From Ephesians 1: Predestined

“For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.” (v. 4)

Predestined.

Let’s be real:

That’s a loaded word—in the church, in debate, and in our hearts. We are simultaneously comforted by the pure grace-gift of the sovereign God, afforded in Christ, and also conflicted. The language—biblical language!—that speaks of salvation as God’s choice and not ours has challenged interpreters for forever.

Why should we, then, turn our hearts around to both comfort and confidence in the sovereignty of God over salvation?

Consider:

It is an ultimate expression of love, for it predates existence itself.

It is an ultimate expression of grace, prepared for you before your life of sin even began.

It is an ultimate expression of authority, entrusting salvation to the only One who could actually accomplish it, through His atoning sacrifice.

And it is an ultimate expression of security—because, just as you cannot afford it for yourself, neither can you lose it, as one who is sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Read all of Ephesians, and revel in the pure grace of predestination, for it should inspire our praise for His glory.

— Tyler

From Colossians 4: Seasoned Speech

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.” (v. 6)

Your speech should be gracious, but not just gracious.

Your speech should be “seasoned with salt,” but not just salty.

Your speech—if it be faithful speech—has to be both.

If everything you say is only ever gracious, then it might be sweet—but it will also be overly permissive. It will lack clarity in a morally hazy world. And, worst of all, it might relativize the message of Christ by making it sound like anything goes.

Conversely, if everything you say is only ever salty, where is the compassion in that? Where is the welcome? When the wounded come to you, do you skip the salve of kindness—and rush to rub the salt in?

Faithful speech has to be both. It ought to welcome, to encourage, to strengthen and to cheer. You should be known as someone who encourages and who loves—someone to be turned to when times are tough. And, seasoned through that, the clarifying, purifying, and beautifying truth should shine. It is the salt that flavors your graciousness, so that your neighbors might know the One whose love inspires your own.

So let it be gracious. And let it show off what a little salt can do.

That’s faithful speech.

— Tyler

From Colossians 3: Things Above

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (v. 2)

Colossians 3 is such a rich chapter. And, let’s be honest, its calling as is steep as it is beautiful.

How deep our desire to put off the old and put on Christ! How earnest our hope for the peace that is rooted in His death for us! How good the news that our lives are hidden with Him!

So, yes, I want to pursue moral uprightness, family order, and love.

But those are steep callings for a guy who keeps stumbling into everything I thought I had put off (or put to death)!

That’s why we can’t skip v. 2:

The only hope we have for getting life right here is keeping our eyes on Him, which means keeping them heavenward. We have to set our minds on the things above. We have to wrestle our attention away from all the temptations, urgencies, and lessers below. We have to consider, confess, and come home to Christ interiorly, so that we won’t chase the wrong things exteriorly.

Set your mind on Him and His things today.

— Tyler

From Colossians 2: The Problem with Religious Rules

“Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.” (v. 23)

Funny thing about religious rules:

They don’t actually help.

Let me clarify: There can be little question that Jesus’ church and her people need quality boundaries. We need to turn from sin, and we need to choose the good. And, further, we do have to boundary the church with doctrine and polity, so that it can be ordered for decency.

But if we think that religious rules will be enough to overcome the desires of our flesh, we’re kidding ourselves.

Paul, by the Spirit, commends the Colossian church for its faithful hope in Christ. But he also cautions them: some among them are preaching a not-gospel, insisting that religious strictures are their only hope against their sinful desires. They’re even making those rules the standard by which they would judge their fellow church members.

What’s the answer from Paul?

(We should pay attention, because it matters in our lives, too.)

The strictures can’t do that, can’t be that, for the believer or for the church! The only hope we have against the desires of our flesh is a faith that is rooted in Christ, growing in Christ, and satisfied in Christ—whose sufficient work has saved us.

Boundaries are good. But, to conquer the flesh, you need faith in the Conqueror.

— Tyler

From Colossians 1: Praying for Your Friends

“For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (v. 9-14)

Paul, in the Spirit, gives us all a great example here.

So here’s what let’s do:

Let’s each think of someone in the church—a fellow member, a servant, a leader, whatever—and let’s pray for them like Paul prayed for the Colossians. Start in Col. 1:9, and pray through the end of the paragraph. Pray, knowing that the Lord honors these prayers, because they are His Word.

