work

May 23, 2026May 25, 2026

1 Timothy 4:10 – Why We Train

A picture of a man digging a deep hole. (Grok)

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

Summary: This passage is a hum-dinger. Paul’s words leave us with a paradox wrapped up in a controversy.

This verse, like so many others in this letter to Timothy, is difficult. It can be analyzed from several different angles, but for the sake of this meditation, we are going to use a very simple analysis. Paul’s sentence can be divided into two parts. One is paradoxical, and the other is controversial.

August 15, 2025August 15, 2025

Philippians 2:15b – Star Light

Artistic rendering of stars in space (Pixabay)

“children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky…

Summary: Paul’s words point us to one of the most important questions facing Christians: How do we know we are saved?

What does he mean by suggesting that we can become “blameless and pure” (Philippians 1:15a) and “children of God without fault?” Is he suggesting that we can attain some level of perfection as believers in Christ?

May 9, 2025May 9, 2025

Philippians 1:6 – God Never Quits

… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Summary: God has started a “good work” in everyone who believes in Jesus Christ.

If you were wondering why Paul prayed “with joy” every time he prayed for the Philippians, now we know!

March 25, 2025March 25, 2025

Colossians 3:22b – Serving Jesus

… and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.

Summary: Paul continues his admonition to obey our earthly bosses with detailed instructions as to how we should serve them.

In our last meditation, we looked at what it means to be a servant. Essentially, the modern-day equivalent is having a job.

If we look at Paul’s text that way, it is easy to see that his words still have value.

January 22, 2019January 22, 2019

Again and again, the issue of the Sabbath comes up as a point of contention between the Pharisees and Jesus. Jesus intentionally provokes the Pharisees on this subject over and over. Why?

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

John 9: 13-16

Did it ever occur to the Pharisees that complying with rules about what you can and cannot do on the Sabbath might be considered “work” in itself? In the name of avoiding work, they had made work out of the Sabbath.