peace to live by

30 March 2025
2-Minute Features | 23 March 2025

Rejoicing in Our Sufferings? Part 3 (TMF:2585)

Friday, April 04, 2025
Peace to Live By: Rejoicing in Our Sufferings? Part 3 (TMF:2585) - Daniel Litton
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       Indeed, while many are not that familiar with everyday suffering, many around us, at the same time, actually are. One may wonder where this is going, and whether, on account of this verse or other verses, it means that the Christian is supposed to “rejoice” no matter what the sufferings. However, if we take a close look at what Paul was rejoicing over, it was actually sufferings for Christ’s sake. Not suffering for getting Alzheimer’s, not suffering for one’s baby dying, not suffering for separation from a friend, not suffering for the spouse leaving you and the kids behind, not suffering for disturbing thoughts that are hard to bring under control, not suffering for working that low paying job. These are bad things that really happen and of which are just that, bad. Paul emphasis today is something else. To put it another way, he would say to the Corinthians, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17, ESV).

Rejoicing in Our Sufferings? Part 2 (TMF:2584)

Thursday, April 03, 2025
Peace to Live By: Rejoicing in Our Sufferings? Part 2 (TMF:2584) - Daniel Litton
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       We taught and geared to avoid suffering at all costs. Just a breeze through the local bookstore will demonstrate that fact, or a scrolling through your favorite online bookstore on your smartphone. All kinds of books, whether secular or otherwise, have been written to help us in and steer us from suffering. Suffering is bad. No one wants to suffer. And yet, Paul tell us today that he rejoiced in his sufferings. He doesn’t say he wanted to suffer, or even sought it, but he says his reaction to it was that of rejoicing. Seems somewhat perverted based, again, our our preconditioned mindsets. So, what do we do with this? How do we understand it? Well, not all of us have perfect lives. There are those who suffer. Probably not the same way Paul did through external persecution, but there are other kinds of suffering. There is disease, hospitalizations, broken relationships, divorce, mental issues, lack of money, etc.

Rejoicing in Our Sufferings? Part 1 (TMF:2583)

Wednesday, April 02, 2025
Peace to Live By: Rejoicing in Our Sufferings? Part 1 (TMF:2583) - Daniel Litton
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       Colossians 1:24: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake" (ESV). We are presented with something, which, admittedly, seems foreign to us in American society. It seems definitely so. To rejoice in one’s sufferings. We are taught to avoid suffering at all costs. Our society is even geared in that direction. Depending on what position a person takes as pertains to the wealth of our society and democracy, it certainly is apparent that we are blessed greatly. The mind is under the impression that the reasoning behind this, dare it presume, is multifaceted. An obvious reason is the support and care for Israelites, God’s original chosen people, who have the Old Testament promises. To paraphrase, we know God said of old, “Bless Israel and I will bless you.” That is experientially true. But there is also the aspect of obedience, and while obedience doesn’t always bring here and now blessing (as we are seeing right here in this passage), at the same time it often does.

Not Shifting From the Hope of the Gospel, Part 3 (TMF:2582)

Tuesday, April 01, 2025
Peace to Live By: Not Shifting From the Hope of the Gospel, Part 3 (TMF:2582) - Daniel Litton
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       Why would anyone want to shift from the good news? The temptation to shift comes when the eyes are overly focused on this present world, right? It is when attention is taken off of God in the unseen realm and rather it is all focused on what is present in the seen realm. Indeed, this would happen to Paul at the end of his ministry, where those who were closest to him, most of them in fact, would abandon him for this present world. And it will grieve Paul’s heart in the future from the moment he is writing this. It’s sad to think about, and it’s another call to us, each of us individually, to not shift “from the hope of the gospel [we] heard.” The temptation is there. It could be argued we don’t even need Satan’s influence to make such a shift, if that were possible. Our sin-natures can get us to focus on the wrong things, the wrong desires within us materialized in the external world.

Not Shifting From the Hope of the Gospel, Part 2 (TMF:2581)

Monday, March 31, 2025
Peace to Live By: Not Shifting From the Hope of the Gospel, Part 2 (TMF:2581) - Daniel Litton
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       We could say that the Gospel had been proclaimed to all the known people groups. (This obviously would have excluded people like the Native People of America since they weren’t a known people at the time). All of these theories of what Paul is saying here are reasonable, and perhaps it is a combination of all of them. But the point is that the Gospel is going forward, and should go forward, since it carries the truth that individuals can be saved from their sins and come into right relationship with God. So, the Gospel is the key, it is getting back to the basics. It is keeping things on track where the false teachers had lead people astray. That’s what Paul was seeking to do—that which he was personally called by Christ to do—to spread that good news. That fact can often be forgotten—that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news. Why would anyone want to shift from the good news? The temptation to shift comes when the eyes are overly focused on this present world, right?