Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
… from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Summary: Warning: This meditation delves into dangerous waters.
Have you ever wondered why Paul didn’t write, “Grace, mercy and peace from God,” and leave it at that?
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:2e – The Curious Cat”
Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord!
Summary: Rejoicing in the Lord sounds rather simple and straightforward. Unfortunately, even when we put our faith in Jesus, we are still able to take pride in ourselves.
Do Christians still know how to “rejoice in the Lord?” Sometimes I wonder if rejoicing has become a lost art.
Continue reading “Philippians 3:1a – A Lost Art”
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence…
Summary: Paul’s commendation of the Philippians’ obedience points us to a vital truth: that true obedience is only possible when we rely on God to guide us.
Paul’s words about obedience in this passage are like a key that opens many doors. One door leads to doing God’s will. The others, however many there are, lead into darkness.
Discerning the right door without God’s help is beyond human understanding.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:12a – Trust and Obey”… being made in human likeness.
Summary: As Paul turns the conversation to the nature of Jesus Christ, we discover a dangerous detour that tempts us away from Paul’s main point into a tarpit of our own making.
Before we dive into today’s passage, we need to have a little talk about theology.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:7c – Two Natures”Let the message of Christ dwell among you …
Summary: Reading the Bible is fun. Even the simplest little thing seems to open the door to endless insights about our God and his Word.
Each of these meditations is an invitation to join in our journey of exploration. We embrace God’s written Word at face value. We believe that God is real and that if he could make the world and everything in it, he could get a book published, too.
Coming at the Bible this way, we seek to avoid arguments about what people believe about the Bible, and instead, we look to understand and enjoy the message of Christ as it has been handed down over the centuries.
Continue reading “Colossians 3:16a – Got it? “… if …
Summary: A short little word can mean a lot, especially when used as a condition for Christ’s redemption.
Continue reading “Colossians 1:23a – IF”But now he has reconciled you [to God] by Christ’s physical body through death …
Summary: The means of reconciliation is not an intellectual exercise. Rather, it is an act of love so profound that it blinds us to anything else.
Continue reading “Colossians 1:22a – A Change of Heart”In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—
Summary: Paul leads us into a review of what it means to love as God loves us.
Continue reading “Colossians 1:6b – What’s Under the Line?”Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction;
Summary: A single meditation on this passage seems insufficient. The whole of human history is a testimony to the truth of Paul’s statement.
Continue reading “Galatians 6:8a – A Personal War”