peace to live by

The Delivery of the Good News, Part 2 (TMF:2880)

Friday, May 22, 2026
Peace to Live By: The Delivery of the Good News, Part 2 (TMF:2880) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       Think about it. God wants the delivery to be clear. A great deal of churches (again, using other verses to back up why they do what they do), have worked toward this, making the message modern and sometimes they say “relevant.” And that does seem good, that it be appealing to those in the common culture. It’s not that it should be immoral or something like that—nobody hopefully would agree with that—though some do want to water-things-down, or even change things to match the current societal persuasions. We know this and it is seen and heard about from time to time. On the other hand, the Evangelical church seems to have overall done this really well—presenting the good news clearly—and on top of that, presenting it in a light that most can understand. There are numerous ways this is accomplished. Through using modern examples and illustrations, through using modern themes, modern tie-ins, and not using language that isn’t current with our times.

The Delivery of the Good News, Part 1 (TMF:2879)

Thursday, May 21, 2026
Peace to Live By: The Delivery of the Good News, Part 1 (TMF:2879) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       Just as against the Gospel is the power of Satan, so is power that carries along the Gospel the power of God. So, it is power versus power. Opposition toward the Gospel doesn’t only come from man’s heart, it comes with Satanic and demonic activity against it. Finishing up the verse, “on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak” (ESV). Yet the prayer request goes further. It isn’t simply that Paul asks for prayer as pertains to actually proclaiming and spreading the good news, but it is actually also that it may be made clear, which he says, “is how I ought to speak.” This verse doesn’t seem to be brought up much as others as pertains the methodology behind proclaiming the Word of God, but really, at the end of the day, it’s a verse that can give us keen insight into what God desires as pertains to how that message is proclaimed.

Events Not Going God's Way, Part 3 (TMF:2878)

Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Peace to Live By: Events Not Going God's Way, Part 3 (TMF:2878) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       We need not forget the fact that the mystery, the message of the Gospel, can sometimes lead to imprisonment or worse. Unlikely here in the United States, but elsewhere in the world, we know that it is true. That’s what speaking the truth can do because, after all, people who are “following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience,” as Paul told the Ephesians, those persons often don’t want that message to advance. That’s partly due to their heavy sin, and that’s partly because the power of Satan is at work within them. Recall, Paul told the Romans, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV). Just as against the Gospel is the power of Satan, so is power that carries along the Gospel the power of God.

Events Not Going God's Way, Part 2 (TMF:2877)

Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Peace to Live By: Events Not Going God's Way, Part 2 (TMF:2877) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       And then, some would say God wanted to establish the earthly Kingdom for the Israelites first while Jesus was here on the earth, but then he was crucified. That certainly can be debated. But the point is that events don’t always go God’s way, as Paul was now in prison, and he asked the Colossians to pray for him to be released so that he could go around and proclaim the good news. If God wanted Paul to be in prison, then why would the Colossians pray any further. If the message would automatically be spread, then the Colossians didn’t need to pray. Even if one says they had to pray for obedience’s sake, the message still would have been spread until under mindset, if God had foreordained it. In actuality, it seems best to understand that the prayer would affect the future, and failure to pray for Paul and his companions could bring unsatisfactory consequences, and individuals might not be saved that otherwise would have been. That’s why the prayer is asked for.

Events Not Going God's Way, Part 1 (TMF:2876)

Monday, May 18, 2026
Peace to Live By: Events Not Going God's Way, Part 1 (TMF:2876) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       Satan is reaping havoc on things, on the world, and people are choosing the wrong path. Paul and his companions are being persecuted. Nonetheless, it happened to Jesus first. He rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. He should have been crowned as King. Yet he wasn’t. He was crucified instead. While God said this would happen, it wasn’t his first plan. Not at all. His first plan, going all, all the way back, was to have Adam and Eve reside in the Garden sin-free, and then populate the earth sin-free. God never wanted them to sin. