Daily Inspirations

   Good morning. And now an admonition that is so relevant for today: conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of your opportunity. We have to walk a fine line, being careful what we say or do when we are with nonbelievers. That does not mean that we approve of what they say or do, nor do we behave like them. In the past, too many times Christians flaunted their Christianity. They openly condemned those who were behaving contrary to what that Christian thought the Bible said. Unfortunately, today it is the other way around – they flaunt their worldliness, and condemn us if we don’t go along with them. So how should we behave? Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. Our speech and conduct with non-believers should be “salty“ so that we will make them hungry and thirsty for the things of God. Father help us to conduct ourselves with wisdom towards non-believers speaki...

   Good morning. Turnabout fair play: Paul now tells masters to grant their slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven. Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Too many times we only pray when there is some emergency. If we devoted ourselves to prayer, perhaps there would not be as many emergencies. Remember in the garden, Jesus admonished His disciples to pray “that you may not enter into temptation“. If your mind is on prayer, it won’t be on something that will get you into trouble. Remember the old adage “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop“. Paul did not ask them to pray that he would have an easy life; he wanted them to pray that God would make it possible for him to spread the word to ...

   Good morning. And now an important admonition: whatever you do, do you work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. With its juxtaposition to the words concerning slaves and masters, that is what it was probably intended to be about; but it applies to everything in our lives. This is not just for the workplace, but in everything we do whether for ourselves or for God. There are too many Christians who do their job half heartedly because of some disagreement or conflict at work. We should do it unto the Lord. Why – knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. For it is the Lord Christ whom you serve (which seems to refer back to slaves serving their masters). For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. Father help us to do everything as unto You to the best of our ability.

   Good morning. And now a verse that most likely was wrongly used hundreds of years ago: slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Sadly, this verse was probably used to say that it was OK to own slaves. People may have even heard it coming from the pulpit. People will use the Bible to “prove“ just about anything they want to prove. It is true that the Bible does not come out and directly condemn slavery. There are several explanations of why it does not; but unless we have a revelation from God, we should be careful about saying why it does not. My Bible says that Paul neither condones slavery nor sanctions revolt against masters. Rather, he calls on both slaves and masters to show Christian principles in their relationship and thus to attempt to change the institution from within. He says elsewhere that he who is free, is Christ’s slave; and he who...

  Good morning. Whatever you do in word or deed (that means in everything) do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. If we went about with that attitude - saying and doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, we would never say or do the wrong thing. We would always have to be “Practicing the Presence of Jesus“, like the title of that book. But sadly we don’t. Cover your ears: wives, be subject to your husband, as is fitting in the Lord. We talked about this before in the book of Ephesians, where we were to even be subject to one another. So Paul is not talking about them being doormats. Husbands, love your wives (as Christ loved the church) and do not be embittered against them. Husbands would “never“ be embittered against their wives, would they? Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. It does not say that the wives are to be obedient to their husbands, but it does say that children ...

  Good morning. Bear with one another, forgive, put on love, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts - anything else? Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Like we said yesterday, you cannot let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts without also having the word of God there. When the word of God is merely in your mind, it is just visiting. When it is in your heart and spirit, it is dwelling there. You cannot teach or admonish someone the way you should without the word of God richly dwelling within you. Notice how we are to teach: with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. When “we” do the teaching, we tend to “give them a piece of our mind“. When we do it in God, we give them the Word; but not just in quoting scriptures. When we do it with singing, it takes the edge off our statements. When we do it on our own, we come off...

   Good morning. As if all of that yesterday weren’t enough: Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. You mean bearing with one another and forgiving is not enough? Remember… And the greatest of these is love. (All you need is love, Love. Love is all you need) It is the superglue of unity; for without it, there will be no unity. Want to know how to walk the Christian life? Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Paul is talking about letting the peace of God act as an umpire in your daily walk. Do you do this or that – check to see if you have the peace of Christ in your spirit. If you do, it’s OK. If you don’t, watch out! Of course you are not automatically good at this the moment you become a Christian. It takes time and practice. You also need to know the word of God, which we will mention tomorrow. If it does not line up with the word of God, you don’t need to check to see if...

