Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
…an apostle of Christ Jesus …
Summary: As we begin our study of Paul’s letter to Timothy, we are immediately confronted by a word that people argue over, even today. Clarifying what we mean by the word we choose helps resolve conflict and restore unity.
It is always helpful, when embarking on a discussion of any serious nature, to define terms.
Continue reading “1 Timothy 1:1b – Apostle”
Do everything without grumbling or arguing…
Summary: Paul’s words about grumbling force us to examine our relationship with God.
This is our third meditation on this phrase—but it’s worth the time. If it weren’t important, it wouldn’t be in the Bible. Besides, if we start grumbling or arguing, we are missing the point!
Continue reading “Philippians 2:14 – Part III, A Mutter of Discontent”
[Therefore, if you ….make my joy complete by being like-minded]… and of one mind.
Summary: This text challenges us to examine the original text and the concepts that underly Paul’s message.
To begin this meditation, let’s look at Paul’s words in the New Living Translation:
“Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.” (Philippians 2:2, NLT)
Continue reading “Philippians 2:2e – Paul’s Passion”[Therefore, if you ….make my joy complete by being like-minded]… having the same love…
Summary: Having the “same love” as Christ is a challenge. Understanding why helps us to focus our efforts on serving God’s will.
Paul’s sentences are famously long and convoluted. In this passage, he begins with a series of “if’s,” and then, when he reaches his “then,” he asks his readers to “make my joy complete by being like-minded.”
Continue reading “Philippians 2:2c – Two Kinds of Love”
… then make my joy complete…
Summary: Paul’s plea for unity among believers is one that echoes through the centuries and still haunts us today.
This phrase of Paul’s is heart-wrenching.
Paul, now an old man as he writes these words, is a prisoner. The man who was once free to roam the known world is now trapped like a bird in a cage. His heart longs to be with the Philippians, but his body is chained to the floor in Rome.*
Continue reading “Philippians 2:2a – In Search of Unity”
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Summary: Paul’s thoughts are sometimes complex. In this meditation, we take a 30,000-foot view of Paul’s thoughts in his passage in hopes of seeing the “bigger picture.”
If you have read this blog for any length of time, you are probably shocked to see a meditation that is based on two entire verses at once. Never fear! We will, no doubt, dissect this in future meditations. However, given the complexity of Paul’s thought here, I thought it best to begin with an overview.
Continue reading “Philippians 2:1-2 – Paul’s Request”
… striving together as one for the faith of the gospel…
Summary: “Striving together” suggests a coordinated effort between people. On closer examination, we discover that a loose association of believers can also “strive together.”
When was the last time you found yourself “striving together” with anyone? Do you remember? What were you striving for?
Continue reading “Philippians 1:27c – A Point of Focus”
… from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
Summary: The body Paul describes can seem elusive in a world marked by divisions in the church. Exploring the concept in more detail leads us to a place of hope and introspection.
Paul raises a very interesting question in this passage: Does the body grow from the head?
It seems like a silly thought, but then I’ve never seen how the body of a human (or anything else) begins life. The miracle of life always begins hidden away from sight.
However, if we use the body as a metaphor for an organization, then yes, it begins with the head. Jesus is not only the “head” of the church, he is also the heart and the soul.
Continue reading “Colossians 2:19b – In Search of a Body”For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form …
Summary: Sometimes we have to experience something to know what it is. When it comes to understanding the spiritual reality of Jesus, tasting is believing.
It is interesting how God’s Spirit weaves patterns in the fabric of our lives (John 3:8). Today, before writing this meditation, I was at a Bible Study discussing a similar question. In this passage, Paul writes:
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13)
The last part of his sentence reads, “… attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
Continue reading “Colossians 2:9 – Full of Jesus”…rather than on Christ.
Summary: As we come to the end of this verse, Paul points us, once again, to the only one who can save us: Jesus.
Wait a minute! How did we get here again?
Let’s review:
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)
In this one sentence, Paul has outlined a major threat to those of us who believe in Jesus. A “hollow and deceptive philosophy” is a persuasive argument that looks substantial on the outside but inside is empty, void of any real value.
Continue reading “Colossians 2:8d – The Path to Unity”