faithfulness
Who is a saint? YOU are! (Ephesians 1:1)
I am returning to verse-by-verse studies through books of the Bible. We begin in this podcast episode with Ephesians 1:1. The episode also contains a brief discussion of the humanitarian crisis at our southern border, and also a question from a reader about how to understand the violence of God in various biblical passages. Listen to the podcast for these two sections. Here are some brief notes on what I explain from Ephesians 1:1 The text says this: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1:1) The author of the letter, of course, is Paul. First, he is an apostle of Christ Jesus. An apostle is one who is sent by God with a message to those who have not yet heard the good news. It should be noted that there are ...
Steps of Faith
“Follow Me one step at a time. That is all that I require of you. Keep your mind on the present journey, enjoying My Presence. Walk by faith, not by sight, trusting Me to open up the way before you.” —from Jesus Calling, February 1 Jesus left us with a lot of promises: words of hope, encouragement, plenty of instruction. Yet one thing Jesus said we probably wish He hadn’t was that trials are sure to come. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As you know, trials come in all shapes and sizes—financial insecurity, sickness, infertility, the loss of a loved one. While we might be overwhelmed by them, trials can also be great opportunities to put our faith to the test. Trials refine and reveal our faith. Several years ago, we e...
Steps of Faith
“Follow Me one step at a time. That is all that I require of you. Keep your mind on the present journey, enjoying My Presence. Walk by faith, not by sight, trusting Me to open up the way before you.” —from Jesus Calling, February 1 Jesus left us with a lot of promises: words of hope, encouragement, plenty of instruction. Yet one thing Jesus said we probably wish He hadn’t was that trials are sure to come. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As you know, trials come in all shapes and sizes—financial insecurity, sickness, infertility, the loss of a loved one. While we might be overwhelmed by them, trials can also be great opportunities to put our faith to the test. Trials refine and reveal our faith. Several years ago, we e...