   Good morning. So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved - can you even wrap your head around that thought? God chose US! And He didn’t choose us because we did something to deserve it. Our righteousness was as filthy rags, but here it says He chose us holy and beloved. And since we were chosen thus: put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. That’s an awful lot to expect of us, knowing how we normally act. In fact, it sounds like the fruit of the Spirit. Once we do this, then what? Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Seriously? You don’t know what… has said or done to me! It doesn’t matter. Up to seven times? No, Peter – up to 70×7. I know what some of you are saying – after 490 times I won’t have to forgive. If you know when it reaches 490 times, then you really were not forgiving that person each time. Father help us t...

   Good morning. Last time we ended with Paul saying, “in them you also once walked“. But now you also, put them (the same “them“) all aside. Now what does he say “them” is: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. It doesn’t sound like the same “them“. And then another bad thing coming through your mouth: do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices (all those bad things from yesterday). The evil things we saw before may or may not have come out of one’s mouth, but they all originated in the same place - your heart. For out of the heart the mouth speaks. And not only have we put off the old self, but we have also put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him. All of this is related back to having died to the old; being raised up; and setting our minds on the things above. If you can control your mouth, you can control most anything else. Father he...

   Good morning. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Today there are a lot of people who say they are Christians, but we may or may not believe them when they say that. There are others who are “secret“ Christians. They don’t want people to know that they are, because they do not want the conflict that they know will come from family or others around them. But on the day that Jesus returns, not only will He be revealed to the world, but those of us who are Christians will also be revealed with Him. Then everyone will know the ones that are Christians and the ones that are not. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. If we are “dead“, those things should not be affecting us. As you may guess, it is a lot easier to say we are dead to those things than it is to live as if we are. Jesus talked about things hidden being re...

   Good morning. Paul just said, “if you have died with Christ“, now he says: therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Remember the other day he said, “having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him“. We don’t seek the things here on earth, rather the things in heaven. (where your treasure is, there will your heart be also) How do we keep seeking the things above? Set your mind (be intent) on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Again, where your treasure is... And why should we do this? For you have died (“through baptism”) and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Father thank You that if we keep our minds on things above, You will take care of things on earth. Take care of the things on earth for the reader and his/her family.

   Good morning. Why did these people delight in self-abasement and worship of the angels? They were not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with the growth which is from God. When we move away from Jesus, the head, we open up ourselves to error. These people put their faith in knowledge, not in their relationship with Jesus. Paul’s response to the Colossians: if you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world (and we have), why, as if you were living in the world, do you subject yourself to decrees, such as, “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” This refers back to them trying to live according to the law, not faith. These are matters which have the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. There are people today who do this very thing. They do horrible things to th...

   Good morning. Last time we saw that Paul talked about people acting as the Colossians’ judge in regard to things having to do with the law of Moses. In addition to that: let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshy mind. We were saved to be free in Christ (our prize). These people wanted the Colossians to come under bondage to all of the rules and regulations of the law of Moses. These people portrayed themselves as less than nothing by what they were doing and saying (self-abasement). There are Christians, even today, who do the same thing. Usually it is a false humility - they are proud of their humility. He mentions the worship of angels. I know of situations even today where this has happened. I have heard of people coming back from meetings where they have “seen” angels. While that does happen occasionally, it is not the norm like...

 Good morning. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities (a few verses before, Paul said that Christ was head over all rule and authority), He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. My Bible says that the metaphor recalls a Roman general leading his captives through the streets of his city for all the citizens to see as evidence of his complete victory. Christ did not just slap them around a little bit. He had complete and total victory over them – they were demolished! And because He did, we have nothing to fear from anyone, human or otherwise. Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to... Paul lists a bunch of things that were important under the Law; things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Father thank You that we do not have to follow a bunch of rituals from under the law of Moses, and have nothing to fear, since Jesus conquered all!  

   Good morning. We did not have to become perfect before God would accept us: when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt (My Bible says that that is a business term, meaning a certificate of indebtedness in the  debtor’s handwriting) consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed to the cross. We were far from perfect; in fact flat out dead. Who would want someone who is dead? It says that He forgave us all of our transgressions. Too many times people who become Christians feel guilt about something they did before being born again. This says that we were forgiven. That does not mean that there won’t be consequences from what we did before we became Christians. Also we might have to make restitution and/or ask forgiveness of someone that we wronged. Ev...

