First Fifteen

None of us really want to do foolish things.  We want to be wise, or at least see ourselves as wise.  James warns us not to be deceived and instead to ask God for wisdom, believing he will give it to us generously.

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  It's a perfect way to get started!

In season four we are praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  Today we start one of the General Letters which is filled with practical teaching and wisdom, James.  The characteristics of a letter are less obvious in James and instead it reads like a set of practical instructions for wise living as Christians.   

James 1 reads like an index of topics for the rest of the letter.  Words and phrases mentioned only briefly in chapter 1 are further developed later in the letter.   A few words that stand out and to watch for later include:  faith (ch 2), wisdom (ch 3, 5), rich and poor (ch 2, 4), trials/test/temptation (ch 5), the tongue (ch 3), and speech and action (ch 2, 4).

Where do you need wisdom?  Have you asked God for it yet?  Trust him to give generously and ask in faith.  James makes a distinction between 3 things that we often confuse as one thing:  troubles, testing and temptation.  In this episode we briefly distinguish those three along the lines that James uses them. 

We are using the letters to grow closer to God in season four.  We can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture we cover, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

 Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

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Greetings may seem unimportant, but don’t be too quick to dismiss them.  When you’re on the frontlines serving and missing home, a greeting from someone who cares and gives some encouragement is life-giving!    Colossians 4 gives us a rare glimpse into what was happening in cities across the Roman Empire in the first century:  Christ was being preached, prayers were fervently prayed as letters and gospels were written , leaving us an unmistakable picture of faith and conviction amidst hardship.  

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  It's a perfect way to get started!

In season four we're praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  We finish Colossians as Paul and Timothy send greetings to believers in Colossae and final instructions for how to carry on the work of the gospel.  Ancient letters usually ended with greetings, and the New Testament letters give us a portrayal of how intensely social and close-knit the early Christian communities were as they carried the gospel with urgency and purpose.  

Colossians 4 begins by urging prayer and dedication to the task of sharing the gospel.  The early Christians were not bookish types writing their gospels, letters or other writings safely in a university or private study.  They were on the frontlines, contesting in the marketplace and taking care of the poor and sick and hungry as they faced misunderstanding and persecution.   

The greetings that Paul and Timothy share not only give us insight into how churches related to one another or how letters and teachers were shared, they also embody the essence of Christian living.   Listen to the end and strive to make the application practical today. 

As we read the letters we grow closer to God and realize we can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture that we cover.  However, you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

A classic book that does an imaginative retelling of the Onesimus-Philemon story that will appeal to young and old is Twice Freed by Patrician St. John.  You can find it on Amazon.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

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The ethical ideal of the Christian life is not something you attain by willpower or individual effort alone.  Only Christ’s power activated within a person makes the moral demands of following Christ possible.   Colossians 3 takes us from the truth about what is into the everyday world of what should be, how we should live out the reality of "Christ in you." 

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  It's a perfect way to get started!

In season four we're praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  We continue with Colossians as Paul and Timothy work out the implications of Christ at the center of it all.  Paul's letters have a similar plot or structure:  they begin with theology, teaching truth about what is based on what God has done and who he is, then they move into practical application or teaching about how to live  this out in the real world.  In today's section, we transition from theology into practical instruction.  

Colossians 3 reminds us of what we were apart from Christ and also appeals to us to live in the power of what Christ has done in us and not go back to earlier ways of sensual indulgence and fleshly thinking.  How this is lived out in concrete relationships is also highlighted.  

Above all, love is the goal and the uniting principle.  All virtues are united and harmonized in love.  Christ taught that it is the most important commandment and applies toward both God and humans.   Some possible verses from this episode to meditate on are Colossians 3:14 and 15-16.   Make the application practical today.  Lean on Christ and his power and don't rely on willpower alone.

As we read the letters we grow closer to God and realize we can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture that we cover.  However, you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

A classic book that does an imaginative retelling of the Onesimus-Philemon story that will appeal to young and old is Twice Freed by Patrician St. John.  You can find it on Amazon.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

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It’s dangerous to have a shallow faith.  When life’s storms come along, that faith won’t stand.  Paul and Timothy imprisoned and writing this letter knew that.  Even as they praised the Colossians for having a vibrant, living faith, they encouraged and warned them about being uprooted.   Colossians 2 is about being rooted in Christ, filled with his fulness of divine power, not settling for human substitutes or spiritual counterfeits.

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  It's a perfect way to get started!

In season four we're praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  We continue with Colossians as Paul and Timothy work out the implications of Christ at the center of it all.  Christ's work for us at the cross is finished and complete; Christ's work in us continues as we grow in him and fully live out all that it means to seek the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father.    

Colossians 2 also shows us more about the dangerous teaching that was circulating that competed with the true gospel.  Some of it was drawn from the Jewish roots of Christianity, and there were also some strange practices that mixed Jewish rituals with pagan mysticism and spiritism.  We don't have all the details.  But the main point that comes through is these other practices were not based on Christ and they did nothing to help you live a life that looked like Christ.  

