Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
… circumcised.
Summary: Circumcision is a theme that runs throughout the Bible. In the beginning, it was a symbol of a covenant. In the end, circumcision was a point of contention. Instead of a symbol of something good, it had become a legalistic requirement for something bad.
Continue reading “Galatians 6:12b – Circumcision of the Heart”Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Summary: When God enters, our lives become a battlefield between the Spirit and the flesh. With God’s help, we can choose life in the Spirit and crucify the flesh.
Continue reading “Galatians 5:24 – Choosing Life”Take the helmet of salvation …
Summary: What is the “helmet of salvation?” Where do we get it and why did Paul call it a “helmet?” These curious questions are the heart of today’s meditation.
Continue reading “Ephesians 6:17a – Mindfulness”And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love …
Summary: Paul writes, presuming his readers are “rooted and established in love.” But what does that mean, and why would Paul think it important?
Continue reading “Ephesians 3:17b – Spiritual Potting Soil”… so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
Summary: Paul describes to us how God works in our hearts.
Continue reading “Ephesians 3:17a – My Siamese Me”… and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
Summary: Paul’s metaphors are intended to help us visualize spiritual truths. It helps to realize that metaphors are not the actual truth but only an illustration of truth.
Continue reading “Ephesians 2:21b – The Heart of the Lord”And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus …
Summary: When it comes to putting words on paper, Paul is no slouch. He is careful to say what he means. In this passage he says something very interesting. He says we are with Christ already.
Continue reading “Ephesians 2:6 – Uplifted”… gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.
Summary: There is a weird aspect to being human that is hard for us to understand. Our spirit and our body are not one and the same. They have two separate agendas.
Continue reading “Ephesians 2:3b – Two of Me”… you perceive my thoughts from afar.
Summary: As we continue to look more closely at where heaven is, we discover that wherever it is, God is not far.
Continue reading “Psalm 139:2 – Near and Far”Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Summary: Sometimes we can feel alone in a crowd, and at other times even when we are alone we feel the presence of others. The direction our heart is traveling determines how we feel.
Continue reading “Proverbs 4:23 — We, Not Me”