   Good morning. And in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ (Circumcision was very important in the Jewish culture. It was a sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham). Our circumcision was – having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God who raised Him from the dead. In New Testament times, water baptism occurred immediately after receiving Jesus as Lord of your life. Today it generally occurs months or even years afterwards. When we go under the water, it is like Jesus being buried in the grave. When we come up out of the water, it is like Jesus being raised from the dead. We signify by water baptism that we believe that if we die before Jesus returns, we shall be raised from the dead. In any case, our body will be transformed when He returns. Father thank You that we can be united with Christ in ...

   Good morning. And now another one of those really important verses in the Bible: For in Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. There are different heresies in the world, and this refutes one of them. One of them, Gnosticism, says that Jesus was not fully God and fully man His entire life. He was only “God“ after the Holy Spirit came upon Him at water baptism, and then the Holy Spirit left Him when He was on the cross. This says that Jesus was totally God while here on earth. And in Him you have been made complete (a form of the word just translated fullness), and He is the head over all rule and authority (no one or thing, except the Father, can tell Him what to do or what to not do). Just like Christ was not lacking anything, we are not lacking anything. Father thank You that we have been made complete in Christ. We are not lacking anything to live the Christian life. Help this to be a great day for the reader and his/her family.

   Good morning. As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. We received Christ by faith, and we walk by faith in Him. Paul’s phrase “having been firmly rooted“ reminds us of Jesus’ parable about the sower of the seed where some fell on shallow ground and had no firm root in themselves. They would not have been able to be built up in Christ and established in their faith. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. My Bible says that Paul was contradicting the Colossian heresy, which in part, taught that for salvation one needed to combine faith in Christ with secret knowledge and with man-made regulations. Father thank You that we are firmly rooted in Christ an...

   Good morning. What was this mystery that had been hidden but now manifested? God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Jews saw the Messiah as an individual standing before them. It never occurred to them that He would actually indwell them. That especially applied to Gentiles, whom they did not believe could be saved. In that day, the word “mystery“ was a buzzword among various religious groups. It had to do with secret revelations known only to a select few. God’s “mystery” is to be made known to all those willing to accept Him as their Savior. The religious groups proclaimed things to know and to do. Paul said, we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. Father thank You that You revealed Your mystery to all who believe – that Christ is in us, the hope of glory.

   Good morning. I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. That does not mean that there was something lacking in what Jesus did in going to the cross. What He did was to obtain the creation of the church. The affliction Paul received was from the Jews as he tried to spread the church throughout his journeys. Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints. We will see next time what this mystery is that he’s talking about. It was hidden in plain sight in the Scriptures, but was “veiled” to scholars. It is quite likely also true today about the end times. There are probably things there in the Scriptures that we won’t “see“ until the very end. Father continue to he...

   Good morning. The caveat about being presented before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach – if indeed you continue in the faith family established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. That does not necessarily mean that you won’t go to heaven if you don’t continue… It means that you won’t be presented before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. That is a very high standard which is impossible for us to achieve without God’s help. We are so concerned about getting men and women saved, and we should be, but not nearly as concerned about keeping them walking in the Word of Truth. The large evangelistic rallies which bring many people to Christ are great; but we can’t just leave them floundering without providing people to disciple them. Father thank You that we can be presented before You holy and blameless beyond reproach; a...

   Good morning. Not only was it the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him: also through Him to reconcile all things to Himself having made peace through the blood of His cross, through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. The only way for man to be reconciled to God was by God Himself giving up His life for man. Dying on a “tree“ made one cursed; and so Jesus became a curse for us. And although you were formally alienated and hostile in mind (being Gentiles), engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. The Jews at least were trying to be right before God; the Gentiles had no desire to do so. While the Jews might have thought that they had a right to be saved, the Gentiles were not even thinking about being saved. There is a caveat to the last verse which we will look at next time. Father thank You that Jesus reconcile...