Pray—and watch as encouragement, strength, and inspiration flow into them.

That’s what friends are for.

— Tyler

From Acts 28: Good Friends

“Now the brothers and sisters from there had heard the news about us and had come to meet us as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.” (v. 15)

Keeps your eyes on them, brothers and sisters. There are many who serve, who strive, and who even suffer so that Jesus’ name might be proclaimed among the nations. Your life is likely to intersect theirs—and, even more likely, to do so when they are exhausted, spent, and needy.

Follow the example of the Roman believers who first encountered Paul, and learn the lesson:

A good friend, at the right time, makes all the difference.

Welcome those who serve the Lord. Bless them. When you get a moment with our missionaries, encourage them and feed them and give. Come alongside a brother or sister after a particularly demanding ministry, and thank them. Open your home, and welcome them to rest at your table.

Look out for those who have been serving the Lord, and serve them, with gratitude for all He is doing through their lives.

A good friend, at the right time, makes all the difference.

— Tyler

From Acts 27: Reassurance

“So take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me.” (v. 25)

Some days you feel up for it.

Other days you very much don’t.

It’s on those days—the tired days, the courageless days, the weaker days—that it’s easy to forget the God who loves you. Who cares for you. Who has a will that is for your everlasting good, and who has promised never to leave you nor forsake you.

Maybe you need someone like Paul to remind you of that. Or maybe you, like Paul, need to remind someone else. But whatever the day holds, and no matter what kinds of turns your life takes, remember: Everything will be precisely as your God has assured you.

— Tyler

From Acts 26: Testimony Ongoing

“But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.” (v. 16)

I love this subtle little nuance that Paul remembers Jesus saying.

As he recounts (again) his radical encounter with Christ, Paul details Christ’s commission for him. He remembers Jesus saying that he would testify openly to the truth of the Gospel.

And—here is the nuance—Paul was to do that personally, testifying to the truth he himself had personally experienced. Not only that, but Paul was told to testify to all he had seen…and all he would yet see.

We ought to let this shape our own testimonial lives. We ought to be proclaiming the revealed truth of the Gospel, as it is given in God’s Word, and we ought to be doing it personally. We ought to be telling His story, and we ought to be telling how our stories intersect it. And we ought to be keeping it fresh, for His mercies are new every day, and His ministry in your life has resulted in an ongoing account of help and healing and hope.

Your testimony, like Paul’s, should speak of all Christ has done and is still doing. It’s our commission, too.

— Tyler

From Acts 25: What They’re Saying

“When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many serious charges that they were not able to prove.” (v. 7)

Have you heard the kinds of things they’re saying about you?

That you’re bigoted? That you’re hateful? That you and your religion are just after power, influence, and money? That you think men should dominate, and women belong in denim skirts?

Have you heard the kinds of things they’re saying about you, your family, and your faith?

Guess what:

It comes to nothing. They can’t prove any of these charges, because they aren’t true. (Unless they are, in which case your bigger concern is repentance, not reputation.) They hurl all kinds of tweets and media hits and criticisms at you. But anyone who is paying even a little attention sees them all easily disproved.

You and I will live in the middle of that confusion, accusation, and frustration until Jesus comes (or until we go to Him).

Don’t fear them. Just keep the faith, with humility and honesty.

— Tyler

From Acts 24: Faithful Integrity

“I always strive to have a clear conscience toward God and men.” (v. 16)

There’s certainly more to it, but faithful integrity is at least this:

Strive to have a clear conscience before God and man.

Do what you say you will do. Cling to clarity in communication. Speak honestly, however tempting the lie might be. Live up to and live out your repentant prayers. Aim for purity, admit your faults, and apologize.

Relate to God that way, and relate to your neighbors that way, too.

Faithful integrity is both a vertical and a horizontal calling. And it is YOUR calling.

— Tyler

From Acts 23: It Might Get Worse

“The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.’” (v. 11)

This might not be the most comforting thing you’ve ever heard. But, when we look to Paul’s biography, it’s worth hearing more clearly.

However hard it has been, it might get worse.

However hard it has been—to be faithful, to testify to Christ openly and honestly, to suffer the criticism and accusation and abuse of the wider world—it may get worse.

