29 December 2024

Walking in a Worthy Manner (TMF:2520)

Friday, January 03, 2025

Peace to Live By: Walking in a Worthy Manner, Part 1 (TMF:2520) - Daniel Litton
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And we will realize, if we have relinquished pride to any great degree, that there are, at least in our day and age, multiple, many in fact, walks, or manners (plural), in which this is accomplished in the Christian realm. Not to say there are multiple moralities, or parallel universes (to go scientific and extreme), but only that there are multiple paths within Christianity that God accepts as approved, as worthy. We often call these denominations. Don’t misunderstand this statement to mean that all denominations are equally true in what they say (ah, pride), but just simply that God works with multiple groups thoroughly. We could say, the modern non-denominational, the Baptists, the Lutherans, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, the Mennonites, and many more. The problem becomes, and this has been witnessed in more than one denomination or sect, is when a group, or person for that matter, believes they have discovered the true truth, the true way, the correct denomination or sect, and that everyone else is in the wrong, or at least lacking significantly.

Filled with the Knowledge of His Will, Part 3 (TMF:2519)

Thursday, January 02, 2025

Peace to Live By: Filled with the Knowledge of His Will, Part 3 (TMF:2519) - Daniel Litton
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We know today, as Christians, that God’s will is shown forth in the Bible, and again, ironically (or perhaps not), this is the very thing Paul is pointing out. Without “the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” we wouldn’t know what God wants. What God desires. What God’s actual will is. People would just be making up their own rules, their own ways, in everything. We think Christianity suffers from differences across the board right now, well, what if there was no clearly defined “knowledge of his will” to speak of? So, what does this foundation of God’s knowledge provide us with? What are the positive consequences? Paul lists the first one. Verse 10: “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” (ESV). The point is simple. We have “the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” so that we can live good, righteous lives in a way that is worthy, acceptable, to God, and in a way that makes God happy fully and completely.

Filled with the Knowledge of His Will, Part 2 (TMF:2518)

Wednesday, January 01, 2025

Peace to Live By: Filled with the Knowledge of His Will, Part 2 (TMF:2518) - Daniel Litton
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Without proper knowledge, anything can be accepted. Or we could say, without the proper foundation, that which is built is subject to problems in the future. The building may lean funny. It may have uneven floors or walls. It may even crumble and fall. The knowledge, then, the knowledge, is of God’s will. Indeed, that’s what this letter is setting before us, whether Paul realizes this fact at the time of writing it or not. This letter will work to instruct the Colossians in the knowledge of God’s will. And not just them obviously, but believers for thousands of years afterward in the future, which is an incredible thing to consider. Notice that the knowledge comes “in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Therefore, the topic being discussed isn’t earthly knowledge. It’s not self-help knowledge, for better life skills or something like that, though it will provide that. It just simply isn’t that. The actual knowledge being discussed is knowledge of “his will.” That is, God’s will.

Filled with the Knowledge of His Will, Part 1 (TMF:2517)

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Peace to Live By: Filled with the Knowledge of His Will, Part 1 (TMF:2517) - Daniel Litton
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Paul says, “[W]e have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9, 10, ESV). Presented before us is the primary thing that was prayed for. Actually in examining the text, it will be seen that his primary prayer dominos into a list of positive consequences, which are also carefully spelled out. Let us consider the foundation to this, though. This foundation is found to be that of “knowledge.” That is interesting. That really might not be something that would be easily guessed. What are some things that might be guessed? How about spirituality? Filled with the spirituality… Or, how about love? That’s a good one. Love. Filled with the love… But, it’s neither of these, and it isn’t anything else. It’s knowledge. So, it is important at this point to ask why knowledge is the thing prayed for above all else. Knowledge is important because it provides the foundation, the bedrock, for everything else.

What We Truly Believe About Prayer, Part 5 (TMF:2516)

Monday, December 30, 2024

Peace to Live By: What We Truly Believe About Prayer, Part 5 (TMF:2516) - Daniel Litton
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Many are not comfortable in believing that God is open to the thoughts, ideas, wishes, and desires of humans. They may say, “Humans are too evil to desire anything good” or “God would not be persuaded by humans because humans are often driven by the flesh.” Or, it could be said, “A person really doesn’t know what good they should pray for because they don’t know what they don’t know, but God knows.” And all of this brings up debated things about the character of God and people. If God can be persuaded by a human, then how can God be really in control? And if a person can present something to God that is good, then how does that work? Doesn’t God know best in every circumstance so as to make anything that is presented to him to be pointless? Trying not to get too off track with this, the point we want to note is that Paul and Timothy prayed. That’s what the text says. And not only did they pray, but it says they did not cease to pray, as if the quantity also matters. We know the quality matters, as Paul is about to show us in what he prayed for regarding the Colossian believers.