Colossians 2:6-7 - "6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it[b] with thanksgiving."
Thoughts on today's verses:
These are great verses! They serve as a reminder to anyone who has been a Christian for a while. Do you remember how you received Christ Jesus as Lord? Paul said to the Philippian Jailer in Acts 16:31 that he needed to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he would be saved! Hopefully we quote a similar verse often to others: "for by grace you are saved, through faith, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast."
We are saved through faith and we are to continue in our Christian walk by that same faith! And, as we grow in faith, our foundation is strengthened, our faith is strengthened and it ultimately results in thanksgiving that is overflowing!
Continue walking by faith!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Friday, September 09, 2011
Colossians 3:20 - "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."
Thoughts on today's verse:
Perhaps you heard this in your house growing up, or you find yourself repeating it to your children. There are some important truths nestled in this short verse.
The first truth addresses the source: to children, they have a special command from the Lord Himself. The illustration falls short in many ways, but this is sort of like the pastor making an application to children in the middle of his sermon. I know that when the pastor would do that when I was a child, I perked up a bit because now I felt like he was talking to me! Well, this is what is happening here in this verse - the Lord is taking a moment to address the children specifically.
The second truth is the command, which is simple. There are no multiple steps or questions about method - just obey your parents. God doesn't say that there is a time to obey and a time not to obey, just obey in everything.
The third truth addresses the motivation. For children it is simply that this pleases the Lord, there is nothing else, and there doesn't need to be!
For those of us who are not children we learn that God has established authorities, and you just might be one of those authorities.
We also see that for the myriad commands that are addressed to Christians in general and other groups specifically, obedience to those commands results in the Lord being pleased. We must not forget that what God has instructed us to do is not so that we would groan under a checklist of do's and don't's, but because he knows what is best for us and when we do it, He is delighted! Let's purpose in our hearts to please the Lord by doing what He has commanded!
Thoughts on today's verse:
Perhaps you heard this in your house growing up, or you find yourself repeating it to your children. There are some important truths nestled in this short verse.
The first truth addresses the source: to children, they have a special command from the Lord Himself. The illustration falls short in many ways, but this is sort of like the pastor making an application to children in the middle of his sermon. I know that when the pastor would do that when I was a child, I perked up a bit because now I felt like he was talking to me! Well, this is what is happening here in this verse - the Lord is taking a moment to address the children specifically.
The second truth is the command, which is simple. There are no multiple steps or questions about method - just obey your parents. God doesn't say that there is a time to obey and a time not to obey, just obey in everything.
The third truth addresses the motivation. For children it is simply that this pleases the Lord, there is nothing else, and there doesn't need to be!
For those of us who are not children we learn that God has established authorities, and you just might be one of those authorities.
We also see that for the myriad commands that are addressed to Christians in general and other groups specifically, obedience to those commands results in the Lord being pleased. We must not forget that what God has instructed us to do is not so that we would groan under a checklist of do's and don't's, but because he knows what is best for us and when we do it, He is delighted! Let's purpose in our hearts to please the Lord by doing what He has commanded!
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Colossians 1:17 "And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."
Thoughts on today's verse:
This is such a short verse, and yet is packed with incredible theology and doctrine. When we ponder the statement that Christ is before all things, we recognize that He was different. As Christ, He has no beginning and no end, thus he could say to the Pharisees in John 8:58 that "before Abraham was I AM." We call this the eternality of Christ. Sure, he came into the world as a man, and was born a baby, but this does not mean that prior to the Christmas event Christ did not exist - no, He has existed forever!
Secondly, we notice something that should cause us to ponder greatly the fact of our living and breathing right now - that "in Him all things consist." This simple statment has enormous implications. Namely that the only thing that keeps this planet in its orbit around the sun is Christ; that the only reason we don't go flying off the planet is because of Christ; that the only reason the molecules that make up everything on earth stay in the formation that they are and not sponateously combust is Christ! The only reason that you and I can breathe at this moment is because Christ is holding us together! This is an incredible thought: the one who has existed from eternity past is the one who sustains our life one moment at a time! Praise God!
Thoughts on today's verse:
This is such a short verse, and yet is packed with incredible theology and doctrine. When we ponder the statement that Christ is before all things, we recognize that He was different. As Christ, He has no beginning and no end, thus he could say to the Pharisees in John 8:58 that "before Abraham was I AM." We call this the eternality of Christ. Sure, he came into the world as a man, and was born a baby, but this does not mean that prior to the Christmas event Christ did not exist - no, He has existed forever!
