Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Summary: There is a relationship between our suffering and our faith. As we look at Paul’s suffering and his attitude towards it, we can learn a lot about what it means to walk in faith.
Continue reading “Ephesians 3:13 – The Glory of Suffering”In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Summary: Thinking about how we approach God leads to some interesting thoughts about who and what God is and how we relate to him.
Continue reading “Ephesians 3:12 – Visiting God”… and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—
Summary: The debate over whether or not believers should be circumcised was really a debate about what “signs” we should look for to determine whether someone is a believer or not.
Continue reading “Ephesians 2:11c – The Bright Light of the Spirit”… created in Christ Jesus to do good works …
Summary: Today’s passage is an opportunity to explain why I write about God’s Word here at ThreeMinuteBible.com and explore what Paul means by doing “good works” for Jesus.
Continue reading “Ephesians 2:10b – The Stumble Stone”
…forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Summary: Our little brains seem to have a limited capacity for remembering the good things people have done for us.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:9b — Bee Business”
… have received a faith as precious as ours.
Summary: There are simple economic principles that determine what we consider precious in a worldly sense. In the spiritual realm the same principles apply … to a point.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:1e — Spiritual Gemstones”
… for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
So what is the point of having faith in Jesus? Why would anyone want to believe in someone that they cannot see? Well, the answer it turns out has to do with something else we cannot see; the salvation of our souls.
Two days ago, in the post, “Testimony,” I shared the short version of how I came to believe in Jesus. Along the way, I had to come to believe in “all things visible and invisible” as it says in the Nicene Creed. One thing I firmly believe in is the existence of my soul. If I were no more than a stalk of celery or a blade of grass I wouldn’t care what happens to me. But I do care. I care a lot. And the fact that we care about what happens to us sets you and me apart from almost everything else in Creation.
Continue reading “1 Peter 1:9 — Random Thoughts”
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him …
This is truly one of the great mysteries of our Modern Age. How is it possible that two thousand years after a man named Jesus walked this earth, people still to this day believe that he is alive?
In Acts chapter 5, there is a story about the Jewish Council (called the Sanhedrin) who condemned Jesus to death for claiming to be the Messiah. Two months after they had rid themselves of Jesus they expected things to go back to normal. But they didn’t. Instead, the disciples of Jesus, now called Apostles, kept talking about Jesus like he was alive. To complicate things, they did miracles of healing in the name of Jesus. Thousands of people were coming to believe that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah.
Continue reading “1 Peter 1:8 (a) — Testimony”
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
I don’t know about you, but I find this sentence confusing. I glanced through several other translations of this verse and you know what? They confused me, too.
Let’s deconstruct what Peter is saying here:
These have come…
In verse six, Peter talks about the grief believers suffer because of “all kinds of trials.” Peter knows what he is talking about here. He certainly has experienced all kinds of trials! But why do trials come? Why do we suffer if God is watching out for us?
Continue reading “1 Peter 1:7 — Refined by Fire”
This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Jason sat on the bench next to the brick wall. He looked dejected. His shoulders slumped over resting on elbows supported by knees. His hands dangled.
Arthur Throckmorton III stood for a moment looking at the young man. He was only twenty years old but today he looked all of thirty. His grandfather had died two weeks ago and had been all the family Jason had known. Arthur had helped Jason with the funeral arrangements. Arthur was more than Jason’s attorney. He was also his friend. He had known Jason’s grandfather for more than fifty years and had known Jason all his life. He sat down next to Jason on the bench.
Continue reading “1 Peter 1:4(b)-5 — Funeral Time”