True spirituality is found in Christ.  Full spiritual expression is found in his life alive in you.  Some possible verses from this episode to meditate on are Colossians 2:9-10, 12-13, 20, or 3:1-3.  Make the application in a tangible way today.  Make Christ the focus and go further than you have before.

As we read the letters we grow closer to God and realize we can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture that we cover.  However, you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

A classic book that does an imaginative retelling of the Onesimus-Philemon story that will appeal to young and old is Twice Freed by Patrician St. John.  You can find it on Amazon.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

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Have you ever stumbled upon something of surpassing beauty, which took your breath away and humbled you at the same time?  It affects you so that you can’t turn away unchanged.  The hymn about Christ in Colossians 1 is a lot like that.  As Paul and Timothy develop their letter they focus attention on Christ, the center not just of the Christian community but of all God's work in the universe! 

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  It's a perfect way to get started!

In season four we're praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  We continue with Colossians and Paul appeals to an early Christian hymn to Christ as he builds his case that all the mysteries of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ.  He writes this letter so that the Colossians are firmly anchored in their faith and not led astray by those who don't uphold the supremacy of Christ.   

Two big truths in this portion of the letter include:
Jesus Christ is supreme, first in all categories,  and  all mysteries, all wisdom and knowledge are contained “in Christ”.  These high truths should stretch us, they should help us to grow further than we have so far.  Make the application in a tangible way today.  Make Christ the focus and go further than you have before.

As we read the letters we grow closer to God and realize we can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture that we cover.  However, you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

A classic book that does an imaginative retelling of the Onesimus-Philemon story that will appeal to young and old is Twice Freed by Patrician St. John.  You can find it on Amazon.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

Support the show

What’s missing in our culture today are courtesies, those words of respect, graciousness and sincere regard at the beginning of a conversation, a visit, a letter.  So much is often said in those first few words if you only listen! We get to hear how Paul and Timothy greet the believers in Colossae today and catch a glimpse of how to pray for others to grow in their faith.

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  It's a perfect way to get started!

We are at the start of season four and praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  Today we start one of Paul's shorter letters which has some very deep ideas and practical instruction, Colossians.  The letters are unusual because we only hear one side of a two-way conversation.  We have to try to understand in some part the other side of the conversation if we want to hear God's word for us in these writings.

Paul and Timothy write to the Colossians, believers who lived in a small Greek city about 100 miles inland from Ephesus in modern-day Turkey.  Most likely Philemon lives in Colossae and these two letters (Philemon and Colossians) are carried at the same time to this city perhaps by Tychicus.  Paul mentions another letter we don't have that he writes to Laodicea, a city about 10 miles west of Colossae that any traveler from Ephesus would have passed through first.  Paul intends for his letters to each of the churches to be exchanged and read in each assembly.   

Where do you need filling with God’s truth?  Head, heart, feet, hands, will, emotions or spirit?  If you know, make that your prayer today.  If you don’t, I suggest you start with head and heart--knowledge, wisdom and understanding—and ask God to fill you.  And whatever you have received, wherever you have gotten your fill, make it your job to share some of that with others today.

We are using the letters to grow closer to God as season four starts.  We can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture we cover, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

A classic book that does an imaginative retelling of the Onesimus-Philemon story that will appeal to young and old is Twice Freed by Patrician St. John.  You can find it on Amazon.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

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A fundamental problem of humans is our tendency to think we’re free while living under the influence or control of people and ideas that we seem blind to.  When Christ comes into our life, we are set free from all of that and that’s really good news! Listen to the short letter to Philemon today and learn more about the freedom and responsibilities of love. 

If you are trying to have a quiet time, getting started in a relationship with God or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In fifteen minutes or less you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  It's a perfect way to get started!

We are starting season four and praying through some of the letters in the Bible.  Today we start with Paul's shortest letter which is very warm and personal, Philemon.  The letters are unusual because we are only hearing one side of a two-way conversation.  We have to try to understand in some part the other side of the conversation if we want to hear God's word for us in these writings.

Paul and Timothy write to Philemon, an early Christian who was probably well off and owned slaves which was quite common in the Roman world.  Onesimus is likely a runaway slave who has since become a Christian, connected with Paul, and now he is returning to his master with this letter from Paul asking Philemon to receive Onesimus as he would Paul--his debt cleared and free to serve the gospel. 

Apart from the dynamic of slavery in the background, the relationship between Paul and Philemon and the love shown and requested are in focus.  Paul could have made some demands and exercised power over Philemon; instead he appeals to him as a brother who is free to decide and who is influenceable to "do the right thing."  There's a lot for us to learn here about how to treat other people as well.

