Exploring the Colossians' Love, Part 1 (TMF:2500)

Friday, December 06, 2024

Peace to Live By: Exploring the Colossians' Love, Part 1 (TMF:2500) - Daniel Litton
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They believed the message that they could be freed from their sins, things they did in their lives that didn’t bring them true fulfilling life. They had believed in Christ’s atonement through the cross and his resurrection from the dead. This faith then in Christ Jesus was coupled with their love for each other. Really, this love appears to be twofold. For one, it is the love they have toward each other as a church body locally. That’s the beautiful thing. When Christians come to accept the message of the Gospel, it is like they are infused with a commonness that brings forth an automatic love for one another. It’s almost as if there is an underlying trust that comes when one meets a new believer and can sense that that person is indeed genuine. It’s not that it isn’t chosen at times; it certainly has to be. But it’s also true, to note a second point, that the Colossians also had love for other churches in their area, like the believers in Laodicea.

Thankfulness Despite Circumstances, Part 1 (TMF:2499)

Thursday, December 05, 2024

Peace to Live By: Thankfulness Despite Circumstances, Part 1 (TMF:2499) - Daniel Litton
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The mind uses the internal sin-nature to accomplish this by incorrectly focusing in on the negative and conveniently disregarding that which is positive. This sets up an artificial picture of reality. (It should be noted that mind can get so off-track that it eventually seeks to destroy itself—but we don’t want to get too off track here). So, the thankfulness from Paul is focused on the “faith” and the “love” of the Colossian believers. There’s the love that seemed to be missing from the opening. Anyway, Paul is happy because he had heard that the believers in Colossae are full of faith in Christ Jesus. That is, they believe the message that is his main focus—the message of the truth of reality. The Colossians didn’t believe in an unknown god, as Paul found that people in Athens, Greece, did, but they believed in the God of the Universe (see Acts 17:22, 23). They believed the message that they could be freed from their sins, things they did in their lives that didn’t bring them true fulfilling life.

Thankfulness Despite Circumstances, Part 1 (TMF:2498)

Wednesday, December 04, 2024

Peace to Live By: Thankfulness Despite Circumstances, Part 1 (TMF:2498) - Daniel Litton
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Continuing in verse 3: “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven” (v. 3-5, ESV). Notice next, again, that the prisoner Paul had a ‘thankful attitude.’ This is important because Paul models for us, despite his unpleasant circumstances, that he was thankful. The use of thankfulness, saturating the mind of things that one can be thankful for, can also lift one’s spirit, lift one out of the mire of mud. A good method seems to be to create a list, a list in which everything is written out that is positive. The mind has a tendency to only want to focus on the negative. And it’s not just that, but then the mind magnifies the negative it is focusing on it makes it out of proportion with the rest of reality. The mind uses the internal sin-nature to accomplish this by incorrectly focusing in on the negative and conveniently disregarding that which is positive. This sets up an artificial picture of reality.

Exploring Our Peace, Part 2 (TMF:2497)

Tuesday, December 03, 2024

Peace to Live By: Exploring Our Peace, Part 2 (TMF:2497) - Daniel Litton
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This leads us to external circumstances, which, experientially, are not always peaceful. This is why control of the mind is necessary. At times in our lives, we have ‘external’ peaceful periods. At other times, things are perceived as not so peaceful. It is during these not so peaceful times that we usually pray, and sometimes God makes things peaceful again externally and sometimes it takes awhile. But, the beautiful thing it seems that Paul wants us to understand is that while we need grace daily (which is a thing which cannot be seen), so it is that we need peace daily (also a thing that cannot be seen when it is the indwelling state of the mind that we are talking about). Paul certainly did not have ‘peaceful’ external circumstances when he was writing this letter, yet he told everyone to receive God’s peace. So, peace, then, can always be had regardless of one’s external circumstances.

Exploring Our Peace, Part 1 (TMF:2496)

Monday, December 02, 2024

Peace to Live By: Exploring Our Peace, Part 1 (TMF:2496) - Daniel Litton
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Peace, then, peace is twofold. On the one hand, peace is internal. It is a decision that everyone has to make within their minds. Really, in reality, anyone at anytime can be “at peace” as it is said. It is a decision one makes inside the mind, and this comes best from the use of surrender, from not resisting what the mind is presenting but rather surrendering to it and letting it pass. Peter would refer to this as, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (see 1 Peter 5:7, ESV). This leads us to external circumstances, which, experientially, are not always peaceful. This is why control of the mind is necessary. At times in our lives, we have ‘external’ peaceful periods. At other times, things are perceived as not so peaceful. It is during these not so peaceful times that we usually pray, and sometimes God makes things peaceful again externally and sometimes it takes awhile.