[Onesiphorus] often refreshed me. —2 Timothy 1:16 Disciples were abandoning Paul like rats on a sinking ship: “Everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me,” he wrote. Two of those—possibly leaders of the deserters—are named: Phygelus and Hermogenes (2 Tm 1:15). Their opposite was …
Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you. —2 Timothy 1:14 2 Timothy 1 paints a picture of two-way trust. Our Trust in God “[I] am convinced that [God] is able to guard what I have entrusted to him,” writes Paul (v. 12). The apostle entrusted his work, his soul, and …
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. —Ephesians 5:19 Music has always played a central role with God’s people. When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they sang a celebratory song (Ex 15:1–21). When the temple was dedicated, they praised God in song (2 Chr 5:12–13). New Testament worship includes …
We are . . . created in Christ Jesus to do good works. —Ephesians 2:10 Ernest and Sarah were on vacation in a city that was new to them. When a stranger approached them and said, “Tourists, huh?” they froze. He smiled and said, “Welcome to our city.” He …
If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. —1 John 5:14 Dear Lord, As I confront this day, keep me from being frustrated by its demands or intimidated by its associations. Help me to seek your presence and listen for your voice above all others. Remind me that in …
You owe me your very self. —Philemon 19 Paul reminded Philemon, whom he had led to Christ, “you owe me your very self” (Phlm 19). William Barclay wrote, “Philemon is turned from creditor to debtor in the space of two verses, and loaded with a debt so large …
I have learned the secret of being content. —Philippians 4:12 Slick marketers keep our wants beyond our reach, enticing us to spend ourselves into a black hole of indebtedness. They sucker us into believing that happiness is found in a new house, a …
It has always been “Open Season” on the church—and there are a lot of sharpshooters nested in the hunting blinds. That’s to be expected from those on the outside, but it’s disappointing when shots are fired by those on the inside. I recently read an article by a preacher who went off on his boyhood …
Do not merely listen to the word . . . Do what it says. —James 1:22 Voice activation has arrived. Speak an address, and your GPS will map your destination and talk you to it. Speak a name, and your phone will call that person’s number. Speak to your computer, and it will type …
We have put our hope in the living God. —1 Timothy 4:10 In the first sentence of his letter to Timothy, Paul points to “Christ Jesus our hope.” And in the first sentence of his letter to Titus, he cites our “hope …
