Colossians 1:24-4:18 One of the most challenging books I have read is called Grace Based Parenting. The premise of the book is that we are to parent in the same way God parents us. God's actions become the paradigm for our actions. Colossians tells us that following God's example is not just reserved for parenting but for all of life. For example, Colossians 3:13 tells us to, "Forgive as the Lord ...  Read More

Ephesians 5:15-6:24; Colossians 1:1-23 Every part of our lives should be transformed by God. We see this language in Ephesians 5:15-20 where the Spirit's work is compared to that of alcohol. In the same way that getting drunk affects your ability to speak, act, and drive, so the Spirit should influence all that we do. With this overarching image in mind, Paul spends the next few paragraphs specifi...  Read More

Ephesians 3:1-5:14 When we get married, we create a new family dynamic. There may be lots of hiccups on the journey, but over time we hopefully learn how to live as a new family. The same is true with our spiritual family. When we come to faith in Christ, we are called to live in a new way that reflects God's family. We are to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4;1). ...  Read More

Acts 28:1-31; Ephesians 1:1-2:22 Ephesians is a surprising letter, because, though it is written by Paul from prison, it is filled with recounting the good things which God has done on behalf of his people. Rather than focusing on the hardship of imprisonment, it recounts the grandeur of God's grace. Paul’s list of God's blessings includes: "every spiritual blessing in Christ," (Ephesians 1:3) bei...  Read More

Acts 27:1-44 Many people love following travel blogs. They love to read about others traveling across the globe and seeing exotic locales. Acts 27 is one of the original travel diaries, but rather than tweets about misplaced luggage or a delayed flight, we have a shipwreck. Paul is on a boat with 276 people whose doom seems certain. They ignored God’s warning that they were supposed to stay at Fai...  Read More

Acts 24:1-26:32 Paul sat in prison for two years for preaching the gospel. He did nothing wrong, yet would have been in atrocious, abysmal conditions for two long years. I am sure it would have been easy for Paul to give up, question why this was happening, or doubt the goodness of God. Instead, he resolutely continued to preach the gospel, the very thing for which he was in prison. As we see in P...  Read More

Acts 21:37-23:35 How comfortable are you in sharing your faith? Do you have a template or idea of what you should share? Acts 22 is a shortened version of Paul’s testimony. It provides a nice model for us to use to share our faith. Paul began by talking about who he was before placing his faith in Christ. Next, Paul spoke of when Jesus became real to him and the circumstances around which he place...  Read More

Acts 20:13-21:36 Give your life to Jesus and everything will be perfect. You may have heard someone claim this, but, though everyone should give their lives to Christ, it will not necessarily fix all the brokenness in our lives or the fallen state of the world. Paul's dedication to Christ only led to increased suffering for him. We saw in 2 Corinthians that his ministry was marked by hunger, shipw...  Read More

2 Corinthians 11:1-13:13; Acts 20:7-12 Why do you believe what you believe? It is critical to be able to answer this question; otherwise, you are prone to believe the latest argument you heard, whether it is true or not. At the end of 2 Corinthians, Paul argues why the church should listen to him rather than the super-apostles that have invaded the church. Paul points to his credentials of sufferi...  Read More

2 Corinthians 6:14-10:18 If asked whether you are generous, how would you respond? Most of us would probably say yes, but are we really? In Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth, he deals extensively with the idea of generosity. Paul says that true generosity is first a character trait and not just an occasional act. Generosity is marked by a consistent attitude rather than simply giving w...  Read More

2 Corinthians 2:5-6:13 Having a different perspective can drastically change our experience. If we go into a day thinking that it will be terrible, then it probably will be. On the other hand, if we recognize the difficulty and still choose joy, then we can walk in it. Paul gives us the perspective we need in 2 Corinthians. He says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting ...  Read More

Romans 15:1-16:27; 2 Corinthians 1:1-2:4 "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Romans 16:20). It might seem like a paradox to say that the God of peace will crush someone, but for peace to be accomplished, evil must be vanquished. This image of Satan being crushed goes back to the beginning of the Bible. After Adam and Eve's rebellion, God promised that "he (the seed) will crus...  Read More