peace to live by

Established in the Faith, Part 3 (TMF:2640)

Friday, June 20, 2025
Peace to Live By: Established in the Faith, Part 3 (TMF:2640) - Daniel Litton
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       All the correct practice pays off. A reputation is developed that is trustworthy and admirable. This is what Paul would bring up later to Timothy, remember, in saying “He must not be a recent convert” when discussing the appointment of elders or overseers (ESV). This has been something that has been noted as a problem among modern Evangelical churches—the appointment of people before they’re ready for important, or in-front-of-others roles. “But we need people to lead,” it might be said back, “We don’t have anybody else.” Then your model is flawed. It would be better to have a couple strong, more mature leaders than several who are not “established in the faith.” Better to give more responsibility to a couple of individuals who can handle it. You don’t need so many leaders like you think you do. Recall what Paul also said to Timothy, “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2, ESV). Being “established” is someone who can be “entrusted” and can also teach.

Established in the Faith, Part 2 (TMF:2639)

Thursday, June 19, 2025
Peace to Live By: Established in the Faith, Part 2 (TMF:2639) - Daniel Litton
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       We understand this, don’t we? That’s why a business usually says “Established in… whatever year it is.” The hope from the business is that in emphasizing its longevity, it will persuade the consumer to perhaps buy whatever product it is offering.” Or, to look at it another way, consider the Established Church of England. It wasn’t that the church was just ‘established,’ but the emphasis is that it has been around a long time, and it is the church that is recognized as the official church of England, the state endorsed church. The point in saying all this is that the Christian becomes “established” over time in walking in Christ in the right way. All the correct practice pays off. A reputation is developed that is trustworthy and admirable. This is what Paul would bring up later to Timothy, remember, in saying “He must not be a recent convert” when discussing the appointment of elders or overseers (ESV). This has been something that has been noted as a problem among modern Evangelical churches.

Established in the Faith, Part 1 (TMF:2638)

Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Peace to Live By: Established in the Faith, Part 1 (TMF:2638) - Daniel Litton
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       This leads to the next part of the verse, “established in the faith.” At first, it sounds like Paul’s saying the same thing, just in a different way. However, there seems to be more to it. So, we are “rooted and built up in him,” and then we are “established in the faith.” It seems best to understand the word “established” here not as a foundation, like in saying, “I established a tree by planting it here.” But rather, it appears best to understand “established” as in, “The tree is now established because it has been there for a long time.” It is something that because it has been there a long time, it is now accepted as being there. We understand this, don’t we? That’s why a business usually says “Established in… whatever year it is.” The hope from the business is that in emphasizing its longevity, it will persuade the consumer to perhaps buy whatever product it is offering.” Or, to look at it another way, consider the Established Church of England.

Rooted in Christ, Part 3 (TMF:2637)

Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Peace to Live By: Rooted in Christ, Part 3 (TMF:2637) - Daniel Litton
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       It’s probably easier to understand maintenance when discussing a building—using the house illustration from Jesus in Matthew 7. We easily understand how a building needs maintained. Why, there is a whole cable T.V. Network that is basically dedicated to that point. We can’t just build the house, or plant the tree, and walk away. Over time, things will happen, and as those things happen, maintenance is needed. Home and garden maintenance. It’s what Paul alluded to in chapter 1 in discussing the threat of false teachers, when he said, “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard” (ESV). See, there is a choice. The Christian can shift over time, or not shift. The tree can be taken care of and grow into a healthy, old tree, super big and seemingly going in every which direction. Or it can be neglected, dry up, start to look bad, brown and whatnot, and then eventually fall over.

Rooted in Christ, Part 2 (TMF:2636)

Monday, June 16, 2025
Peace to Live By: Rooted in Christ, Part 2 (TMF:2636) - Daniel Litton
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       The roots allow the tree to stand up in general, and then against the elements of the world. They allow of the tree to take its place in the world. And to get a little scientific, for certainly this is not the speaker’s mind’s inclination, we also know that the roots draw up water, or feed the tree water that they get from the ground. So, nutrients. Survival even. Constant feeding. Sound familiar? Yup. This illustration from Paul, again, emphasizes the importance of a good foundation. It’s the same point Jesus himself made at the end of his great sermon in Matthew 7, with the houses and where they are built. But the rooting of the tree also ties into the second pointer, and that is that of being “build up in him.” It’s necessary to have the proper foundation, but maintenance is also needed, at least, to be healthy. With a tree, a healthy tree is one that is tended to from time to time. Branches might need cut off. It could even be that it needs watered due to being too dry.

