Pauline Introductions, Part 3: How Does Paul Talk About Us?

19 April, 202518 April, 2025Marissa

Today’s post is the third in a three-part series. In these posts, we’re looking at the introductions of Paul’s epistles and examining how Paul talks about himself, how Paul talks about God, and how Paul talks about us in the introductions to his letters. We’re focusing on the epistles he wrote to church communities rather than the pastoral epistles (Timothy, Titus) or the letter to an individual (Philemon). This series also excludes Hebrews since there’s a good chance Paul wasn’t the author. That means we have nine letters to look at: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians.

In this post, we’re looking at how Paul describes his readers and, by extension, us today. I’ve found it fascinating to look at how he addresses his readers and what he emphasizes about who they are and what they’re doing.

The Church of God

Five of these letters are addressed, “to the church” of God in a specific city or the “churches” in a region (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:2; 1 Thes. 1:1; 2 Thes. 1:1). Others are addressed “to the saints” of a specific city (Rom. 1:7; Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2). Let’s take a look at the Greek words translated “church” and “saints,” since they mean something a little different than we might expect from the use of those English words.

“Church” in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word ekklesia (G1577). It might also be translated “assembly” (as it is in the WEB version). The English word “church” carries the connotation of a building where people gather or an organization that people belong to, but ekklesia emphasized the aspect of people gathering together. The basic meaning is “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly” (Thayer’s dictionary). Hence, the church is God’s called-out people that He assembles together.

“Saints” is translated from the Greek word haggios (G40). It is also commonly translated “holy” and refers to “a most holy thing” (Thayer’s dictionary). At it’s heart, the “fundamental idea is separation, consecration, devotion to the service of Deity, sharing in God’s purity and abstaining from earth’s defilement” (Zodhiates’s dictionary). God’s temple was holy because it was set apart for sacred use. Similarly, God’s people are holy because they’re separated from the common or impure things and devoted to Him. By calling us the church of God and the saints, Paul focuses on God’s work bringing us out of the world into fellowship with each other and Him, and on our distinctiveness as a group devoted to God.

Called By God and Belonging to Jesus

This point is very closely connected to the first one, since we are “called to be saints” (Rom. 1:7, 1 Cor. 1:2, NET) as part of the church/assembly of God. This also means we are “called to belong to Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:6, NET) and “called into fellowship with” Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:9, NET). Romans and 1 Corinthians are the only letters that use the “called” wording in the introduction, but others echo similar sentiments with phrases like “chosen” (1 Thes. 1:4) and “claimed.”

For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love.He did this by predestining us to adoption as his legal heirs through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will …

In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his willso that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:4-5, 11-12, NET

Paul also refers to his readers as those “who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1 Cor. 1:2, NET). We are called-out of the world and into God’s family by God, and as such we can call on the name of our Lord. We’re identified, both in the Pauline introductions and throughout New Testament writings, by our association with Jesus Christ. This in no way diminishes the Father, who is the one calling us. Rather, properly acknowledging Jesus as Lord and knowing that we belong to Him glorifies the Father (Phil. 2:8-11).

Image of a woman writing in a notebook overlaid with text from 2 Thes. 1:1-3 NET version: "“to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever greater.” — Image by Corey David Robinson from Lightstock

Rescued By God

Once we’re called by God and join His people, our identities become connected with Him. As such, many of the things Paul says about us in the introductions to his letters have to do with how God sees us and what He does for us. When Paul talks about his readers, he doesn’t focus on things like their gender, wealth, or nationalities (though those topics come up in the letters). He focuses on who they are now that they are God’s people. For example, because of the God who called us and the Lord that we follow, we are sanctified (i.e. made holy), rescued, and redeemed.

to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
1 Corinthians 1:2, NET

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen.
Galatians 1:3-5, NET

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of his grace
Ephesians 1:7, NET

We are who we are now by the grace of God the Father and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. This works hand-in-hand with our identity as God’s church, God’s called out ones, and the people who belong to Jesus. It’s a theme Paul expands on throughout his letters (1 Cor 6:19-20; Eph. 2:4-10, for example).

