Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
… by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.
Summary: Paul wasn’t just sitting on the side of the road when God met up with him. He was on his way to change the world. God stopped him, changed him, and then set him off again in a different direction.
Continue reading “Ephesians 3:7b – Redirection”That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead …
Summary: Paul’s words take us to a place where we can consider what it means to think of God’s strength and power. It is a place beyond the realm of physics and human imagination.
Continue reading “Ephesians 1:19b-20a – Power Play”For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
Summary: A kingdom without power is not much of a kingdom, and God’s kingdom is no different. That is why God’s Word tells us that his kingdom is a matter of power.
Continue reading “1 Corinthians 4:20 – Kingdom Power”
His divine power …
Summary: Divine power is different than physical power. In the physical realm, physical power is mostly what we see, but the Bible is full of stories about a different kind of power.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:3a — A Different Kind of Power”
Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
Summary: Young men have their challenges. Separating the spirit from the flesh helps gain perspective on things like cars and testosterone.
Continue reading “Titus 2:6 — Big Block”
[I, Peter]… who also will share in the glory to be revealed.
Summary: Peter gives us several clues to the meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In today’s verse he returns to the theme of God’s Glory.
Continue reading “1 Peter 5:1 (d) — God’s Glory”
… fear God …
Are you afraid of God? Should you be? Peter seems to think so.
It seems to me that if God can create and sustain the universe if he created life as we know it, and if he became man and died for our sins, he is a bit beyond our comprehension. We can’t outthink God. We shouldn’t even try.
And let’s talk about power. How much power does God have?
Continue reading “1 Peter 2:17 (c) — An Appropriate Kind of Fear”
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God…
If this were a mystery story we would want to know what Jesus knew and when he knew it. John tells us what Jesus knew. He knows that all things are under his power. Presumably that means all things. Even Judas. Even the Romans.
John also tells us that Jesus knows where he had come from and where he was going. That alone is worth a blog post. Who among us knows where they are going? Do you know someone who has a plan for their life and is on a mission? Is this person spectacularly successful? Do they really know where they are going or is there an element of chance in their life?
The real mystery is how did Jesus know? Again and again, in John’s gospel John points to the fact that Jesus is more than just a man. He is a Traveler. He has come from someplace and is going someplace. His time in the Middle East was short but powerful. In three years Jesus changed the world forever.
Continue reading “Mystery – John 13: 3”