Psalms: 114, 115 Meditation Romans: Paul reminds us here that the stronger (for the sake of argument, let’s say the Jewish believers) need to put up with the weaker (let’s say Gentiles). The Jews would be “stronger” for delivered to them were the oracles of God, whereas the Gentiles did have that advantage. Be patient. …
Tag: Paul
Sunday, May 15
Psalm: 144 Meditation 2 Thess. Not only, according to Paul, must we give thanks to God but also why we must do so: because the believer in Christ constitutes the “first fruit for salvation (v. 13). In an effort to prevent us from swerving from the Truth, Paul further commands us to hold fast the …
Thursday, May 12
Psalms: 128, 129 Meditation Colossians: I think Paul is insisting that all of our (spiritual, moral) focus be directed to Christ. Here Paul articulates for us, in words we can understand, that which is incomprehensible to our minds – mainly just how supreme Christ is. The “hang ups” we may reserve about food and ritual, …
Monday, May 9
Psalms: 125, 126 Meditation Colossians: Paul’s student Epaphras, a Colossian himself, was sent to Colossae to bring the gospel from Ephesus, where Paul had established a church. As Colossae was a fledgling church, it was essential to ground the people in the faith and to keep them from being carried off by whims and deceptions. …
Sunday, April 10
Psalm: 88 Meditation 1 Timothy: Confession of faith is an on-going thing. Paul seeks to encourage Timothy yet at the same time, remind him that this Christian faith can often lead to persecution. To bring Timothy to the stark reality of the cost of discipleship, Paul reminds him of Jesus’ chat with Pilot – we …
Friday, April 1
Psalms: 19, 95 Meditation Jeremiah: The responsibility of the teachers is treated here. While priests in the OT could only come from the descendants of Aaron, teachers could come from any of the 12 tribes. Paul, who was a Pharisee was from the tribe of Benjamin. The teachers of Jeremiah’s day were failing in their …
Monday, February 14
Psalms: 121, 122 Meditation 1 Timothy: Scholastic consensus is that this letter to Timothy was written prior to Paul’s final imprisonment; 2nd Timothy during his final “stretch in the joint”. Timothy must have been a remarkable Christian. He was young, to be sure, as Paul refers to him as “my loyal child in the faith” …
Friday, February 11
Psalm: 18 Meditation 2 Timothy: Paul’s rather grim assessment of people in the last days is nothing short of sobering. Vast swaths of the world are out seeking pleasure and all those other attributes listed here. The one exception I see is “holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power.” (v. 5) …
Tuesday, February 8
Psalms: 120, 127 Meditation 2 Timothy: Timothy must have been quite young when he received this letter for Paul refers to his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. The faith was given him by these women and then later by Paul. Paul was in prison in Rome awaiting his day before the emperor and his …
Thursday, January 27
Psalm: 109 Meditation Galatians: “It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified!” (v. 1) You see, it was verses like this that make me reflect on Paul’s time in Arabia as being a bit more than something like a sabbatical, just missing. According to notes from ESV Study Bible, “Paul’s …
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