Loved and Blessed

Paul addressed Romans, “To all those loved by God in Rome” (Rom. 1:7, NET) and 1 Thessalonians to “brothers and sisters loved by God” (1 Thes. 1:4, NET). God has deep feelings for us; it was His love that drove Him to save us and call us into His family. Now that we are His, He exercises great care over us. Paul mentions several of the ways that we benefit from God’s great love in the introductions to His letters.

I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus. For you were made rich in every way in him, in all your speech and in every kind of knowledge—just as the testimony about Christ has been confirmed among you—so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:4-9, NET

God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 1:3, NET). The abundance of blessings that God piles on us is boundless and amazing. He’s not at all stingy with His riches, gifting us liberally, primarily spiritually but also in many physical things. Some of these blessings even prompt us to action as God’s people. For example, we are recipients of God’s comfort and therefore we can comfort other people (2 Cor. 1:3-5).

Faithful Participants

Image of a man sitting on a couch writing on a pad of paper, overlaid with blog's title text and the words, "What can we learn from looking at the first things Paul wanted his readers to see when they read his letters?" — Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

Even when talking about us, much of Paul’s emphasis is on the work that God’s doing. But he also spends quite a bit of time talking about our response to that work. As a result of who God has made us and what He’s doing in our lives, we become participants.

We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. Your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospelthat has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growingamong you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.
Colossians 1:3-6, NET

For Paul, faith in Jesus results in action, such as bearing fruit and growing. Several of his introductions mention his readers’ faith. He addressed Colossians to “the saints, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ” (Col. 1:2, NET). In Ephesians, he called them, “the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 1:1, NET) and speaks of the time when they “heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ” (Eph. 1:13, NET). (Note: “believed” is translated from the verb-form of the Greek noun translated “faith.”)

We thank God always for all of you as we mention you constantly in our prayers, because we recall in the presence of our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. …

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, when you received the message with joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, despite great affliction. As a result you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, 6-7 NET

Faith in the New Testament isn’t just an intellectual or emotional thing; it’s very active. When we have real faith, it’s working and doing good. We’ll be imitating the Lord, loving other people, and staying hopeful even as we endure trials. Flourishing faith perseveres and loves (2 Thes. 1:3-4). It also prompts us to be active participants in the gospel that we’ve believed.

I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace together with me.
Philippians 1:4-7, NET

God is the driving force behind our faith, the one who makes everything we accomplish as Christians possible, and the one accomplishing our transformation into His covenant people. But we have a role as well. Faith is active, the gospel demands participation, and even God’s grace invites us to be partners with Him rather than just passive recipients.

There is a lot worth studying in Paul’s letters, and we’ve seen that even the introductions hold a lot of depth. Studying the first things that Paul says about himself, God the Father and Jesus our Lord, and his readers helps us understand how central God is to our identities as Christians. It is also very encouraging and uplifting to see Paul’s humility, his awe of God, and the good things he says about his readers. As we join those readers each time we reread his letters, let’s try to see ourselves the way Paul sees us and follow the Lord as faithfully as he encouraged his first-century readers to.

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Song Recommendation: “We Are” by Kari Jobe

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Pauline Introductions, Part 1: How Does Paul Introduce Himself?

8 March, 202520 March, 2025Marissa

As I was reading Galatians a couple weeks ago, I was struck by how much Paul packs into those first couple sentences of the letter. He introduces himself, explains his qualifications for writing to them, wishes his readers well, glorifies God, and highlights one of the amazing things God has done for His people.

This introduction is part of a pattern that Paul follows in his other letters to churches. The first few lines of the letter might also include a brief summary of the gospel, some further description of his audience, and/or expressions of thanksgiving. As I looked at the openings of these letters, I wondered what we might learn by comparing the very first things that Paul wanted his readers to see and hear when they read his letters.

I expect this will be the first of a three-part post series: how Paul talks about himself, how Paul talks about God, and how Paul talks about us in the introductions to his letters. We’ll be focusing on the epistles he wrote to church communities rather than the pastoral epistles (Timothy, Titus) or the letter to an individual (Philemon). This series will also exclude Hebrews since there’s a good chance Paul wasn’t the author. That leaves us with nine letters: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians.