Paul finishes testifying in Jerusalem—and he is put on trial, beaten, and imprisoned. And there, in the jailer’s chains, he is told: What you have done here, you will do in Rome, too. In Rome, Paul won’t even share the religious background of those he will witness to. He’s going to go to a pagan place and proclaim the dominion of Christ right under Caesar’s nose. And it will get worse!

So how in the world do we find comfort in this, if this is also our life’s trajectory?

We find it in the fact that the Lord was with Paul all the way. He stood by the man in Jerusalem. He will be with the man in Rome. And, by grace, He promises to be with us.

It may get worse. But He goes with you.

— Tyler

From Acts 22: Good Friends

“‘And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’” (v. 16)

Are you a good friend?

Here’s how you can know:

A good friend guides.

Paul, upon his radical encounter with Jesus, is entrusted to a man of faith in Damascus: Ananias. Now, Ananias had plenty of reasons to be uneasy about Paul’s presence, given the would-be apostle’s history. But Ananias also trusted the God who calls, redeems, and purposes.

So Ananias guided Paul. He clarified Paul’s calling. He cared for Paul’s condition. And—don’t miss this—he urged Paul’s obedience, submission, and testimony unto Christ, specifically in baptism.

That’s a good friend, a guide.

Who had been entrusted to you? Who ought you guide—out of blindness, into truth, and through faithful obedience?

Take them by the hand. Pray for them. And lead them, by the grace you have been given.

— Tyler

From Acts 21: The Will of the Lord

“Since he would not be persuaded, we said no more except, ‘The Lord’s will be done.’” (v. 14)

When your friends are called…

When your church decides to be bold…

When your pastor leads…

When your spouse’s heart is pulled…

When the Holy Spirit speaks and asks you to move…

…will you dig in? Pull against? Hold back? Try to stop it?

Or will you submit to the Lord’s will?

Paul’s friends didn’t want him to follow his calling. They tried to talk him out of it. In fact, they begged him. Yet Paul knew that the calling superseded any human wisdom—and any emotional resistance. So his friends relented, and they trusted the will of the Lord.

Will we do the same? Or will we continually be a drag to the called? Our emotions aren’t misplaced, but they aren’t sovereign, either. If the Lord is in it, we ought to be, too.

So if you are near to the ones the Spirit is leading deeper, further, and costlier, trust God’s leadership, just as they have.

— Tyler

From Romans 16: True Friends

“Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches.” (vv. 3-4)

How do you know who your friends are?

Maybe you connected with them in community. Maybe something fun brought you together. Maybe you got to know them at church or as neighbors or even at your job.

There are a lot of ways to make friends.

But when do you discover they are really yours, really with you?

It’s when you labor together. It’s when you give together for something greater. It’s when, as you are called into greater sacrifices and greater service for the sake of the Gospel, they stick with you.

Paul, at the end of Romans, extends his greetings to so many friends. But these aren’t mere acquaintances who connected over potlucks: these are men and women who served with him, who strived with him, who sought to see the Good News of Christ advance—even at great risk—with him. His friends are marked by words such as “servant” and “coworker.”

Pay attention to your relationships, too. And be grateful: The ones who serve with you, for the sake of the Gospel, are the ones who will stick with you.

— Tyler

From Acts 20: Make the Most of It

“On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he kept on talking until midnight.” (v. 7)

There is a theme that comes out of Acts 20.

You can see it readily in the latter half of the chapter, as Paul gives a farewell address to his friends from Ephesus. The apostle encourages, challenges, and strengthens his co-laborers in the Gospel—because he is convinced he will not see them again (on this side of glory).

But you also see it as he preaches in Troas.

There, knowing that he will only get one Lord’s Day to teach and preach, Paul speaks late into the night. He maximizes the opportunity. Because the time he’s given is limited—because life keeps moving and because the pace of his calling carries him onward—Paul pours into them.

What’s the theme, then?

Make the most of the time you’ve got. Give them what you can while you can, in the Spirit. Your time with your kids, with those neighbors, in that job, or among that community is limited—whether you think it is or not. Every assignment we’ve been given is short-term.

So tell them. Teach them. Don’t keep back what is meant to be proclaimed with urgency. Make the most of the time you are with them—and make the Gospel your utmost concern.

