Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man …
Summary: The change in Paul that occurred on the road to Damascus is not all that different than what we commonly call a “wake up call.”
How does a person go from seeing himself as a virtuous defender of “All That Is Right” one day, and the next, find themselves believing that their whole life has been a horrible mistake?
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:13a – A Single Blast of Light”
[… advancing God’s work] — which is by faith.
Summary: Advancing God’s work by faith might sound simple, but some aspects of this task can be incredibly hard.
When we talk about “God’s work,” we are talking about something very different from what we normally think of as “work.”
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:4c – By Faith”
[Do everything without grumbling or arguing] so that you may become blameless and pure…
Summary: The road to being Christ-like requires that we travel a path of humility in God’s service.
It is interesting that Paul seems to summarize Christian living with two simple words. His words suggest that by doing everything without grumbling or arguing, we can become “blameless and pure.”
Continue reading “Philippians 2:15a – Becoming Nothing”
… rather, he made himself nothing…
Summary: Paul’s description of Jesus gives us something to think about: Who is Jesus really?
When Paul writes that Jesus “made himself nothing,” he is not exaggerating.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:7a – Our Jesus”Each one should test their own actions.
Summary: The Bible challenges us to look in the mirror and take the log out of our own eye (Matthew 7:3). Paul applies the challenge in a slightly different way and asks us the question, “Who do we think we are?”
Continue reading “Galatians 6:4a – The Test”… for we are members of his body.
Summary: Being a member of the body of Christ is more than simply saying, “I believe.” We must find a way to get along with other believers, too.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:30 – The Need for Humility”Be completely humble and gentle;
Summary: To be humble and gentle is asking a lot. Paul is really asking us to step outside of our emotional selves and take control. Fortunately, he also prays that God gives us the power to do just that.
Continue reading “Ephesians 4:2a – Horse and Rider”Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
Summary: What kind of gift should we give our Creator this Christmas? John gives us a clue.
Continue reading “1 John 2:6 – Merry Christmas!”
With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly…
Summary: There are many famous names in the Bible. There are also names like Silas, who are not well known but did very important work.
Continue reading “1 Peter 5:12 (a) — Unsung Hero”
Submit…
The word “triggered” has taken on new meaning in the English lexicon. It has always been around, of course, and used in the practical sense of activating something with a trigger. During the war, if a booby trap was set off you would say it had been “triggered.” These days the word is often used to describe a strong adverse emotional reaction to something. For example, “The student in the front row was triggered when the instructor mentioned that they had voted for the president.”
Words that set off an emotional reaction are “trigger words.” One of the oldest trigger words in the English language is the word, “submit.”
Continue reading “1 Peter 2:13 (a) — The Meaning of Submit”