Do you feel like you are on an inevitable path to destruction ? In this study we learn through the example of Biblical narratives that we do have a choice and that we can get “unstuck” from habitually destructive practices. Chuck teaches the importance of practicing silent prayer and thus learning to respond vs. react in critical life moments and decisions.
Ezekiel 33:10-11
Now as for you Son of man, say to the house of Israel, “Thus you have spoken, saying, ‘Surely our transgresions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?’ Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn form his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?'”
INTRO: I always get frustrated when reading the few chapters of 1 Kings read more…
Colossians 4:7-18
INTRO: We come to end of letter where we run into all these names
These short lists resemble the lists we’ve been putting together here at Reflexion
the purpose is to connect with each other
This is the human face of the church read more…
Colossians 4:2-6
INTRO: I received one of the best emails ever
A guy involved in ministry – got divorced and then went off the deep end
One morning, miserable, he remembered a sermon of mine that had meant something to him
So he looked for me on Google
The first hit, he said, was a negative one that included a printed transcript of a talk I had given read more…
Colossians 3:18-41
INTRO: When Jesus began his public ministry, he quickly became popular
People crowded streets, came to the seashore, or climbed mountains to be near him
Then he returned to Nazareth, where he faced toughest crowd
Mt. 13:57, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household” read more…
Sometimes I come to a passage of scripture that I know well and wonder, could there possibly be anything here that I have not seen before? Of course, there always is something new. That’s the wonder of it.
Yesterday I began reading through 1 Samuel, and it hit me that right from the outset worship is the central theme of the opening chapters. After we are briefly introduced to the characters and given a couple of details (1:1-2), the plot begins with Elkanah taking his family every year “to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh.” In the same paragraph we learn that the two sons of Eli the priest were there (1:3). This is significant, because these young read more…
Colossians 3:5-17
INTRO: We betray our willingness to give up control, be victims
“It’s my one vice” – “I’m a chronic worrier”
Paul will show us a way to get off the hamster wheel read more…
Colossians 2:18-23
Have you ever seen a ball game where the umpire or referee that snatched victory from your team? I’ve seen such bad calls, I thought the ref was playing for other side.
A bad call or unfair ruling that results in having a win taken from you is what Paul had in mind when he said, “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize” in verse 18, only the stakes in this game are much higher. The word translated “defrauding” is derived from a root for the judge at athletic contests and for the prize that went to the winner. In the form that Paul uses, it means to “decide or judge against.” read more…
Colossians 3:1-4
INTRO: When we began Colossians, we first looked at Paul’s life in Jesus
It began when he encountered the Lord on his way to Damascus, but that was by no means his last encounter with Christ
Paul prayed “with the mind” (1 Co. 14:15)–i.e., he could form prayers that were rational and organized
But he also prayed “with the spirit” and “in the Spirit” (1 Co. 14:15; Ep. 6:18)
His praying in the Spirit may help explain how it was that Paul encountered Jesus in prayer (Acts 22:17-18) read more…
Daily Meditations From the Scriptures