Secondly, we notice something that should cause us to ponder greatly the fact of our living and breathing right now - that "in Him all things consist." This simple statment has enormous implications. Namely that the only thing that keeps this planet in its orbit around the sun is Christ; that the only reason we don't go flying off the planet is because of Christ; that the only reason the molecules that make up everything on earth stay in the formation that they are and not sponateously combust is Christ! The only reason that you and I can breathe at this moment is because Christ is holding us together! This is an incredible thought: the one who has existed from eternity past is the one who sustains our life one moment at a time! Praise God!
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
Thoughts on today's verse:
When we think about Jesus Christ, we often think about his work on the cross, and rightfully so, for it was an incredible work that Christ accomplished. One of the things that makes it even more amazing is the fact that Christ was not merely a man on cross like the men on his right and on his left - He was and is, the creator of all things! Our verse today says that everything that exists was created by Christ!
John says something similar in the Gospel that bears his name: "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." - John 1:3
Paul, through the Spirit, expounds upon that idea and demonstrates some of the things that fall under the purview of Christ's creative work: all that is in heaven, all that is on the earth; all the visible aspects of creation that you can possibly think of. Let's stop for a moment and consider the fact that not too long ago NASA received an image from one of its sattellites that was pointed towards the blackest spot that they could find in space, that took a several month long exposure shot. What came back was mind boggling. What appeared to be nothing at first actually contained thousands of galaxies with millions and billions more stars and countless planets! What is even more amazing is that before NASA discovered those, Christ already knew about them for he created them!
But the Scriptures don't stop there - they say that He also created what was invisible, namely thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers. This should be a great comfort to us as we recognize that powers are indeed put in place by God, and have been especially created for a purpose within this creation. But what's more, they do not simply run amuck, according to their own whim; they are constantly under the watchful eye of Christ and will one day give an account for their use of this position that He created!
Finally, we recognize not only the agent in creation - Christ, but also the purpose of Creation - that it was made for Him! You and I are a part of creation, and the Scriptures say that all of Creation was made for Christ! It was not made for us, but for Him.
Thoughts on today's verse:
When we think about Jesus Christ, we often think about his work on the cross, and rightfully so, for it was an incredible work that Christ accomplished. One of the things that makes it even more amazing is the fact that Christ was not merely a man on cross like the men on his right and on his left - He was and is, the creator of all things! Our verse today says that everything that exists was created by Christ!
John says something similar in the Gospel that bears his name: "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." - John 1:3
Paul, through the Spirit, expounds upon that idea and demonstrates some of the things that fall under the purview of Christ's creative work: all that is in heaven, all that is on the earth; all the visible aspects of creation that you can possibly think of. Let's stop for a moment and consider the fact that not too long ago NASA received an image from one of its sattellites that was pointed towards the blackest spot that they could find in space, that took a several month long exposure shot. What came back was mind boggling. What appeared to be nothing at first actually contained thousands of galaxies with millions and billions more stars and countless planets! What is even more amazing is that before NASA discovered those, Christ already knew about them for he created them!
But the Scriptures don't stop there - they say that He also created what was invisible, namely thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers. This should be a great comfort to us as we recognize that powers are indeed put in place by God, and have been especially created for a purpose within this creation. But what's more, they do not simply run amuck, according to their own whim; they are constantly under the watchful eye of Christ and will one day give an account for their use of this position that He created!
Finally, we recognize not only the agent in creation - Christ, but also the purpose of Creation - that it was made for Him! You and I are a part of creation, and the Scriptures say that all of Creation was made for Christ! It was not made for us, but for Him.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
Thoughts on today's verse:
We often speak of teaching our children, yet children don't just need to be taught, they need to be trained! When we think of teaching we think of the classroom, we think of books, we think of lectures. These all have their place! After all, it was Solomon who wrote this earlier in Proverbs 1:
8 My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
9 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.
However, when we think of training our minds often turn to things like athletics, new jobs, learning a musical instrument. These types of things take training; they take practice and diligence! You could learn all there is to know about basketball from a book and from lectures, but it is an entirely different thing to go out on the court and play well. Perhaps you started a new job, or you remember your first day at a brand new job. You couldn't just start and perform well, you had to practice, you had to train. The same could be said of a musical instrument: at the end of the day, it just takes hard work, repition, and much training. This is what the Lord is teaching us as parents, namely two things:
1) A child will not arrive at the right end without any guidance - we must be involved in their lives and upbringing.
And,
2) The process of bringing up a child will take a lot of work - it not something that we can sit back and be passive about!
Thoughts on today's verse:
We often speak of teaching our children, yet children don't just need to be taught, they need to be trained! When we think of teaching we think of the classroom, we think of books, we think of lectures. These all have their place! After all, it was Solomon who wrote this earlier in Proverbs 1:
8 My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
9 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.
