“But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV). Paul reminded the Thessalonian believers that his ministry among them was marked by sincerity and divine approval, not human ambition. Having
“And say to Archippus, ‘See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord’” (Colossians 4:17 ESV). Paul concluded his letter to the Colossians with a personal exhortation to a man named Archippus. Although his name means “master of horses,” suggesting strength and leadership, Archippus still needed encouragement to remain faithful. He
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16 ESV). Paul wrote this letter to the believers in Colossae to affirm the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ and to protect them
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it.”’” (Jeremiah 6:16 ESV). Jeremiah spoke these words to Judah in the late seventh century B.C.,
“For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace’” (Jeremiah 6:13–14 ESV). Jeremiah spoke during the final decades before Jerusalem’s fall to Babylon. The
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15 ESV). In the opening chapter of Colossians, Paul breaks into a majestic hymn exalting Christ (Col. 1:15–20). Writing from prison, he wanted the believers at Colossae—who were being tempted by false teachings that diminished Christ—to fix their eyes on His
“All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household” (Philippians 4:22 ESV). Paul closes his letter to the Philippians with a warm benediction, passing along greetings from the believers in Rome. Remarkably, he singles out “those of Caesar’s household.” Paul is writing these words while under house arrest in Rome, chained to imperial guards,
“But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2b ESV). In Isaiah’s day, the people of Judah took great pride in the temple and its sacrifices. They assumed that because they had the house of God in Jerusalem, His
“For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:21 ESV). Paul wrote to the Philippians about his desire to send Timothy to them. Unlike others who were concerned with their own affairs, Timothy stood out as a rare example of one who genuinely sought the things of Christ. In a
“Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even