25 September 2022
Two-Minute Features | 02 October 2022 | 18 September 2022

Being Honest & Upfront (TMF:1950)

Friday, September 30, 2022
Peace to Live By: Being Honest & Upfront (TMF:1950) - Daniel Litton
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       If we are simply just watching what we say, we are cutting the grass. We aren’t getting to the root of the problem. The root is what is actually inside our hearts. People can say good things that aren’t really coming from their hearts. They can pretend to be righteous. They can say this or that because that’s what they feel they’re supposed to say. This is pretending to be religious. It is giving textbook answers, the correct answers, but they aren’t coming from the person’s hearts. Thus, this means the person is deceiving themselves. They think they are religious because they have become good at faking people out, or we might say they have become good at acting. Remember, the Pharisees and Teachers of the Jewish Law were really good at this during Jesus’ time. And those people surely are still around. Part of being authentic is being honest and upfront. If a person is hiding things, if he or she is just pretending, the authenticity isn’t there. The religion of this individual is worthless. These people can be easy to identify at times, and sometimes you have to get to know a person first.

From the Good Inside of Us (TMF:1949)

Thursday, September 29, 2022
Peace to Live By: From the Good Inside of Us (TMF:1949) - Daniel Litton
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       Next James says, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.” Now there is a shift from what we see to what we say. We move here from looking to speaking. What we see really is up to us to decide, as is what we speak. At least, we should have control over our mouths. We should seek to be welling up good within us in order that they may come out through our speech. If we don’t have good built up inside of us, how can good come out of our mouths? What we say reveals what is on the inside. It is interesting how James equates religious, that is, a person being considered religious and what a person actually says. Note that the tongue has to be bridled. To bridle means to bring under control. It’s not so much making sure we don’t say the wrong thing, but really it is filling ourselves with good things so that our hearts aren’t filled with evil to bring out of our mouths.

What the Mirror Shows Us (TMF:1948)

Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Peace to Live By: What the Mirror Shows Us (TMF:1948) - Daniel Litton
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       Our acting is not what we may think it is. Our acting is not what we think it is. Our doing actually becomes surrendering. We surrender when we accept the truth of what we see in the mirror. Like I said, the mirror often reveals things to us, that, at first glance, aren’t pleasant. Like, for instance, we may look into the mirror and see that we are too overweight. Upon this realization, we have one of two choices. We can either act upon what we have seen, and make a strategy to lose some weight, or we can just walk away and ignore that truth. The choice is ours. We don’t have to begin the process of losing weight, but at the same time, if we don’t we cannot expect to reap the benefits that will come from being thinner. We persevere in the truth only when we accept it, when we surrender to it. Next James says, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.” Now there is a shift from what we see to what we say. We move here from looking to speaking.

Knowledge into Practice (TMF:1947)

Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Peace to Live By: Knowledge into Practice (TMF:1947) - Daniel Litton
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       Because we are a new creation, since we have believed in Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf and his resurrection from the dead, we are now alive. So, as Paul said, “whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8, ESV). It’s not enough to know what to do. As I said, it’s not enough to just look into the Law of Liberty. I love to learn. A lot of you love to learn. Learning is really fun. Studying things really can be hobby. It doesn’t matter, though, how much we study and learn, if we don’t put any of that knowledge into practice. If we don’t make use of it, it won’t do us any good at the end of the day. I have to take what I learn, and say, “Okay. How does this apply to what I need? How can I implement this strategy today.” And then, I actually have to do it. We “act” when we put into practice. Our acting is not what we may think it is. Our acting is not what we think it is. Our doing actually becomes surrendering. We surrender when we accept the truth of what we see in the mirror.

This Life Doesn't Matter? (TMF:1946)

Monday, September 26, 2022
Peace to Live By: This Life Doesn't Matter? (TMF:1946) - Daniel Litton
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       This all comes down to the fact that “All that matter is God.” That is because when we transcend this life, we will be immediately in his presence, and we will be in his presence forevermore. Bringing this back around, does this mean, again, that this life doesn’t matter? Well, considering what I have said, I think your focus is on the wrong area. This is not a zero-sum game. Just because “All that matters is God” doesn’t mean that this life cannot enjoyed while it lasts. Even if we are to say, “This life doesn’t matter in comparison to God,” that doesn’t then mean that this life then is to be immediately given up, or that it is to become monkish and dreadful. So, we are to be “a doer who acts” and we “will be blessed in [our] doing.” We have the best of both worlds, then. We have God, or rather, God has us. So, upon exiting this life, we are immediately with him. While in this life, however, Jesus said he would be with us always—that he would never leave us.