peace to live by

Traveling Ministers, Part 1 (TMF:2895)

Friday, June 12, 2026
Peace to Live By: Traveling Ministers, Part 1 (TMF:2895) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       Back in the time of Paul, Tychicus had to physically travel to Colossae to talk with the church, to physically tell them how Paul and his companions were doing. This would bring encouragement to their hearts. There was no social media feed they could jump on to see instantaneously how Paul and his fellow ministers were doing. That’s probably a good thing, for then Tychicus would have never traveled to the church in the first place. But it’s nice that Paul was able to send a real life person to actually commune with them, one of which had been with him, to actually encourage them face to face. It always gives a high quality appearance when churches can have a minister who in actuality travels to it from another body of believers, one of which is far away, and learn how that other church is doing. There is nothing like having a visiting minister who is physically present, and can literally communicate to the members what has actually been going on in the life of the other church.

Being Overly Connected to People (TMF:2894)

Thursday, June 11, 2026
Peace to Live By: Being Overly Connected to People (TMF:2894) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       Verse 8: “I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts” (ESV). We have to remember that back in those days, some 2,000 years ago, that the spreading of information was surely limited. We are so used to having any information we want (well, almost) at our fingertips, easily assessable through the Internet via social media. We can know so much nowadays, and likely too much. For often it seems that we know of circumstances and events that we shouldn’t know, that we follow persons we probably shouldn’t follow because they are no longer part of our lives. If our attention is spread out too far and wide, we find that our relationships might be miles wide but only an inch deep. God never intended for us to keep contact with so many individuals, to be so interconnected with seemingly everybody. Back in the time of Paul, Tychicus had to physically travel to Colossae to talk with the church, to physically tell them how Paul and his companions were doing.

Tychicus- Brother & Minister, Part 2 (TMF:2893)

Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Peace to Live By: Tychicus- Brother & Minister, Part 2 (TMF:2893) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       Nevertheless, in this case, in addition to delivering the letter, he is tasked with informing the church of everything Paul has been up to, not just what is contained within the letter. This certainly had to be an encouragement to the Colossians, for they were receiving someone who had literally been with Paul, right alongside him. And, Tychicus, of course, didn’t know the Colossians, for Paul explains to them that he is “a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.” We would expect this in someone working alongside Paul. But the description nonetheless gives us a model of something to aim for, of what we would want spoken about us, if we are a minister of the Lord—that we are loved by the church, that we are faithful in our work, and that we are serving as we should be. Verse 8: “I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts” (ESV). We have to remember that back in those days, some 2,000 years ago, that the spreading of information was surely limited.

Tychicus- Brother & Minister, Part 1 (TMF:2892)

Tuesday, June 09, 2026
Peace to Live By: Tychicus- Brother & Minister, Part 1 (TMF:2892) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       “Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord” (Colossians 4:7, ESV). Tychicus is set up to be the letter deliver to the Colossian church; he is going to be the one that brings them this writing from Paul. In fact, he also did so for Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, as well as the epistle to Philemon. This minister of God also had a cameo appearance in the Book of Acts, in chapter 20 specifically, when he is named with many other brothers that accompanied Paul to Jerusalem, going ahead of him, when he was leaving behind the city of Philippi, in Greece. Nevertheless, in this case, in addition to delivering the letter, he is tasked with informing the church of everything Paul has been up to, not just what is contained within the letter. This certainly had to be an encouragement to the Colossians, for they were receiving someone who had literally been with Paul, right alongside him.

Good Words Before Outsiders, Part 5 (TMF:2891)

Monday, June 08, 2026
Peace to Live By: Good Words Before Outsiders, Part 5 (TMF:2891) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       To call out sin for what it is, as in the case of delivering a sermon—that should be done. That is necessary and definitely needed. But what we are discussing are one-on-one interactions in the outside world. If we are trying to get or make non-believers to act like Christians we are going to find ourselves in real trouble. And this may be more of a temptation for those who are recent coverts, as, for the speaker, it definitely was in the year or two after becoming saved. There was that temptation to tell people what was known was written in the Bible, and to try to correct them in order to get them to believe. That was the approach that was often taken in telling others about God. Yet, Paul says that our speech is to always be gracious, to be seasoned with salt. If we are in the habit of telling people how they are wrong, this verse from Paul is will be found to be pretty hard to keep. People probably aren’t even going to want to be around us all that much. So, we need to be careful.