Rooted in Christ, Part 1 (TMF:2635)

Friday, June 13, 2025
Peace to Live By: Rooted in Christ, Part 1 (TMF:2635) - Daniel Litton
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       Real life changing truth is found in aligning with the truth of the Jewish God, rather than some other lesser known god. Interestingly enough, Paul doesn’t leave us empty handed, and we probably didn’t expect that he would. Verse 7: “so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught” (ESV). Given to us, then, are basically three pointers about walking in Christ, and two of which we will talk about first because they go hand-in-hand. Let us note the first one” “rooted… in him.” What does it mean to be rooted in Christ? Let’s consider the visual. Roots going into the ground. Think of roots of a tree, for instance. We know that the roots of the tree travel down into the ground to give that tree a firm standing, a ‘firm foundation.’ Ah, there it is. It’s what we’ve already been talking about. The roots allow the tree to stand up in general, and then against the elements of the world. They allow of the tree to take its place in the world.

Being True Friends of Christ, Part 2 (TMF:2634)

Thursday, June 12, 2025
Peace to Live By: Being True Friends of Christ, Part 2 (TMF:2634) - Daniel Litton
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       It could be viewed that walking in Christ is good because it saves a person from Hell—and it appeases God’s anger versus a person walking in sin. That’s one way to look at it. Or, it could rather be viewed that walking in Christ is the best way to walk for multiple reasons. One, we could note that being in Christ’s consciousness is the foundation of love, of love. For sure. That’s what we find in and around Christ. “For God so loved the world…” John tells us. Or, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” the Golden Rule. Or, that which we just read, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” Yes, in and around Christ is found love. Pretty good foundation then. Or, we could say that walking in Christ saves us from the struggles, the hardships, that practicing sin brings into people’s lives. It’s easier to marry once, rather than twice. Things work out better, way better, when a person doesn’t steal.

Being True Friends of Christ, Part 1 (TMF:2633)

Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Peace to Live By: Being True Friends of Christ, Part 1 (TMF:2633) - Daniel Litton
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       There in John 15, verse 14 says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (ESV). It often seems we read this verse as if it's an obligation. We read it like Jesus is saying, “I will count you as my friends if you do what I say—and you’d better do it or else!” That, however, seems to miss the point. It seems better understood when the underlying tone is just a statement of fact. That is how we will know we are friends, if we do what it is that he has commanded us. That’s how the world will know. Otherwise, and it seems commonsensical, what’s the point? Why would one call themselves a Christian, a Christ follower, and not do anything which the Bible says to do? Indeed, this leads to the despair and criticism that certain folks have over Christianity, in seeing those who are supposed to be different, supposed to be better than world, supposed to be sin-free, acting like the rest of the world. This becomes the problem.

Life's Origin Back to Christ, Part 2 (TMF:2632)

Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Peace to Live By: Life's Origin Back to Christ, Part 2 (TMF:2632) - Daniel Litton
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       All life stems its origin back to Christ—it was from him it came. John 1:2 "He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (ESV). And, verse 17 from Colossians 1: “in him all things hold together” (ESV). All of this is the basis as to why Christ is the path that should be chosen, the path among all the paths, the path above all the rest. The mystery Paul alluded to is summed up in the verse, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13, ESV). Also understood in reading the “Greater Love” verse, is what comes right after it. There in John 15, verse 14 says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (ESV). It often seems we read this verse as if its an obligation. We read it like Jesus is saying, “I will count you as my friends if you do what I say—and you’d better do it or else!” That, however, seems to miss the point.

Life's Origin Back to Christ, Part 1 (TMF:2631)

Monday, June 09, 2025
Peace to Live By: Life's Origin Back to Christ, Part 1 (TMF:2631) - Daniel Litton
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       Colossians 2, starting in verse 6: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (ESV). We discussed last time the fact that in Christ are “hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Wisdom and knowledge. That was the emphasis of the our last paragraph, which was the first paragraph of Colossians 2. That being the case, that explains why the “Therefore” is present in this verse—because it is telling us why we should “walk in him,” walk in Christ. Christ is our bedrock, our foundation. And what a wonderful foundation he is, because really that is the essence of life. All life stems its origin back to Christ—it was from him it came. John 1:2 "He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (ESV). And, verse 17 from Colossians 1: “in him all things hold together” (ESV).