2 Tim. 2:24-25 - "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth..."

I have memories as a child of how fun it was when dad came home from work at night. We would get down on the floor to play and wrestle, with all of us trying to pin him or move him. In many ways it was like Gulliver visiting the land of the Lilliputians as my 6'2" father tangled with us. It wasn't until I grew up and tried to play with smaller children in the same way that I understood how much my father held back as he had wrestled with us. He had been simultaneously strong yet gentle.

2 Tim. 1:3 - "I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day."

I recently helped one of my grandmothers move from the West Coast to the Midwest. As we packed up her house we came across a closet that was filled with family scrapbooks and photo albums. We leafed through the pages looking at familiar faces and scenes. Each photograph triggered different emotions depending on what the memory was about or whose likeness was captured in the image.

Gen. 15:1 - “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I  am your shield; your reward shall be very great."

When it comes to "combat" in our home, we have seen multiple kinds of hand-made weapons and armor. We have seen cardboard-box armor, capes and blankets that become "invisibility cloaks", and hand-held shields fashioned from frisbees and tape. When each tool is completed, the wearer is confident that their new tool will make then invulnerable to any kind of imagined attack! In Gen. 15:1, God decided that Abram needed to be reminded who really protected him like a shield.

Pro. 17:17 - "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."  

As the oldest of 7 siblings, and 1 of 6 brothers, this verse has been a rich source of joking and comfort through the years. When we were all younger, whenever this verse was read we would tease each other, "Yep, my friends are always there for me, and all of you are an endless source of adversity!"

Ps. 34:8 - "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"

How many parents have made engine noises as they pretended that a spoonful of food was a plane attempting a landing as they swooped it toward their infant's mouth? They were trying to convince a suspicious child to try an unknown food because the parent knew it was good (or at least good for them)!

In a similar way, we can tend to be suspicious or have uninformed ideas about God and his character…

Ps. 121:1-2 - "I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth."

Last week Cianan and I were able to visit Devil's Tower in eastern Wyoming. It was amazing to crest a grassy hill and observe this incredible, 867 foot tall, geological feature appear on the horizon more than 15 miles away! It was like a visual magnet, holding our attention as we traveled toward it. It was even more impressive when we arrived at the ranger station to hike around the circumference of the tower.

However, at the trailhead, something else caught my eye…

Jas. 1:4 - "And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

I remember one of the first times I attempted to make chocolate chip cookies by myself. I was excited and in a hurry to get them in the oven so my siblings and I could enjoy the chocolate-filled result of my labor. When the oven timer sounded, I pulled the sheet of cookies out and we realized something was not right. Instead of looking at twelve steaming cookies, we were looking at a single cookie sheet filled with a gooey mess, because the cookies had all run together…

1 Tim. 3:5 - "...for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?"

I remember receiving my work permit and getting my first part-time job when I was 15. The job was working for a pizza chain in town. After a few months my responsibilities increased when I was made a supervisor. I don't remember all the questions my employer asked me before making the decision to promote me, but I'm pretty sure he had watched to see how I handled the smaller tasks at the store before he entrusted me with larger tasks. My early employment was a proving ground to demonstrate whether I was capable and ready for more.

Similarly, in 1 Tim. 3:5, Paul explained that our households are proving grounds for our character.

2 Cor. 12:10 - "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then am I strong."

Have you ever seen a young boy flex his biceps as he imagines what he will look like as a full-grown man? In his mind's eye he pictures himself in the prime of his masculine life, muscle-bound and able to overcome any obstacle on his own. We appropriately celebrate each achievement that identifies his physical growth and maturity, while the young man likes to boast about his increasing independence and strength.

However, what do we think when we see an older man past his prime?

1 Cor. 1:1 - "Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes..."

At first glance, the opening verse of 1 Corinthians seems so simple and straightforward that one could be tempted to skim over it in order to get to the seemingly more important things Paul wrote about. However, with a little background, even this first introductory verse holds significant lessons for us…

Col. 3:1 - "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

Paul did a masterful job emphasizing the pre-eminence of Jesus when he wrote to the Christians in Colossea! The letter is clearly focused on Christ and is filled with praise for who Christ is and what he has done.

At the beginning of the third chapter Paul reminded those first-century Christians that…

Pro. 5:12-14 - "How I hated discipline and my heart despised reproof!  I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation" 

What a sad documentary about someone's life! These verses in Proverbs 5 come after Solomon warned his son about the dangers of adultery. The conclusion of the warning was this…

2 Cor. 9:10-11 - "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God."

Imagine that there was a wealthy gentleman who decided to bless three local craftsmen. The first was a carpenter who was given rough lumber, and the necessary tools to measure, cut, plane, and sand it. He assembled the various pieces of wood using nails, screws and glue to create a beautiful and functional piece of furniture…

1 Pet. 1:13 - "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

I've seen a lot of different things get hammered into place. Wood framing, nails put into walls for hanging pieces of art, people's ill-positioned fingers, etc.

In this passage, God tells his people to nail/set/fix their hope on the future grace they will receive at the…

John 16:7 - "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you."

Can you imagine being one of the disciples and Jesus telling you that he's about to leave you and go away, but before he leaves he tells you it's actually in your best interest that he leave? On that surface that doesn't make any sense, surely it would be better if…