peace to live by

Thinking On from Where We Came, Part 3 (TMF:2540)

Friday, January 31, 2025
Peace to Live By: Thinking On from Where We Came, Part 3 (TMF:2540) - Daniel Litton
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       But what is important to understand is that the Israelites were miserable, suffering in slavery, and God brought them out of that. That’s the way it seems when we think back to consider our pre-conversion experiences. It seems dark, unfulfilling, empty, and perhaps labor-some. We worked with our own effort and without God’s power. But then one day God delivered us when he brought us to the true message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The revelation to our minds that we could be delivered from our dark, unfulfilling, empty, and labor-filled ways. In comparison, like the Israelites of old, we ended up in a new land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Now we move into the picture of Christ presented to us by Paul. It is probably familiar to us, as this is a passage we’ve likely read over and over. Starting in verse 15. Paul says of the “beloved Son:” “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (ESV).

Thinking On from Where We Came, Part 2 (TMF:2539)

Thursday, January 30, 2025
Peace to Live By: Thinking On from Where We Came, Part 2 (TMF:2539) - Daniel Litton
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       It is as Jesus stated in the great sermon, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”(Matthew 5:46, ESV). (Tax collectors represents the ones without Christ). So, it is kingdom versus kingdom. Satan’s kingdom versus Christ’s kingdom. God had “transferred us” as Paul said. From one side to the other side. A good picture of what this looks like is what happened with the Israelites in the Old Testament, when, remember, God delivered them from Pharaoh and the Egyptians and eventually took them to the land he had promised them. Of course, he used Moses to accomplish this act, and so Moses acts as a type of Christ. But what is important to understand is that the Israelites were miserable, suffering in slavery, and God brought them out of that. That’s the way it seems when we think back to consider our pre-conversion experiences. It seems dark, unfulfilling, empty, and perhaps labor-some.

Thinking On from Where We Came, Part 1 (TMF:2538)

Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Peace to Live By: Thinking On from Where We Came, Part 1 (TMF:2538) - Daniel Litton
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       Anyhow, Paul elaborates, moving now to verse 13, in saying that “He [God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” The past tense of the word is used in discussing our transformation—the word “delivered.” We have come then from the “domain of darkness,” the domain of Satan who entrapped us—the domain of our sin natures which had us in bondage to sin, to an understanding of the world without enlightenment from God. No power was present to live a truly righteous life. There could be moments of doing right, or seemingly so, but it would be intermingled with doing really bad things as well, whether publicity or privately, or just inside our heads. It is as Jesus stated in the great sermon, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”(Matthew 5:46, ESV). (Tax collectors represents the ones without Christ).

The Features of Our Inheritance (TMF:2537)

Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Peace to Live By: The Features of Our Inheritance (TMF:2537) - Daniel Litton
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       Inheritance. What is the inheritance with the fellow saints, with those now and with those who have already passed? It is intriguing. If we turn back in our Bibles a couple books, to Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, we see that there in chapter 1 he also talks about the inheritance of the saints. In verse 14 he says that it is something that is acquired in the future. In verse 18 he refers to the inheritance as having “riches,” and that it is “glorious” (ESV). It is also stated that it to be understood over a period of time. So, we could assume that with experience, with our journey through the Christian life, with the working out of our salvation, with all this comes understanding, understanding of the inheritance. And in contemplating that thought, it does seem to be experientially true. What is meant is that the personal understanding of what will be in the future after this life seems to be greater in scope versus what it was, say, twenty years ago. What it was right after the conversion experience.

Our Giving Thanks to God, Part 2 (TMF:2536)

Monday, January 27, 2025
Peace to Live By: Our Giving Thanks to God, Part 2 (TMF:2536) - Daniel Litton
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       If we are a believer in Jesus Christ to begin with, it seems reasonable to presume we are thankful for the gift of salvation—for the gift of our relationship with God. After all, if it hadn’t been for what Jesus accomplished for us, we wouldn’t be in right relationship with God to begin with. This is the most important relationship and circumstance then, that we have to thankful for. Notice that the Colossians believers are said to be “qualified… to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” If the Christians are now qualified, that means there was a point in which they were unqualified. A transition has occurred for them. A born again-ness (which was mentioned last week). Unqualified to qualified. What has been gained, though? What has the qualification led to? It has led the Christian to “share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” It would seem that this inheritance encompasses a vast variety of features, and they are features that the Apostle Paul presumably assumes that the Colossian believers are already aware of.