Good Words Before Outsiders, Part 4 (TMF:2890)

Friday, June 05, 2026
Peace to Live By: Good Words Before Outsiders, Part 4 (TMF:2890) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       Thus, our conscious becomes our friend in how we act toward outsiders, and we wish to be walking in a way in which our conscious isn’t regularly violated. We desire to have that peace within our hearts, ruling in our hearts, as Paul mentioned in the last chapter. This verse would appear to imply, then, if we take a reverse side look at it, that we aren’t to go around and rebuke unbelievers for their sin, at least, on a one-on-one basis. What is meant by this is, is that it isn’t wrong for the minister of God or the Bible teacher to call out sin for what it is, as in the case of delivering a sermon. That should be done; that is necessary and definitely needed. But what we are discussing are one-on-one interactions in the outside world. If we are trying to get or make non-believers to act like Christians we are going to find ourselves in real trouble. And this may be more of a temptation for those who are recent coverts, as, for the speaker, it definitely was in the year or two after becoming saved.

Good Words Before Outsiders, Part 3 (TMF:2889)

Thursday, June 04, 2026
Peace to Live By: Good Words Before Outsiders, Part 3 (TMF:2889) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       Let us bring to mind what the Apostle Peter has told us in his first epistle. He noted, “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience” (1 Peter 3:14-16, ESV). So, even Peter emphasized the “gentleness and respect.” This just isn’t a Paul thing—a thing that we can try to somehow maneuver around or get ourselves out of. Peter’s addition of “having a good conscience” helps us to gauge perhaps when we have said something we think we shouldn’t have, or when we have crossed the line. Thus, our conscious becomes our friend in how we act toward outsiders, and we wish to be walking in a way in which our conscious isn’t regularly violated. We desire to have that peace within our hearts, ruling in our hearts, as Paul mentioned in the last chapter.

Good Words Before Outsiders, Part 2 (TMF:2888)

Wednesday, June 03, 2026
Peace to Live By: Good Words Before Outsiders, Part 2 (TMF:2888) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       Yet, continuing in our higher calling here, we are to have speech that is loving, pleasant, and kind. Paul goes the extra mile by saying that it should be “seasoned with salt.” So, it should be appealing to others, drawing them in in a way (a good way), where they care to ask more, where they have the inclination to question what is behind it. We should have a pleasant taste about us, where, when individuals experience what we have to say, they aren’t left with a bad taste in their mouth, a bitter taste, and where they wouldn’t mind if they didn’t so much as see us again. And notice, Paul expects that people are going to ask us questions due to our commendable behavior, due to our out of the ordinary pleasantness. For Paul states, “so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” People are going to want to know what our drive is—why we are the way that we are. And they will set out to ask questions.

Good Words Before Outsiders, Part 1 (TMF:2887)

Tuesday, June 02, 2026
Peace to Live By: Good Words Before Outsiders, Part 1 (TMF:2887) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       Verse 6: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (ESV). It’s seems that Paul certainly cares about the reputation of the church, for he emphasizes how are speech is to be—to be “always” gracious. That’s a tall order, isn’t it? To always say the right things in front of those who don’t believe, of those who are outside the church? That’s what he says, nonetheless, and it would seem likely that most of us, if not all of us, fail at one point or another when it comes to this. A lot of people have short tempers, for instance, and blow their stacks before those who don’t believe. A lot of people might find it difficult to not laugh at a joke they know they shouldn’t laugh at. It can be hard to be kind toward others even when they aren’t treating us how we think they should be. Yet, continuing in our higher calling here, we are to have speech that is loving, pleasant, and kind.

Walking in Wisdom Toward Outsiders, Part 5 (TMF:2886)

Monday, June 01, 2026
Peace to Live By: Walking in Wisdom Toward Outsiders, Part 5 (TMF:2886) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       No, we are to shine our lights well, so that when we do explain Christian ways, again, making the best use of our time—for that is how we do that—that folks actually benefit from being in our presence. Each of us has a presence before others, a way that we are before others. We want that presence to be truly admirable. This leads us to make the best use of our time before others. If we are a person that others admire, a person of which they wish to be around, then when we are around them we will be able to tell them why we are the way that we are. They will want what we have. When they see our peace, our lack of worry; when they see our good work ethic, when they see our kindness, when they witness our speech as encouraging, they will ask questions. And because we have walked in wisdom, because we have acted like a proper Christian, we will be able to tell them why we are peaceful, kind, and all the rest. We will be able to make the best use of the time because we have set ourselves up for the moment.