Apostle

Paul introduces himself as an apostle in six of the nine letters: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians. He also talks about how he became an apostle, probably because it wasn’t the usual way. The other apostles named directly in the New Testament were among Jesus’s original 12 disciples, while Paul was personally selected by Jesus later. (Note that there may have been other apostles, but it’s not clear if that’s the case. For example, some consider Barnabas an apostle but he’s not explicitly called one in scripture [Acts 4:36; 14:14; 15:2, 22], and it’s unclear if Andronicus and Junia were apostles or not [Rom. 16:7]).

In the book of Romans, Paul introduces himself as “a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1, NET). Just a few lines later he adds, “Through him we have received grace and our apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name” (Rom. 1:5, NET). It matches something he says later in Romans, calling himself “an apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13, NET). Most of the time, he’s not that specific, though. He simply states that he’s “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (2 Cor. 2:2; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1, NET) or that he’s “called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (1 Cor. 1:1, NET).

Galatians is the letter where Paul spends the most time discussing his apostleship. He opens the letter by saying, “From Paul, an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead)” (Gal. 1:1, NET), then follows that with a vindication of his apostleship and more details about it (Gal. 1:11-2:10). In the letter to the Galatian brethren, Paul focuses on correcting their theological errors and countering false teachers. That gives us context for his focus on his credentials in this letter: he wants to assure the Galatian believers that the gospel they originally received came straight from Jesus and was verified by the apostles. Throughout all of this, Paul’s reason for calling himself an apostle is to point his readers to Jesus and the Father as the higher authority. They are the ones who “empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles” (Gal 2:8, NET) and that’s the reason we can trust what Paul says in his role as an apostle.

Slave

In both Romans and Philippians, Paul calls himself a “slave of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:1). He also uses this phrase to describe himself in other letters we’re studying today, just not in the introduction (2 Cor. 4:5; Gal. 1:10; Col. 1:7; 4:7). Slavery in the Bible is a super tricky subject, but in this particular context at least we have a pretty good idea of what Paul is talking about. Here’s part of what the New English Translation (NET) translators have to say in their footnote that accompanies most verses using the word:

tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG [Bauer’s Lexicon of Biblical Greek] notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). One good translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος) in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force. …

sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”
NET translation note (tn) and study note (sn) on Galatians 1:10

In Romans, Paul further developed this idea by explaining that all human beings serve as slaves, either to sin or to righteousness (Rom. 6:15-20). We don’t get the choice to not serve anything, but we do get to choose who we submit to as our master. Will we be controlled by sin, or will we accept and strive for the privilege of serving God and living righteous lives that glorify Him? Paul made that choice when he rejected human privilege and credentials, responded to God’s call, and stopped persecuting the church and became someone persecuted for preaching the truth (Phil. 3). When he describes his service to God, he doesn’t use a word that would indicate a servant who can just walk away if they want, but someone who (in this case voluntarily) bound himself in lifelong service. He’s fully committed to serving God.

Thankful and Praying

Several times when writing to a church, one of the very first things Paul tells them is that he is thankful and praying for them. He has prayers in other letters as well, but in 1 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians it’s right at the start of the letter.

A lot of what Paul shares in these assurances that he’s praying for his readers is about how he views them, but it also tells us something about him. He says, “I always thank my God for you” (1 Cor. 1:4, NET), “I thank my God every time I remember you.I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you” (Phil. 1:3-4, NET), “We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” (Col. 1:3, NET), “We thank God always for all of you as we mention you constantlyin our prayers” (1 Thes. 1:2, NET), and “We are bound to always give thanks to God for you” (2 Thes. 1:3, WEB). Paul wants his readers to know that he–and for some letters his co-authors as well (Timothy for Colossians, Silvanus and Timothy for Thessalonians)–are thankful for them and that they remember them when they’re praying.

I think it tells us a lot about Paul’s character and his focus that he doesn’t start these letters by talking about his credentials (other than apostle chosen by God and slave in Jesus’s service, both emphasizing his humility) or by telling the churches what they’re doing wrong. There is correction in many of these letters, some very serious (especially 1 Corinthians), but that’s not where he starts. He starts with thankfulness. He wants his readers to immediately know that he’s thankful for them and he’s praying for them.

