peace to live by

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
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       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
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       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
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       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
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       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
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       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.

Wishing Grace & Peace, Part 2 (TMF:2495)

Friday, November 29, 2024
Peace to Live By: Wishing Grace & Peace, Part 2 (TMF:2495) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       So, this grace and peace is something that is granted to those of the body of Christ. It is interesting that Paul picks these two things. One would wonder why he didn’t pick love, for instance, as a primary thing to be received from God. Rather, his calling card is grace and peace. Grace makes sense as it is something that believers always need from God, who, appropriately, is noted as “Father.” Since nobody can be perfect at all times with anything, grace is always needed. It is what completes our characters where they are lacking. If we recall, Jesus told Paul on one occasion “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (see 2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV). This isn’t to say that God wants us to be weak, as Christians, but rather it is the natural state of all of us in our fallen, sin-affected world. Again, it is impossible to be perfect currently in our lives. At times we can conclude, God allows weakness to abound in us instead of victory as really, it is abounding anyway.

Wishing Grace & Peace, Part 1 (TMF:2494)

Thursday, November 28, 2024
Peace to Live By: Wishing Grace & Peace, Part 1 (TMF:2494) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       “For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel” (Philippians 2:21, 22, ESV). It was also Timothy to whom Paul chose to write his final letter to, right before he was executed for the faith. That’s how highly Paul thought of Timothy. Colossians 1:2 states, “To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” This is the familiar greeting we see from the Apostle Paul in all of his letters, namely, that of the use of “Grace” and “Peace.” So, this grace and peace is something that is granted to those of the body of Christ. It is interesting that Paul picks these two things. One would wonder why he didn’t pick love, for instance, as a primary thing to be received from God. Rather, his calling card is grace and peace. Grace makes sense as it is something that believers always need from God, who, appropriately, is noted as “Father.”

Timothy Alongside Paul (TMF:2493)

Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Peace to Live By: Timothy Alongside Paul (TMF:2493) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       Nevertheless, going back to verse 1 of Colossians chapter 1, we read, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother” (1, ESV). The text, at this point, brings Timothy into the picture. It should not be supposed that Timothy was in prison with Paul, but rather that Timothy continued to work alongside Paul even in Paul’s unpleasant and unfortunate circumstances. Indeed, Timothy was faithful to the Gospel message, and wasn’t deterred by what had happened to Paul. We see Paul’s true thoughts on Timothy if we read a portion of Philippians chapter 2. Paul says, “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel” (Philippians 2:19-22, ESV).

The Two Primary Heads, Part 2 (TMF:2492)

Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Peace to Live By: The Two Primary Heads, Part 2 (TMF:2492) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       The will of God for Paul then was to be the apostle to the Gentiles. This is interesting when we come to read his writings because we find that he had a great heart for the Jewish people, as he specifically talks about in Romans chapters 9 through 11. In one view it has been noted, and this as a result from Peter’s friendliness with the Jews who sought to keep Jewish tradition alongside Christianity (remember, Paul rebuked Peter for his actions in Galatians chapter 2), it is supposed that Paul eventually became the primary apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ for both groups, the Jews and the Gentiles. And this would be due to Peter’s failure in doing the work God had set aside for him to do. This would also explain why, when reading the Book of Acts of the Apostles, we see Peter is fazed out about halfway through the book, and Paul afterward becomes the primary focus in the historical account. It would seem that due to Peter’s worldly attraction in keeping his fellow Jews happy, he was lead astray, and under these circumstances God had to adjust his plans and use Paul to reach the Jewish population.

The Two Primary Heads, Part 1 (TMF:2491)

Monday, November 25, 2024
Peace to Live By: The Two Primary Heads, Part 1- Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       We know that God basically chose two men to be the primary heads of the work he sought to accomplish: the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul. Now, Peter was with Jesus during his earthly ministry, all the way from the beginning and all the way through the end. He was there for the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit breathed tongues of fire on him and the other Apostles. He is the Apostle that is called to bring the Gospel to the Jewish people, God’s original chosen people from the Old Testament times. Paul here, he was not with Jesus during his time here on earth. As a matter of fact, Paul would refer to himself as “one untimely born” (see 1 Corinthians 15:8, ESV). That is, he came after the original eleven and then twelve Apostles, or disciples of Jesus. The will of God for Paul then was to be the apostle to the Gentiles. This is interesting when we come to read his writings because we find that he had a great heart for the Jewish people. They were his brothers and sisters in the faith, as he specifically talks about in Romans chapters 9 through 11.