safety – Three Minute Bible

June 6, 2025June 6, 2025

Philippians 1:19b – Deliverance

Picture of a man running a race (Pixabay)

… what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

Summary: It turns out that Paul’s statement about deliverance is not as simple as it sounds. Exploring the possible meanings of the word opens doors to better understanding our role as Christians.

What does Paul need to be delivered from?

The easy answer to this question is that Paul is in prison, and he wants to be released, free to pursue his mission of spreading the Gospel. Unfortunately, that doesn’t feel very satisfying.

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025

Colossians 2:23e – The Enemy Within

Picture of the earth floating against a sky with a sunset in the background.

… but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Summary: Paul wraps up his thoughts about “rules” with a reference to restraining physical desires.

Finally, we come to the end of Paul’s treasure-packed paragraph! He has pointed out that we are dead with Christ “to the elemental spiritual forces of this world” (vs 20). Then he asks, if we are “dead” to this world, why do we still submit to its rules?

The “rules” Paul refers to are not the type of rules that keep us safe. They are, instead, rules made by people about God without the benefit of knowing God.

January 19, 2020January 20, 2020

Psalm Sunday – Sweet Sleep

I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

— Psalm 3: 5

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.

— Psalm 4: 8

David, the psalmist, lived an amazing life. As a boy he was a shepherd, living with the flocks he watched over. Fighting off predators, finding the lost, helping the lame. In a very real sense, he foreshadows the work of our Savior, Jesus. But David was not Jesus. He was not perfect.