24 April 2022
Two-Minute Features | 01 May 2022 | 17 April 2022

Taking the Christian Life Seriously, Part 2 (TMF:1840)

Friday, April 29, 2022
Peace to Live By: Taking the Christian Life Seriously, Part 2 (TMF:1840) - Daniel Litton
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       The call to action here is simple, and it is for us to take the Christian life seriously. Paul thought the end was coming in his time. How much more are we closer to it nowadays! Jesus could return at any moment and call us up to be with him forever in the Rapture. Besides, we don’t know when we are going to die, when God is going to require our souls from us. So, either way, we should be taking the Christian life seriously and should be ready, as best we can be, if there were in fact to happen. Paul is correct: “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” Here we get a flashback, so to speak, of the second half of Romans chapter 6. That was where the Apostle Paul told us to “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions” (v. 12). And we said we don’t do that by trying harder, but rather by depending on God’s grace, his enabling power toward us who believe. Indeed, we have to believe that we can overcome sin to actually overcome it, remember?

Taking the Christian Life Seriously, Part 1 (TMF:1839)

Thursday, April 28, 2022
Peace to Live By: Taking the Christian Life Seriously, Part 1 (TMF:1839) - Daniel Litton
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       Bear in mind that when we give grace to others, in giving them mercy, it is a free gift—it’s something they don’t deserve. In the same way, though, we don’t deserve the grace and mercy we receive from God. So, whatever the case, whatever the situation, we are to love others. Back in Romans 13. Verse 11: “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” The call to action here is simple, and it is for us to take the Christian life seriously. Paul thought the end was coming in his time. How much more are we closer to it nowadays! Jesus could return at any moment and call us up to be with him forever in the Rapture.

Loving Ourselves is Foundational (TMF:1838)

Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Peace to Live By: Loving Ourselves is Foundational (TMF:1838) - Daniel Litton
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       Remember, in order to truly love others, to esteem them as we esteem ourselves, it is definitely true that we have to love ourselves first. If we don’t love ourselves, I mean, come on there is no way we can love and admire others, right? We have to have that foundation of love for ourselves. That’s basic psychology. This being said, the opinion and view we have of ourselves inside our minds then is the opinion and view we will have of others. If we are hurtful toward ourselves, we will be hurtful toward others. We have to realize that what we are thinking about, that love or lack of love we have in regard to ourselves, that that will manifest itself in how we treat others. If we don’t love ourselves first, how can we love our neighbors? We can’t give to others what we don’t have for ourselves.  Now, it can be the case that if we have an incorrect view of God, we may have problems understanding love, and this is a whole ‘nother issue altogether. For instance, God desires us to be merciful toward others, as he is merciful toward us.

The Relational Damage of Sexual Sin (TMF:1837)

Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Peace to Live By: The Relational Damage of Sexual Sin (TMF:1837) - Daniel Litton
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       Let’s consider a cross-reference Scripture from 1 Thessalonians 4. Paul is talking about sexual immorality in this passage, but actually, we can plug in any of these sins we discussed in this text. Starting in verse 3, Paul says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you” (vv. 3-8, ESV). So, again, we see that we don’t commit adultery, or do any kind of sexual sin, as that’s not loving others. That’s hurting our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sexual sin doesn’t only hurt us; it hurts the other person involved, and it hurts those close to both parties involved.

Obeying God's Relational Commands (TMF:1836)

Monday, April 25, 2022
Peace to Live By: Obeying God's Relational Commands (TMF:1836) - Daniel Litton
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       “For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:9, 10, ESV). Paul moves back here to the original focus of why he is saying what he is saying. He’s telling us, as believers, how we are to live. This is kind of a cross-reference, a summary, of 1 Corinthians chapter 13, the love chapter, only Paul is more quick and brief here. Regardless, we obey God’s commands, for Paul lists the ones here that relate to dealing with others, we obey God’s commandments, for one reason, to love each other as people. We don’t sleep with another’s wife. We obviously don’t murder anyone. We don’t steal from each other. We don’t covet things that others have, whatever that may be. Love is our primary objective; it is how we make God pleased in our relations with others, and really, how we make ourselves happy.