Category: Reflections Articles

You have heard of it, have you ever wondered what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” really was?  The reference is to the first 10 verses of 2 Corinthians 12. Let’s consider a bit of context:

First, Paul referred to himself in the third person, by writing, “I know a man in Christ…” He referred to an occasion fourteen years previous where he had received a vision from the Lord. Interestingly, an examination of Paul’s timeline indicates that this vision is only related here. In other words, there is no indication he had mentioned it before. The nature of the vision is not known by Paul (3), but it is not the only vision he had received or would again receive (1).

His reference to this vision is to establish to the Corinthians his standing as an apostle. Though, as a humble man, such self-referencing was not a comfortable thing.  In fact this is what his opponents did, which may have had an effect upon some Christians, necessitating Paul’s boasting of his vision on this occasion. Normally he was reticent, “But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees  me to be or hears from me” (6). Continue reading “Thorn in the Flesh” →

Among the instructions Paul gave to the church in Colossae was the need for prayer. He wrote, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak” (Colossians 4:2-4).

Persistence in prayer is a teaching consistently emphasized in scripture. One example of this is a parable Jesus taught, recorded by Luke in his gospel. It is commonly called the Parable of the Persistent Widow. A woman makes an appeal to an unjust judge who initially had no desire to help her, but because of her persistent petitions, was eventually moved to do as she asked. “…He said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’  Then the Lord said, ’Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily’” (Luke 18:4-8). Continue reading “Continue Earnestly in Prayer” →

In his second epistle, the apostle Peter had much to say about the prophets of old. He used them to explain the difference between God’s message and the counterfeit teaching of men, both in old times and now.

In the latter part of the first chapter, he wrote of the blessed nature of prophecy. He noted that Jesus was identified as the Christ, the Son of God, by the fulfillment of the prophecies of old. His conclusion: “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,  for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). Continue reading “False Prophets Among the People” →

In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul refers to an important and often misunderstood part of our experience as Christians, our being God’s “chosen” or “elect.” Paul wrote in the 13th and 14th verses, “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Continue reading “Understanding Our Choosing” →

The Old Testament taught a harsh form of justice, especially under certain circumstances. For example, if two men fight, with the pregnant wife of one man losing her child,  Exodus 21:23-25 states, “then you shall give life for live, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”

Things are different under the New Covenant.  That doesn’t mean that the civil government does not have a responsibility to impose punishment (sometimes harsh) upon the evildoer.  “Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake” (Romans 13:2-5). Continue reading “Old Fashioned Punishment” →

Consider these words from Paul’s pen, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17).

The first consideration in this passage it to determine what is wisdom! Remember the following words, “…the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25). This is not to say that you can’t gain wisdom from men, you can. However, it is easy to be duped into thinking that someone or something is wise when that’s not the case! Any time anyone tells you that wisdom dictates what is a violation of God’s will, they are wrong. They are as the false teachers of Peter’s day, “But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption” (2 Peter 2:12). Continue reading “Walking in Wisdom” →

A wonderful lesson is taught in Hebrews 7, concerning our priesthood under the New Covenant. It surpasses in greatness the priesthood of the Jews, which existed as a type of what would come in the last days. The Hebrew writer argues this truth in a very interesting way. By using Melchizedek, the king of Salem.

Who was Melchizedek? We know his title and significance, but nothing of his life. In fact, he is described in the text as being “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life…” (7:3). This does not mean that Melchizedek was more than a man, it is simply noting that Melchizedek exists in the narrative of the Old and New Testaments to teach something about Christ. We don’t know or need to know anything about where he came from. We don’t know when he was born, or when he died. We just know him to be both the king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God. Because of this lack of information regarding Melchizedek in the pages of the Bible, it is as if he, “remains a priest continually”, thus foreshadowing the eternal nature of Christ’s priesthood. Continue reading “The Priest of God Most High” →

“Woe to those who devise iniquity, and work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. They covet fields and take them by violence, also houses, and seize them. So they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.”

Micah 2:1-2

It has been said that Micah’s prophecy served as a statement of God’s “lawsuit” against his rebellious people. Micah witnessed the destruction of the Northern Kingdom at the hands of the Assyrians, and the chastisement of the southern kingdom of Judah by the same nation. Continue reading “Mistreating Others” →

“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossians 4:5-6).

Paul’s instructions to the Colossians should be heeded by all of Christ’s disciples. Whether it be those outside the body of Christ as indicated here, or our own brethren, unmindful speech is a common cause of strife and rancor. Continue reading “Graceful Speech, Seasoned by Salt” →

A few days ago we had a power failure for a number of hours in our neighborhood. This is uncommon, as our area has always been consistently powered despite storms, etc. It might have been a problem if it had lasted longer, but we were without light and heat only for a few hours. We opened up the blinds, covered up in blankets, and got along well enough.

It was also a blessing, in a way. I remember waking up that morning to no fan, no beeps, no humming, nothing but silence. It actually was disconcerting at first, but Debbie and I thoroughly enjoyed the quiet. It was also interesting when the power came back on.  We didn’t have the lights on, but the beeps, humming and fans revealed our return to modern civilization. Continue reading “Silence & Noise” →

Recently a Christian who had been disfellowshipped took issue with the discipline, wanting some type of social interaction, saying, “It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.” Unfortunately many hold this view almost exclusively regarding religious matters.

Socrates, the well known Greek philosopher, is quoted as saying, “Moderation in all things.” In fact, the Bible teaches moderation as well, just not in all things. The concept of temperance contains moderation. Things like gluttony and covetousness and drunkenness occur because people take things too far! Continue reading “All or Nothing?” →

Paul wrote to Titus, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us…” (Titus 3:11-12a). It is a simple principle. God has granted His great mercy to us, and we are so blessed by this extended grace. We learn from this largesse that He loves us, He is good, He is omnipotent, He is eternal.  Knowing Him by His grace, we are aware of our own obligations to be who He desires for us to be. Consider the following: Continue reading “Grace Teaches Us” →

There are numerous examples in scripture of men asking God why He does what He does. They know His proclamation of righteousness. They know His power and professions of love and protection. But events happen in their lives they just don’t understand.

A couple of biblical examples will suffice to illustrate. Job was a just man who despite his righteous life lost his family, his riches and his health. After exhibiting patience and faithfulness for a long while, he eventually asked God why these things were happening to him. Continue reading “God, Why Me?” →

The apostle John wrote, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). So, according to John it is important to vet every spirit to see whether they are of God.  How is this to be done?

The answer is simple and follows of necessity. The only way to test the spirits is through an examination of their teaching, comparing it to God’s revelation! Any other method is by its nature limited and subject to error or deceit. As Paul wrote concerning the devil and those who do his bidding,  “…Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). Continue reading “False Prophets” →

“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7).

You have heard of the silly stories about men who asked to be buried with their cash so that they “could take it with them.” Or the practice of kings and nobles, being buried with riches, treasure and servants to serve in the afterlife. It is absurd to think any of this has any validity with what we know of death and eternity.

However, this does not change the fact that people make it their life’s purpose to gain material riches. This often leads to strife, sorrow and foolishness. Consider what Jesus said about the rich man who trusted in his possessions, “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20-21). Continue reading “Greed and Contentment” →