Blessed

Paul also used a few other phrases to describe himself, which I’ve collected in this final section. All of these descriptions (“set apart for the gospel” and recipient of grace in Romans, “comforted by God” in 2 Corinthians, rescued by Jesus in Galatians, and “blessed” in Ephesians) relate to ways that God has blessed Paul. One of these letters was written from Prison (Eph. 3:1) and another Paul recounts a huge list of sufferings he’d gone through (2 Cor. 11:23-33), yet he focuses on his blessings. And not just his blessings, either: in 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians, he talks about “us” being blessed.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul encouraged us to imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). Just from the way he talks about himself in the introduction to these epistles, we see a humble man who focused on the work that God was doing in him and the churches he served. We think of Paul as one of the most important men in the whole Bible, but he kept pointing back to Jesus and the Father. Even when acknowledging that he had been commissioned by God as an apostle, he also called himself God’s slave.

In addition, we see that Paul was an encouraging person. Over and over in these letters, he told Christians to build others up rather than fight with them and tear them down, and he models that approach in his letter writing. He also tells his readers he’s thankful for them and that he’s praying for them. He also talked about his blessings, something that is encouraging to hear from other people, and included his readers in the “us” who are blessed.

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Song Recommendation: “In Christ Alone” by Keith & Kristyn Getty

The Gift of Recognizing Blessings

15 June, 202418 June, 2024Marissa

Our God is so generous with His blessings, and not only with those following Him. As Jesus points out, the Father “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45, NET). It’s part of Him being perfect (Matt. 5:48). There are a lot of people who enjoy those sorts of universal blessings and don’t recognize where they come from. Even more heartbreaking, there are people who follow God, receive extra blessings, and still don’t recognize it.

As part of God’s church, we’re called out of the world and told to live like resident aliens in the countries where we reside. We’re now citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom. But the influences of the world and culture we grew up in still affect us, often in unconscious ways. One of those ways involves the idea that real things should be observable, testable, and explainable. We assume things have a natural, rational explanation behind them. Even as Christians, we’re often quick to see something good or even wonderful happen and say, “well that was lucky” or “what a coincidence” or “I’m sure there’s reasonable explanation.”

Recognizing God’s blessings in our lives requires a mindset shift. It also involves accepting and applying some of those blessings. For example, the blessings of internal peace and getting to see things from God’s perspective make it much easier for us to recognize all His blessings in our lives. It’s heartbreaking to see someone who is richly blessed, yet thinks that God doesn’t care about them because they either can’t see the good things happening in their lives or assumes the good is a result of their own hard work, luck, or some natural quirk of the universe.

Image of two people sitting across from each other with books on the table between them, overlaid with text from James 1:17, WEB version: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow." — Image by Claudine Chaussé from Lightstock

Seeing the Source of Good

Think about the good things in your life. Some of them might be obvious blessings from God. For me, that’s my husband and baby–a blessing that I prayed for for many years before I married and got pregnant. Some might be less obvious, like living in a home you payed for with your own money, having pets that you went out and adopted, or the garden growing outside because the weather’s been good for vegetables this year. For those things, it might be easier to think your actions resulted in the good things or that it was just something that happened.

It shall be, when Yahweh your God brings you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities which you didn’t build, and houses full of all good things which you didn’t fill, and cisterns dug out which you didn’t dig, vineyards and olive trees which you didn’t plant, and you shall eat and be full; then beware lest you forget Yahweh, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall fear Yahweh your God; and you shall serve him, and shall swear by his name.
Deuteronomy 6:10-13, WEB

When ancient Israel was about to enter the promised land, Moses warned them about complacency and forgetfulness. When things are going well and God delivers on the promised blessings, human beings tend to forget where those blessings came from. We think we made them happen, or we deserve them, or that this is just the way life is supposed to be.

Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters.All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change.
James 1:16-17, NET

Both the act of generous giving and the gifts we receive have their source in the Father. And lest we think that good things in our lives aren’t gifts–that they were earned by us rather than given by God–Paul asks us along with the puffed-up church in Corinth, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Cor. 4:7, NET). We need to set-aside our pride, resist our forgetfulness, and realize/remember that God is the source of good things in our lives. They are blessings from Him.

