Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders…
Summary: How we act towards people says a lot about us, and it says even more about who or what we serve.
Unsurprisingly, this passage follows the one before rather closely. To proclaim the Gospel clearly, we need to be “wise” in how we interact with others.
Notice that Paul doesn’t say, “Be wise in the way you talk to others.”
Continue reading “Colossians 4:5a – Wisdom”… by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
Summary: In this passage, Paul gives us a rule about rules.
Let’s review the entire verse before we start our meditation:
“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”
Paul begins with “Therefore…” referring to his prior statement that God made us “alive in Christ” (Col 2:13) and has canceled our “legal indebtedness” (Col 2:14) by means of the cross, “do not let anyone judge you by legalistic requirements.“
This is not a mysterious statement or a confusing metaphor. Paul is speaking as plainly as humanly possible here. There is no chance that anyone would or could misunderstand his point.
Except we do.
Continue reading “Colossians 2:16b – The Risk of Rules”Therefore do not let anyone judge you …
Summary: Paul continues to explain what it means to be a believer in Jesus. Human rules count for nothing. All that matters is faith in our Savior.
As I sat down to write this meditation, I was debating with myself about whether or not I should tackle the whole verse. The more I stared at it, the more the first seven words cried out for special attention. So … before you judge me, know that I at least thought about including the whole verses before I chopped it up.
When Paul says, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you …” I tend to think to myself, “Yeah, right.” How does Paul expect us to stop people from judging us? On top of this is a larger question: How is the church supposed to function if people are not to judge?
Continue reading “Colossians 2:16a – Only Jesus”The acts of the flesh are … sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
Summary: Diving into Paul’s list of “acts of the flesh” is intimidating. It is tempting to fall into judgment; either judging others or judging ourselves. But this is not why he is making the list. Paul wants us to understand the difference between Good and Evil.
Continue reading “Galatians 5:19b – Acts of the Flesh, Part 1”I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.
Summary: Paul takes a breath and expresses his confidence that all is not lost for the Galatians.
Continue reading “Galatians 5:10 – An Encouraging Word”For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.
Summary: Paul continues to prompt interesting questions about Christian life. “What has value for God?” is a question that opens the door to understanding God’s will better.
Continue reading “Galatians 5:6a – Blind Spot”… because he stood condemned.
Summary: Today’s passage uses the word “condemned.” Because the word can mean that we have passed judgment on someone, we look at other possible meanings for the original Greek text.
Continue reading “Galatians 2:11b – Standing Firm”[Follow God’s example,] therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love,
Summary: Understanding what love is requires a knowledge of the different kinds of love. When we understand that, we can better understand the way of love that Paul wants us to follow.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:1b-2a – The Way of Love”But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…
Summary: Loving others as God loves us is a complicated business.
Continue reading “Matthew 5:44 – God-Like Love”You judge by human standards …
Summary: How we define “good” and “evil,” says a lot about our relationship with God. Using God’s definitions is a way of honoring our Creator.
Continue reading “John 8:15 – The Judge of All Things”