Our Giving Thanks to God, Part 1 (TMF:2535)

Friday, January 24, 2025
Peace to Live By: Our Giving Thanks to God, Part 1 (TMF:2535) - Daniel Litton
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       Paul’s prayer in the beginning of Colossians 1 continues for us today. Let’s go to verse 9, and then we will jump down to verse 12. “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you… giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (1:9, 12, ESV). The final element of the prayer laid out for the Colossians is that of “giving thanks.” Giving thanks. It seems we are pretty good at that these days, as Christians. It seems so. After all, there is a lot to be thankful for. It doesn’t seem like it’s hard to come up with at least a few things to thank God for. Materialistically, most of us have a lot of possessions and whatnot. Relationally, most of us have at least a few people in our lives we would consider blessed to be part of it. If we are a believer in Jesus Christ to begin with, it seems reasonable to presume we are thankful for the gift of salvation—for the gift of our relationship with God. After all, if it hadn’t been for what Jesus accomplished for us, we wouldn’t be in right relationship with God to begin with.

The Four Areas of Effect on the World, Part 4 (TMF:2534)

Thursday, January 23, 2025
Peace to Live By: The Four Areas of Effect on the World, Part 4 (TMF:2534) - Daniel Litton
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       They too [angels] can bring negative things on the world in the form of judgment. We need no explanation about God doing this, as that’s obvious from reading the Old Testament. Even in the New Testament we see it during the church age with the negative example of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 (as as an aside, notice there’s goodness behind this negativity). But it would also seem that God’s angels, acting of their own will and by their own choice, can make negative decisions (and, of course, their choices always align with God’s will). This is hinted at in Acts 12, for instance, when it says “Immediately an angel of the Lord struck [Herod] down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last” (Acts 12:23, ESV). There is no mention in the text of God ordering this, but it would seem that the nearby angel made this choice out of his on volition (see also Luke 1:19, 20 for another example; note “my words” (ESV)). You can look that one up on your own time).

The Four Areas of Effect on the World, Part 3 (TMF:2533)

Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Peace to Live By: The Four Areas of Effect on the World, Part 3 (TMF:2533) - Daniel Litton
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       So, now, we have three causes for the negative things in our world. One, Satan. Two, ourselves. Three, randomness. All these things cause for negativity in the world that has to be endured, and often with trusting patience. But before we move away from discussing this, there are still yet two more areas. But before we move away from discussing this, there are still yet two more areas, but actually one more area, one casual agent, we can discuss. Yes indeed. That’s God, and also his angels. They too can bring negative things on the world in the form of judgment. We need no explanation about God doing this, as that’s obvious from reading the Old Testament. Even in the New Testament we see it during the church age with the negative example of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 (as as an aside, notice there’s goodness behind this negativity). But it would also seem that God’s angels, acting of their own will and by their own choice, can make negative decisions (and, of course, their choices always align with God’s will).

The Four Areas of Effect on the World, Part 2 (TMF:2532)

Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Peace to Live By: The Four Areas of Effect on the World, Part 2 (TMF:2532) - Daniel Litton
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       What is a basic example of randomness? Well, I wish this specific example didn’t have to be brought up, but recently, in driving home late one night from the workplace, out the left-side of the window, in a flash of the moment, was seen a rabbit running across the road. Unfortunately, it was too late for this little fellow. He transcended. Now, taking a pause, and a breather, for it did bother the mind, it could be said that God preordained this event of the rabbit’s leaving the world Or would it be better said that this event took place as a result of the randomness that is often present in the world? And what factors are behind this randomness seems to be incredibly complex. So, now, we have three causes for the negative things in our world. One, Satan. Two, ourselves. Three, randomness. All these things cause for negativity in the world that has to be endured, and often with trusting patience. But before we move away from discussing this, there are still yet two more areas.

The Four Areas of Effect on the World, Part 1 (TMF:2531)

Monday, January 20, 2025
Peace to Live By: The Four Areas of Effect on the World, Part 1 (TMF:2531) - Daniel Litton
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       Things get messed up when we either don’t follow God’s will for our lives by acting in sinful ways, or when we make unwise choices, say out of ignorance (which aren’t necessarily sin, just unwise), and then things get messed up. So, since we are beings too, and have a part to play in the grand scheme of things, in God’s world, we also can make choices that affect the world negatively. For now, for the negative conditions, we have first listed Satan and his demons, and now second we have listed us. But, there’s more. It simply isn’t these two things that can cause issues. There is a third area. The third area may not be as obvious, or it may be. Really, it depends on how a person views things. What we are talking about now is chance—the randomness or arbitrary-ness that comes with the natural world. For the person who believes everything, and literally everything, is predetermined, then this third area might fall on deaf ears. For the person, however, who doesn’t feel everything is predetermined, then this point seems helpful.