Dec 06 2024

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

In today's verse, Paul is telling the Corinthians that they should destroy anything that is against God and bring every thought into obedience to Jesus. This is a description of how one is able to live a holy life—a life that is pleasing to God. It is a radical departure from our culture that tells us to live for ourselves, and its severity underscores the importance of holiness. Let's break it down so that we can understand it and apply it to our own lives.

The verse begins with what we should get rid of: imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. The "knowledge of God" refers to getting to know God and having a relationship with Him. Anything that prevents us from growing spiritually, like persistent sin in our lives, interferes with that knowledge. Since we know that sin impedes our relationship with the Lord, we say that it is against the knowledge of God.

Think about how this applies in your culture. How many times are we told that wealth, power, and other people's opinions are important&mdsah;or even the key to success? For me, it seems like every day I am inundated with advertisements that elevate status or fame as the primary goal of life. But when these things are exalted above God, they are sin. And, as this verse says, we should cast them down.

The way we can cast down wrong thoughts—coveting a sinful lifestyle, envying those who are doing well albeit living in sin, or being frustrated at God's timeline—is by taking those thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.

So when we think, I feel like everyone around me is getting by just fine without considering God, we replace that thought with, Lord, I know that you see me and that there is nothing on Earth that compares to a relationship with you. Over time, taking wayward thoughts back to the Lord will become a habit for us. Instead of being opportunities for us to stumble, our thoughts can be turned into moments where we can meditate on the love of God.

Dear Lord, I thank you that you are so much bigger than my thought life. Help me to not get caught up in the things of this world that seem to constantly tell me I'm a fool for following you. Help me to instead anchor myself in the truth of the Gospel, which proclaims that your love for me is so much sweeter than anything else in the world. I love you, Jesus. In your name, amen.

Dec 05 2024

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. :

At the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist. Afterwards, the Holy Spirit comes down like a dove, and God speaks from Heaven that Jesus is His Son and that He is pleased with Him. This verse, along with being a beautiful depiction of the trinity, gives us an image of the importance of blessing each other. God blessed Jesus by saying He was pleased with Him.

This comes into sharper focus when we remember that right after this scene, Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for forty days. He does not eat or drink anything, and the Adversary comes to torment Him and to get Him to give up His kingdom.

I do not believe the timing is coincidental. I can imagine Jesus in the desert repeating the blessing that the Lord had given Him: I am His beloved Son, and He is pleased with me. Imagine the strength that those words might have given Jesus as He endured the temptation. Jesus's ministry had barely begun, but the Lord was already pleased with Him. He wasn't looking at anything that Jesus had done, but who Jesus was: His Son.

Today, we should remember that our words have the same life-giving ability that God's words did for Jesus. If Jesus needed to hear that God was pleased with Him, how much more do we need to know the same thing? We, like Jesus, face many temptations, but if we are not anchored in the fact that God is pleased with us (He is!), these temptations threaten to overcome us.

Think about using your words to bless other people and remember in your heart that the Lord is pleased with you. All your iniquities were washed away by the blood of Jesus when you called out to Him in the moment of salvation. Rest in that fact, and bless others. God may use your words to help them overcome temptations in their own lives.

Dear Lord, I thank you so much for words that give life. I thank you for Jesus, whose work on the cross made it possible for you to be pleased with me. Give me words of life that I can share with other people today. Help me to remember that I am loved in you, and help me to share that love with others. In Jesus' name, amen.