However, when we think of training our minds often turn to things like athletics, new jobs, learning a musical instrument. These types of things take training; they take practice and diligence! You could learn all there is to know about basketball from a book and from lectures, but it is an entirely different thing to go out on the court and play well. Perhaps you started a new job, or you remember your first day at a brand new job. You couldn't just start and perform well, you had to practice, you had to train. The same could be said of a musical instrument: at the end of the day, it just takes hard work, repition, and much training. This is what the Lord is teaching us as parents, namely two things:
1) A child will not arrive at the right end without any guidance - we must be involved in their lives and upbringing.
And,
2) The process of bringing up a child will take a lot of work - it not something that we can sit back and be passive about!
Monday, September 05, 2011
Psalm 36:1-4 -
" 1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. 3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil."
Thoughts on today's verses:
I know that sometimes, when I read Scripture that is aimed at the wicked, my mind tends to start putting the names of people I think are wicked in, alongside the passage. In reality, God knows who the wicked are, and nothing will escape his all-seeing eye, or his all-knowing mind. But, one thing that I can do when I read a passage such as this is to examine myself. After all, Paul said in 2 Cor. 13:5 that we ought to examine ourselves and to test ourselves, to see whether or not we are in the faith - that is, whether or not we have a life that is characterized by Christ. What is unique about this passage is the progression of the wicked from dabbling in sin to, in the end, being characterized by a life of sin!
1) He flatters himself when he finds out his iniquities and when he hates - perhaps you think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Remember that you are to let another praise you and not your own lips! But, this takes it a step further, in that when the wicked does something wrong, he lies to himself and convinces himself that he is okay. Lord, let us be truthful with ourselves as the Spirit examines us!
2) The Words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit - Lying lips are an abomination of the Lord, but they that deal truly are his delight!
3) He has ceased to be wise and to do good. At one time we may have been doing right and good, but we may have stopped.
4) He devises wickedness on his bed. Rather than thinking about things that are good, and build up (see Phil. 4:8), perhaps you think about evil and wicked things.
5) He sets himself in a way that is not good - now you purpose to do that which is displeasing to the Lord.
6) He does not abhor evil - your whole life has changed, starting from the small actions, to your affections, where you actually embrace that which God calls evil.
Oh, may we let this list examine us, and may it not be said of us that any of these traits of the wicked are present in our own lives!
" 1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. 3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil."
Thoughts on today's verses:
I know that sometimes, when I read Scripture that is aimed at the wicked, my mind tends to start putting the names of people I think are wicked in, alongside the passage. In reality, God knows who the wicked are, and nothing will escape his all-seeing eye, or his all-knowing mind. But, one thing that I can do when I read a passage such as this is to examine myself. After all, Paul said in 2 Cor. 13:5 that we ought to examine ourselves and to test ourselves, to see whether or not we are in the faith - that is, whether or not we have a life that is characterized by Christ. What is unique about this passage is the progression of the wicked from dabbling in sin to, in the end, being characterized by a life of sin!
1) He flatters himself when he finds out his iniquities and when he hates - perhaps you think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Remember that you are to let another praise you and not your own lips! But, this takes it a step further, in that when the wicked does something wrong, he lies to himself and convinces himself that he is okay. Lord, let us be truthful with ourselves as the Spirit examines us!
2) The Words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit - Lying lips are an abomination of the Lord, but they that deal truly are his delight!
3) He has ceased to be wise and to do good. At one time we may have been doing right and good, but we may have stopped.
4) He devises wickedness on his bed. Rather than thinking about things that are good, and build up (see Phil. 4:8), perhaps you think about evil and wicked things.
5) He sets himself in a way that is not good - now you purpose to do that which is displeasing to the Lord.
6) He does not abhor evil - your whole life has changed, starting from the small actions, to your affections, where you actually embrace that which God calls evil.
Oh, may we let this list examine us, and may it not be said of us that any of these traits of the wicked are present in our own lives!
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Ephesians 2:19
"You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household."
Thoughts on today's verse:
The fact that Paul would say that the believers in the Ephesian church were "no longer" might be an indication that some within the church were still living like foreigners to God's household. While it is true that this is a statement about our pre-salvation relationship to God (foreigners and aliens), it gets at a heart question: how are you living today? Perhaps you have experienced God's great salvation, so freely given, but you have turned your back on God to again pursue the empty pleasures of the world.
If you've ever traveled to a foreign country, where you didn't know the language, you can relate to the awkward feeling that you had of not being at home. It just didn't feel completely comfortable, you didn't speak the language, you didn't know the customs, the food was different, and so on. However, when you returned to you own country, you fit in: you spoke the language, you knew the customs, the food was something you were used to. People today are going to be a foreigner and an alien somewhere: either a foreigner to God and other believers and citizen of the world; or a foreigner to the world and a member of God's household!
If you have experienced the salvation that God offers through His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, then you a fellow citizen with God's people. As members of God's household, we ought to live in a way that reflects this great reality!
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