   Good morning. Continuing with: by Him all things were created – whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things (He existed before anything was created), and in Him all things hold together (He is the superglue of all creation). He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. In the book of Revelation when Jesus is talking to John, He calls Himself the beginning and talks about Himself being raised from the dead. He was the beginning of those who were to be raised from the dead. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness (He wasn’t just part God or have part of God‘s power and abilities) to dwell in Him. (as a side note, “fullness“ was one of the buzzwords of Gnosticism that John also fought against). Father thank You that all of You was in Jesus and He is head of ...

   Good morning. Paul then tells us some facts about the Son. He is the image of the invisible God. The word translated image is also translated icon. Desktop shortcuts were at one time called icons. And of course we have religious icons. Both of these are visual representations of something else. We can’t see the actual computer program, but when we see the image on the desktop, we know what it represents. In chapter 3 Paul says that our new self is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him. When you see us, you should see Jesus; and when you see Jesus, you should see the Father. Paul then says that He is the firstborn (from the dead) of all creation (not that He was created). For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible. We will continue this next time. Father thank You that when we see Jesus, we see You; and when people see us, they see Jesus.

   Good morning. We are strengthened with all power, steadfast, and patient; so that we can - joyously give thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. How did He do it – He rescued 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. Before we were born again, we were living in darkness, but did not realize it. We thought we were living the way we should. We were “drowning“ in the darkness. God rescued us just like someone rescuing a person drowning in the ocean. It’s great that He rescued us, but if He did not do more than that, we would just go back into the ocean and start drowning again. He transferred us to the kingdom of His Son, Jesus. The previous verse talked about us sharing in the inheritance of the saints in Light, and Jesus said that He was the Light of the world. Finally, it says that He redeemed us – and that that redemption w...

  Good morning. And so why did Paul pray that they be filled with the knowledge of God‘s will? So that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Too many Christians do not walk in a manner worthy of the Lord; in fact their manner of walk is shameful, not differing significantly from those who are of the world. The object is for us to bear fruit. In fact Jesus told the disciples in the upper room that the Father would prune them that they may bear more fruit. It’s not just knowing more about God; it’s knowing God more. We can know a lot about someone; but until we spend time with them and know them personally, we really can’t say that we “know” them. Continuing: strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, (why?) for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience. We need to be strengthened with His power to attain steadfastness and patience in this wicked wo...

  Good morning. Since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Just because we hear of someone doing well in the Lord does not mean that we just forget about them. They need our prayers also, so that they may continue doing well. Paul prayed that they would be filled with the knowledge of His will. First of all, they did not have a giant Bible (Old testament) sitting on the coffee table in the living room, along with three others scattered throughout the house in closets. The Scriptures had to be copied by hand, and so were not readily available to the masses. Even if they had a copy available, the Word gives you the general will of the Lord. The Spirit takes the Word and applies it to your particular situation. And why did Paul pray this for them? We will see next time 😇 . Father thank You that we don’t have to guess what Your will is; we can be filled wit...

  Good morning. Today we start the book of Colossians. Paul starts off, as he usually does in his letters, stating that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. We (includes Timothy) give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints. That’s kind of impressive that their faith and love would be so great that people would hear of it. Because of the hope (of our resurrection) laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth. The gospel is the truth about the Truth. Remember that the Word of God is living and active… It isn’t just a story made up by man. The word also bears fruit: “some 30, some 60, some 100 fold“. Father thank...

  Good morning. You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone. I just read about Paul in Philippi in the book of Acts. He had a vision to come to Macedonia. While he was there in Philippi, he was beaten and thrown into prison. The Church he established there are the people to whom he is writing now. You sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. Because of this, we have the following verse, which also is quoted out of context frequently whenever someone needs something. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Because they gave to supply Paul’s needs, God will supply what they need. Just like with verse 13, it does not mean that it is not true in general; it just means that in context it’s because they gave that ...

  Good morning. Happy and Blessed New Year! The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Aren’t you being a bit narcissistic Paul? Who made you the standard? Actually in another letter, Paul said to “follow me as I follow Christ”. We should live our lives so that what people see in us is what we see and do in Jesus. We have “the peace of God“ and “the God of peace“. Paul then says he’s happy that they have revived their concern for him. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. That is something that a lot of people cannot say. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. And then a verse that is quoted out of context frequently. I can do all things through Christ who strength...