Two Brothers Building up the Body

This post, I’m going to be walking through the first half of Philemon. Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved and fellow worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints. I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother. Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—I ...

1 Samuel 1–2 In Scripture, we are introduced to many women of deep faith and courage—Ruth, Esther, Mary, Elizabeth, Miriam, the Proverbs 31 woman, and here, Hannah. Each of these women teaches us something vital about walking with God. In this message, we focus on Hannah—a woman whose legacy begins with tears but ends with triumph. Her prayer life shows us how faith, when poured out before God, leads not only to personal transformation but to generational impact. Hannah was a woman in deep distress. She longed for a child and faced ongoing humiliation and misunderstanding. Yet in her pain, she turned not to bitterness, but to God. Her example reveals two key aspects of a godly life of prayer. 1. Unashamed of Prayer Read 1 Samuel 1:10–15 Hannah prayed openly. She was not offended if others saw her praying—in fact, she likely didn’t even notice them. Just as when you are in an intense conversation with a friend, you don’t notice the people around you. Hannah was deeply focused on h...

  I will be wrapping up Titus with this week's post, although I obviously have not been exhaustive on all that can be gained from this letter Paul wrote to Titus. Chapter three is also only fifteen verses long and states: “Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Th...

The book of Ruth contains many beautiful truths for the believer. Below are a few perhaps overlooked insights that highlight how Boaz foreshadows Christ. Read Ruth 2:5–18. Care for Those in His Field Verses 5–7: Boaz knows his fields well and pays attention to every detail, as any good landowner should. He understands both the Jewish Law and Jehovah’s command to leave a portion for the poor—and he is willing to obey. Boaz doesn’t stop at obligation; he goes further. He asks specifically about the individuals gleaning in his fields. He seems to view those gathering at the edges as divinely appointed guests, and he honors them accordingly. Is this not the posture believers are also called to have? Hebrews 13:2 and Matthew 25:34–40 remind us that every person crossing our path is a potential opportunity to minister to the Lord Himself. Like Boaz, God sees and values every individual in His field. And since “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness” (Psalm 24:1), His field inclu...