peace to live by

Good Works Not Bearing Fruit? Part 2 (TMF:2525)

Friday, January 10, 2025
Peace to Live By: Good Works Not Bearing Fruit? Part 2 (TMF:2525) - Daniel Litton
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       But if a person tries it, getting past that dread, they should then evaluate how they feel once they are into it or afterward. If God is leading the person do it, at some point the desire should spark up and lead the way. It seems contradicting, however, that Paul again brings up “increasing in the knowledge of God.” This is because he just began this whole section talking about the knowledge of God. Remember, he prayed that the Colossians would be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” So, in this second mention, it seems to be that the desire behind Paul’s prayer is that this “knowledge” would in fact “increase.” So, when he first mentions knowledge at the beginning, he is talking about having knowledge in the first place. Now he is talking about have this knowledge “increase.” And it is interesting that the increasing of the knowledge is coupled with what was just examined regarding good works. It’s almost as if the good works create an ‘experiential’ knowledge.

Good Works Not Bearing Fruit? Part 1 (TMF:2524)

Thursday, January 09, 2025
Peace to Live By: Good Works Not Bearing Fruit? Part 1 (TMF:2524) - Daniel Litton
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       A vast variety of reasons could be listed as examples of good works not bearing fruit as the result of a church not walking in a manner that is worthy of the Lord. Rather than focus on specific actions, let us zoom out a bit and consider a bigger view of the matter. We know that God looks on the heart, and therefore, we could contend that works done without the proper heart attitude may not bear good fruit. This being the case whatever the works are. So, anything done because one believes he or she has to do it, and let’s assume for a moment the person isn’t gifted to do it (by the Holy Spirit), then that is a work done through the flesh—from a command—and not from the heart. It’s not coming from a person’s heart welling up inside themselves with the desire bursting forth in wanting to accomplish whatever it is for the kingdom. And sometimes this has to be tested. What is meant is that there could be an initial dread present in doing something beforehand.

Fruitful Results of Paul & Timothy's Prayer (TMF:2523)

Wednesday, January 08, 2025
Peace to Live By: Fruitful Results of Paul & Timothy's Prayer (TMF:2523) - Daniel Litton
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       What then are some results Paul hopes to beget from he and Timothy’s prayer? He talks about the church “bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” It is interesting to note that Paul doesn’t talk about the church actually doing good works. What is meant is that he doesn’t list that the church should be doing good works, as if they had to be instructed in that. Rather, he prays that he hopes these good works will bear fruit. That seems to imply that works could be done by the church which do not bear fruit. And let us consider some reasons as to why this may be the case. The most obvious one, first and foremost, would be due to a lack of prayer. Since we are discussing prayer as the subject, that comes to mind. And if it is believed that prayer actually does make a difference, then it’s a no brainer that a lack of prayer would yield negative consequences in the church’s “good works” by them not “bearing fruit.” And, another reason a good work by the church would not bear fruit could be what Paul mentioned in the previous verse, that the people conducting the work are not walking in a good manner.

Deception in the Pride of Being Right, Part 2 (TMF:2522)

Tuesday, January 07, 2025
Peace to Live By: Deception in the Pride of Being Right, Part 2 (TMF:2522) - Daniel Litton
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       It is not doubted that God did in fact use the voice (whether his own or an angel’s) to lead him. It is good that he found a way that satisfies his soul, one in which he can practice his relationship to God in a full, filling way. The problem becomes, when, as a result of the voice, he thinks he has found the correct way (the correct sect). The problem becomes, when, as a result of the voice, he thinks he has found the correct way (the correct sect), and then turns to persecute (to use a strong word) those who do not follow that way. The voice led him to the false belief that his way is the correct way, and not because the voice was wrong, but because his conclusion about the meaning thereafter of hearing the voice was wrong). In contrast, a man was known at one time who had a similar type of encounter with a voice. The voice told him to go and start a church in a certain area, and this was the Church of the Nazarene, a body of believers of that particular denomination let’s call it. So, was this man wrong in hearing the voice? No. Would he be wrong if he said it’s the only true way? Yes.

Deception in the Pride of Being Right, Part 1 (TMF:2521)

Monday, January 06, 2025
Peace to Live By: Deception in the Pride of Being Right, Part 1 (TMF:2521) - Daniel Litton
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       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. This is the prideful stance—the self-righteous stance. In illustration of this point, a book was being read recently in which an Orthodoxy Christian (Eastern Orthodoxy to be specific) was stating how God had led him to the correct-ist, purist way of Christianity (you guessed it, Orthodoxy), and even used an audible voice to do so. It is not doubted that God did in fact use the voice (whether his own or an angel’s) to lead him. It is good that he found a way that satisfies his soul, one in which he can practice his relationship to God in a full, filling way. The problem becomes, when, as a result of the voice, he thinks he has found the correct way (the correct sect).

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.