’s personal ideas of right and wrong. Nor would a believer take unfair advantage of an employee or servant.

As for the servant or employee… if they are a believer, then they, too, follow the same Great Commandments. They, too, love God above all else and love their neighbor as they love themselves.

Remember Jesus’ example. After washing the disciples’ feet, he said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15).

So be it.

Application: Do everything with a servant’s heart.

Food for Thought: Why would God care how we do our job at work?

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.

March 9, 2026March 13, 2026

1 Timothy 1:19a – Trusting God (Part II)

… holding on to faith …

Summary: The story of Peter walking on water takes on a whole new meaning as we step back and take a look at the bigger narrative in the Gospel accounts.

Looking back on our last meditation, “Trusting God (Part I),” there are a few unanswered questions that it might be helpful to consider. For example:

December 20, 2025December 22, 2025

Philippians 4:18a – Word Detective

Sherlock Holmes is looking through a magnifying glass at a Bible (Grok)

I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent.

Summary: Once again, we find ourselves stepping into the role of Word Detective as we work to make sure we have a clear understanding of Paul’s meaning.

Maybe it is just me, but it seems weird that in the prior verse Paul says that he doesn’t desire gifts from the Philippians and then in this verse he starts talking about having received “full payment.”

June 10, 2025June 10, 2025

Philippians 1:20c – Doing What’s Right

[I eagerly expect and hope that…] that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body,

Summary: Paul continues to set an example for us with his life and words.

Paul certainly has a way with words!

If you were going to exalt someone or something, how would you do that? For example, if you are a Muslim and you want to exalt Allah, you prostrate yourself in the direction of Mecca during prayer. This demonstrates respect with your body.

January 28, 2019January 27, 2019

Whose Disciple Are You? – John 9: 28

Then they hurled insults at him and said, ”You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ”

The Pharisees claimed to be disciples of Moses. This is interesting because the function of a disciple is to be like their teacher. According to the Old Testament (Numbers 12: 3), Moses was humble. In fact, the Bible says he was the most humble person on the planet. In addition, as I read the books of Moses in the Old Testament, what seems to leap off of the page is that Moses did whatever God instructed him to do. He only improvised one time, that that one mistake kept him from entering the Promised Land. Even so, Moses trusted God and was faithful to follow his instructions.

January 16, 2019January 16, 2019

Defects

Today we begin a new chapter in John’s gospel, and with the new chapter comes a new scene. When we left Jesus he was arguing with a crowd of indeterminate size. In this scene, he is walking with his disciples. In the last chapter, he may have been in the temple grounds. In this chapter we do not know where he is, but we know he is in a place with people and as the story unfolds we see that he is near the temple, so he is probably still in Jerusalem.

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

John 9: 1-2

I wanted to stop the story here because I find the question that the disciples asked very interesting. They see a man born blind and they immediately conclude that the reason for his blindness was that someone sinned, either the man’s parents or somehow the blind man himself sinned. This was not a question in their minds, but a fact. The only question was whose sin caused the blindness.