Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
Summary: It turns out that testing deacons is very similar to testing overseers. They have a lot in common.
This is an intriguing passage! How do you “test” someone who aspires to be a deacon?
In verse eight, Paul moves from his instructions about overseers into a discussion about deacons. He begins with the words, “In the same way…”
Continue reading “1 Timothy 3:10 – The Test”Do not let anyone who delights in false humility …
Summary: Paul’s warning about people who “delight” in “false humility” sounds rather general but is actually quite specific.
It is nice of Paul to warn us against people who “delight” in “false humility,” but how do we know who that is? In short, who is Paul talking about?
In Paul’s day, the church was a new thing. People had the Old Testament writings for reference, but the New Testament was still being written. The Gospel message about believing in Jesus was spreading fast. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people who tried to add their own rules to the Gospel.
The problem facing the Colossians in Paul’s day still faces us today: How do we tell who is speaking the truth?
Continue reading “Colossians 2:18a – True or False?”However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Summary: In this passage Paul makes a statement that is impossible to get around. We either accept it, or we don’t. What we choose to do says more about us and our faith than anything else.
Continue reading “Ephesians 5:33 – A Personal Challenge”Now I know that you fear God …
Summary: How does God know whether we fear him or not? In Genesis, we find an example of God testing Abraham to see how serious his faith is.
Continue reading “Genesis 22:12 – God’s Question”And lead us not into temptation …
Summary: The word “temptation” is another word with multiple meanings. If we forget that, we may find ourselves misunderstanding what God has said.
Continue reading “Matthew 6:13 – Apples & Pineapples”
…and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Summary: Sometimes we make simple things complicated by focusing on the wrong thing. Paul explains the foundation for Peter’s seven step plan. The goal is to honor our Lord in this life and the next.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:11 — Touchdown”
… and to goodness, knowledge …
Summary: Human knowledge is every bit as reliable as humans. Goodness is a reflection of God’s love for us. There is a reason that Peter adds goodness to our faith before knowledge.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:5d — What is Knowledge?”
…because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
The word, “test” is one of those words with many connotations and meanings. In today’s verse James explains what he means by suggesting we should consider “trials of many kinds” as “pure joy.” Testing, he says, produces perseverance.
He is not talking about the kind of testing that an engineer might use to determine how strong something is. That kind of test requires pushing a material or design to the breaking point. When testing a material that way, we measure where the failure is. That information is used to design something that will not fail when it undergoes a different kind of test.
Continue reading “Testing – James 1: 3”