Image of a smiling man playing piano overlaid with text from Psalm 34:8, WEB version: "Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." — Image by Ben White from Lightstock

Gifted With Open Eyes

Several months ago, we studied how God cures spiritual blindness. Some are spiritually blind because of Satan’s influence (2 Cor. 4:4) and others because they’ve closed their own eyes to God’s truth (Matt. 13:13-15). In contrast, Jesus told His followers, “your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear” (Matt. 13:16, NET).

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life.
1 John 5:19-20, NET

One of the many amazing gifts Jesus gave to people is the “insight to know him who is true.” When God opens someone’s eyes to recognize Him as the one true God and Jesus as the only way to eternal life, that’s an incredible blessing. It’s not a realization that we can get to all on our own. Even the most foundational, beginning steps of faith are a gift from God.

God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God. … The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:10-2, 15-16, NET (bold italics mark a quotation from Isa 40:13)

Revelation, discernment, clear spiritual eyesight–all of those are gifts from God, and they enable us to “know the things that are freely given to us by God.” He’s working on transforming our perspective so we can see things the way He does. Eventually, the way our minds work should be indistinguishable from Jesus’s mind.

Image of a woman sitting at a table with a Bible overlaid with text from Psalm 111:1-2, WEB version: "Praise Yah! I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart, in the council of the upright, and in the congregation. Yahweh’s works are great, pondered by all those who delight in them." — Image by Prixel Creative from Lightstock

Praise and Thanksgiving

Earlier this year, I wrote about the vital concept of “praise” in the Bible. I didn’t bring it up in that post, but after doing that study I started to think that we should see praise as one of the essential spiritual disciplines (like prayer, study, and fasting). Praise–which includes glorifying, thanking, and blessing God as well as recognizing and confessing His deeds–is the proper response to God’s involvement in our lives.

Praise Yahweh, my soul!
All that is within me, praise his holy name!
Praise Yahweh, my soul,
and don’t forget all his benefits,
Psalm 103:1-2, WEB

Cultivating a habit of praise can help us remember all the wonderful things God does for us and recognize His benefits in our lives. It might seem like thankfulness is just something we can do when we feel like it, but Paul instructed his readers to give thanks in everything because that’s God’s will (1 Thes. 5:18). We need to be thankful people.

There’s actually a danger in neglecting to give God thanks. In the opening part of his letter to Roman believers, Paul spoke of a group of people that, “although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened” (Rom. 1:21, NET). If we know about God, but don’t recognize Him for who He is and what He does, we run the risk of having our foolish, senseless hearts go dark.

It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh,
    to sing praises to your name, Most High,
to proclaim your loving kindness in the morning,
    and your faithfulness every night …
How great are your works, Yahweh!
    Your thoughts are very deep.
A senseless man doesn’t know,
    neither does a fool understand this:
though the wicked spring up as the grass,
    and all the evildoers flourish,
    they will be destroyed forever.
But you, Yahweh, are on high forever more
Psalm 92:1-2, 5-8, WEB

Senseless and foolish people don’t recognize who God is and what He’s doing. The opposite, then, would be that sensible and wise people can see the good that God does, and then respond properly with praise and thanksgiving. God is full of loving kindness and faithfulness. He wants to pour out blessings on people. Many of those blessings involve opening our eyes, hearts, and minds to be able to understand how deeply involved He is. As we receive those blessings, he enables us to see other blessings as well because our spiritual vision becomes clearer the closer our relationships with Him become.

If we ever feel like we’re not blessed or wonder if God’s actually involved in our lives, we can take heart remembering that the Bible will bless His people. If there’s anything good in our lives, we have Him to thank for that. I dare say most of us can come up with something good if we really think about it (and probably quite a few somethings). It’s not just about the stuff in our lives, though. Often, psalms of praise and thanksgiving spend as much (or more) time focused on who God is and on what He does on a cosmic scale as they do on what He’s doing for the individual psalmist (Psalm 30; 111; 136; 138 are a few examples of praise psalms). The psalmists do give thanks for individual blessings–which often arrive after times of trials–but they also talk as if God’s character and His relationship with His people (including them) is the more amazing blessing.