We are using the letters to grow closer to God as season four starts.  We can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture we cover, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

We have a course on Philemon and Colossians for in-depth Bible study called "Christ Supreme".  If you are interested in going deeper, check out the links on our website or the Facebook page.

A classic book that does an imaginative retelling of the Onesimus-Philemon story that will appeal to young and old is Twice Freed by Patrician St. John.  You can find it on Amazon.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

Support the show

“Hallelujah!” has entered into English vocabulary and even non-religious people recognize it.  It’s a way to celebrate and punctuate something.  “Praise Yah!” (short for Yahweh) is what it literally means and is more specific.  It points us to God, the one we celebrate and praise.    Psalm 150 concludes the book of Psalms with six powerful verses that tells us where, why, how and who should praise God. 

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are finishing season three and Psalm 150 takes us sky-high with praise to God! As the last of the "Hallelujah" psalms, it begins and ends with the Hebrew expression Hallelu-Yah or "praise Yah".

God deserves all praise in all forms, so whether with percussion, strings or wind instruments, we lift up praise to God for his greatness and great works.  Everything that has breath praises God! 

Psalm 150 uses some form of the Hebrew verb "to praise" (hallal) 13 times in 6 verses.  Besides the opening and closing Hallelu-Yah, there are a large number of hallelu-hu ("praise him") and one hallelu-El ("praise God", v. 1).  The entire psalm is a doxology or short song of praise to God.     

Raise up a shout of praise to God today and set an intention for how you will continue to use the Psalms to grow closer to God now that season three is over.  We can't exhaust the riches in each part of scripture we cover, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

You can get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

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Imagine we didn’t have language to communicate with.  No words, no letters.  Only noises, looks, body expressions, like charades—but all the time.  If God didn’t use language, what would we know about him?  How would we express ourselves to him?   Psalm 145 lifts up praise to God and sums up so much that has come before it in the Psalms, leading us into the final movement of prayer--pure praise of God.   

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are nearly done with season three and we've prayed a wide selection of psalms trying to expand our vocabulary of prayer.  We've noticed that the second half of Psalms has fewer laments and more praise songs and hymns.  Psalm 145 is a high point, a kind of climax in Book 5 and really for the book of Psalms overall. 

God deserves all praise, and we marshall all our language to bless him, praise him, exalt and give thanks to him for who he is and all the mighty works he has done.  Psalm 145 is special because its first and last verse uses the Hebrew word tehillah which means praise.  It's the only psalm that is specifically called tehillah, and yet the plural form of this word (Tehillim) is the Hebrew title for the entire book of Psalms!

Psalm 145 is also an acrostic psalm, the eighth and final one of the book of Psalms, so from A to Z (or aleph to taw) we get a comprehensive treatment of what praise is all about. The other acrostic psalms we've covered include Psalm 25, 111, 112, and 119.  If you want to read the remaining acrostic psalms we didn't cover in season 3, check out Psalms 9, 10, 34 and 37.  One feature of this psalm is the repeated use of the word "all", which is especially prominent in the second half of the prayer.  God is good to all, and all beings are called on to give praise to God.   

Psalm 145:8 echoes a foundational verse from Exodus 34:6 in which God reveals his fundamental character.  This is a good verse to meditate on.  Other verses to meditate on or memorize include vv. 1-3, 5, 18 and 21.  Choose one of more of these verses and let God work out its truth in your life. 

While we can't exhaust the riches in these verses, you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  The entire psalm is worth pondering and reading or listening to multiple times. You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

You can get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

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We want to be known, to be heard, to be understood.  Our biggest problem is we expect another flawed, broken human being to fully understand us when only God can.   Psalm 139 celebrates the truth that God knows us completely and well, but it also wrestles with the implications of that in our lives.

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are nearing the end of season three and we've prayed a lot of different psalms.  Toward the end of the book there is a greater concentration of praise songs and hymns, and Psalm 139 is one of the most profound of those. 

God knows me and God is everywhere.  These are great spiritual truths.  But there are other realities in Psalm 139 that we might miss or wish to avoid.  The 24 verses of Psalm 139 are divided into four sections with six verses each.  The main idea of each section is stated up front in the first verse:  vv. 1, 7, 13 and 19.  If you read those, you'll get the overall sense of the entire psalm instead of seeing this as a random collection of inspirational verses with a weird ending you might want to avoid. 

Psalm 139 shows us how complete God's knowledge of us is and the instinctive reaction we might have to flee from him.  But God's goodness and desire to bless us above everything else reassures us that being known by him isn't nearly as dangerous as trying to live life apart from him.   There is also no neutral ground; it's worship or rebellion, and not serving God puts you in the camp of his enemies.  

Four verses from this psalm to meditate on at length are vv. 1, 14, 23 and 24.  Choose one of more of these and let God work out its truth in your life.  

While we can't exhaust the riches in these verses, you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process.  You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter or Instagram @WordofPrayer15 .  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

You can get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com

Support the show