— Tyler

From Romans 15: Overflowing

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (v. 13)

If this ends up sounding like projection—from me, onto you—I apologize. I just wonder of your Christian life is starting to look like mine.

You see, we comprehend what the believing life ought to be like. We talk about joy and peace and hope, all of which are rooted in Christ alone, and we live as if we love to serve. The challenge is that church life asks a lot. And, because we know we ought to serve and give and go, we do.

That often tires us out. The Christian experience ends up predominated by service—and our joy and peace and hope get swallowed up.

When is the last time you prayed this prayer? The prayer for God the Holy Spirit to fill you with His joy and His peace? The prayer for and overflow of hope through you? The prayer for a life that is marked not just by willing service, but also by abundant grace?

I’m tired of merely being tired for the Lord. I’m praying this prayer now. And I’m hoping you’ll pray it, too—because anything He calls us to together will resonate with goodness, so long as we are overflowing with His hope.

— Tyler

From Romans 14: Free, Yet Bound

“For if your brother or sister is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy, by what you eat, someone for whom Christ died.” (v. 15)

Here, in Romans 14, you likely find some confidence…and a steep calling.

When it comes to “disputed matters”—what you eat and what you drink and how you observe the rhythms of Kingdom life—you are free. You have the Holy Spirit, you have the Word of God, and you have the high privilege of discerning God’s convictions for your life. Eating and drinking can’t condemn you. The things themselves are not “unclean,” and you are free to hold them, albeit within the boundaries the Bible specifically gives you (for instance, against drunkenness).

You are free.

Yet you are also bound.

The command to love your brothers and sisters in Christ compels you to consider them as you consider partaking. How are you loving the brother who struggles with addiction, with a sin-scarred past, or with a deep moral conviction if you continually imbibe and invite in his company? Are you thinking of your sister’s frailty at least as much as you are thinking about your own freedom? Even as the Gospel frees you from ceremonial laws, it binds you to the law of love.

So enjoy the good gift of freedom in Christ. And love one another. If those are in conflict in your life, reread this chapter—and consider which the Word would rather you give up.

— Tyler

From Romans 13: Wake Up

“Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” (v. 13)

As much as you would love a little devotion about governments, authorities, and taxes…

…let’s tackle something bigger.

And it can be summarized like this:

O Christian, wake up!

Not “get woke.” And not “pay attention sheeple.”

Simply this:

Wake up!

Live as if the day is dawning and has dawned. Live as if the dark of night—and everything you used to hide there—is over. Live in the light, putting away all of the lust and deceit and hatred and greed that thrived before the Sun broke through.

Can you imagine, when the Light dawns, being found doing what you did in the dark…in the day?

This is the Spirit’s point, given through Paul. Christ has come and will come again. And, whether He comes or you go, the ultimate end of your salvation is nearer now than it ever has been.

So live as if the dawn is directly ahead…

…and wake up.

— Tyler

From Romans 12: A Handbook

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (vv. 1-2)

Romans 12 is the believer’s handbook.

The thesis is in the first two verses, which can be summarized (imperfectly): Because of God’s mercies, we live—and we live given to Him.

The handing over of our lived days—the sacrifice we’re called to—brings us into an entirely counterintuitive, countercultural, and counter-self mission. When we make our walking-around lives an act of worship, we sacrifice the norm, because we sacrifice the self.

That’s why we live given to the church, mutually submitted and mutually serving. That’s why we live given to purity, actually desiring the good while detesting the evil. That’s why we live given to peace, humbly praying for and hoping for and opening for those who mock, slander, defy, and despise us. That’s why we live given to hospitality, generosity, and humility.

So far as we are able, we pursue this peace—and we trust God to His own sovereign judgment.

It’s a steep calling.

Better keep the handbook handy.

— Tyler

From Romans 11: Beyond us

“Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!” (v. 33)

Should we make the attempt?

Should we study His Word and listen for His Spirit? Should we apply our kinds and our hearts to the exercises of theology, soteriology, and doctrine? Should we aim to understand God’s judgment, God’s mercy, and God’s gracious Gospel?

Yes.

But…

…should we also admit that the mystery of it, the power of it, and the depth of it are beyond us? Should we admit that our own capacity for comprehending His sovereign purpose for grace is extremely limited? Should we admit that He is God—and submit to Him with humility and gratitude and worship?

Also yes.

— Tyler