I think that shift in thinking is how we get to the point where we can constantly give thanks, praise God, and experience joy even in the midst of trials (Heb. 12:28; Eph. 1:11-12; Gal. 5:22-23; Jam. 1:2-4). When we recognize that God’s involvement in our lives and our relationship with Him are great and wonderful blessings, it puts other things in perspective. We can praise and have joy no matter what our external circumstances. We can also develop the spiritual eyesight to see the good things God is doing in our lives, even things that wouldn’t be apparent to people watching from the outside. God blesses us richly, and with His help we can learn to recognize just how blessed we are.

Featured image by Pearl from Lightstock

Song Recommendation: “Counting My Blessings” by Seph Schlueter

A Closer Look At The Beatitudes

26 August, 201721 August, 2017Marissa

When Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, He began at what we now call the Beatitudes. He says, “Blessed are” the sort of people who probably don’t feel all that blessed — those who are poor, mourning, meek, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, persecuted, and reviled. We don’t like being poor, or in grief, or humble enough to put others first, or attacked by the people around us. It’s hard work being a peacemaker, or showing mercy, or staying pure of heart, or constantly yearning to get closer to God’s righteousness.

It’s interesting that two of the beatitudes mention righteousness: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness” and “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matt. 5:6, 10, KJV). This word refers to “the condition acceptable to God” and/or “the doctrine concerning the way which man may attain a state of approval by God” (Thayer’s G1343, dikaiosune). It relates to our state of being and the way we live. In fact, when you think about it, all the beatitudes relate to something we do and/or become as we follow God.

A Closer Look At The Beatitudes | marissabaker.wordpress.com — Photo credit: Temi Coker via Lightstock

We Need A Relationship

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:3, KJV)

There’s more than one word that could be translated from Greek as “poor.” This one means “reduced to beggary” and “lacking anything” (Thayer’s G4434, ptochos). When we’re like that in our spirits, we’re really in a place to recognize how much we need a relationship with the Father and Jesus. We become the sort of person the Lord is talking about when He says, “to this man will I look, even to he who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word” (Is. 66:2, WEB).

We Have Broken Hearts

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Matt. 5:4, KJV)

We all experience grief. The death of a parent, child, or dear friend. The loss of a hope held close to our hearts. The decay of a relationship. Betrayal from a friend. And even in the midst of that mourning, we’re blessed because God promises comfort (John 14:16-18; 2 Cor. 1:3-7). He can respond to our tears as powerfully as He did for David in the situation recorded in Psalm 6. Read more →

Make It A Spring

11 February, 201717 February, 2017Marissa

Sometimes we walk through a season of life that feels like a wilderness. Barren, lonely, forsaken. We might even feel like this is the end. That things are hopeless.

That’s where Elijah was when he fled Jezebel. He went out in the wilderness, sat by a tree, and asked God to let him die. Instead, God gave him food and water and sent him to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:1-8). There, Elijah made his complaint. “Then he said, ‘I have been very zealous for Yahweh the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant. They have demolished your altars, and they have killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left over, and they seek to take my life'” (1 Kings 19:10, LEB).

Yahweh responds by showing His power, reassuring Elijah that he was not the only believer left, and giving him a job to do (1 Kings 19:11-18). Elijah thought things were hopeless but God had other ideas. He had a plan for Elijah and an even larger plan Elijah didn’t know about.

click to read article, "Make It A Spring" | marissabaker.wordpress.com — Photo Credit: “Spring Runoff” by Ian Sane, CC BY via Flickr

Transforming Your Wilderness

For all of us, it’s easy to feel like we’re insignificant to God’s plan. But no one is too small for God to do marvelous things with. In fact, God often chooses the poor, weak, and little because those are the ones easiest for Him to work powerfully in (1 Cor. 1:26-31; 2 Cor. 12:9-10)

When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. (Is 41:17, KJV)

God’s Message Through the Aaronic Blessing

23 January, 201625 July, 2018Marissa

At a conference this past December, I attended an excellent seminar by a gentleman named Hal exploring the depth of the Hebrew words used in the Aaronic blessing (I want to credit him, but not sure if he’d want his full name used here, so we’ll just stick with first names). This blessing goes like this in the New King James Version: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-26).

These words are lovely in English, but I was awed by how much more incredible they are when you start digging deep into the Hebrew meanings. In this article, we’re going to take a deep-dive into the words originally used to record this blessing. These words illuminate an encouraging, hopeful message that God continues to share with us today.