“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:5-6 “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders” means that our life before unbelievers should put a…
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Regardless of difficult circumstances, a Christian always has grounds for “rejoicing”. Christian joy is not based on circumstances, but on a growing awareness of God and the certain future of eternal life with…
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 “Confess your sins to each other” is in the context of reconciliation to each other (confession should be mutual). God directs us to confess our…
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 Corporate prayer and worship were the first of the practical issues Paul describes…
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 The believer who is constantly “praying” will be “joyful” in hope and “patient” (or enduring) in affliction. Here is what that life of looks like in specific detail. It is a life that follows Christ’s example. Of course, we all fail to live…
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15 “Confidence in approaching God” produces assurance in prayer and an active concern…
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please God” is simply saying that only people who are saved by their faith and trust in Christ…
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:15 “Speaking the truth in love” shows a concern for truth from the Bible and love for one another. It suggests that what all believers say or do…
“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.” Job 19:25 Redeemer here is comparable to “arbiter” or “witness”. The Redeemer is God. Job appeals to God against God. In light of the fuller biblical revelation, we know that Christ, the God-man, fulfills the description of the…
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in…