Starting the new year with a Bible reading plan has become cliché. But don’t let that stop you from doing it anyway. The legalists may say they will not plan to read the Bible in 2025 because they need to break the “should” cycle in their lives. The...
As I shared earlier this week, the Lord has used the simple practices of prayer, Bible reading, and participation in the church to keep me growing in grace and following him since the day of my conversion. As we approach 2025, I encourage you to make growing...
Images are used to help explain realities, but it’s important that we interpret them well so that we know what is real. This is the case with Colossians 3 and the clothing imagery used to communicate the new self in Christ and the practices that are...
“The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.” Psalm 147:10 Fear and hope are friends when they reside in the heart of one whose eyes have seen the glory and grace of the Lord. Psalm 147 is a great Thanksgiving...
We need explanations to gain understanding, and sometimes we need experience to really know the truth. Colossians 1:9-10 teaches this connection between explanation and experience. There we read that we are filled with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding so that we can walk according to Christ. By doing...
We come to a place in Colossians 3 that may seem like a contradiction, but it reveals a perfectly consistent way to live by faith in the grace of God. As this chapter opens, we hear of the great grace of God by which he brings...
The gospel reality of union with Christ means newness characterizes our lives. We have been learning about the reality of our union with Christ from Colossians 3. Now we see the results of that union in our on-the-ground, everyday life. This chapter opens with the declaration that we...
The language of salvation we most often use includes words like forgiveness, reconciliation, and new life. Praise God for these realities of the gospel. A much less used phrase, but equally true and necessary, is “union”. By grace through faith, we are united to Christ. As...
The power of a phrase is undeniable. Marketers know this. Think of how many products you purchase and places you go that have a memorable slogan attached to them. Colossians 2 comes with a phrase that clarifies what we are to believe and how we are...
This morning’s reading was the 100th Psalm. I read through the psalm quickly with the thought of moving on to some other reading I had planned. But as I slowed down, the force of it landed appropriately on my soul and I stopped to pray. What...
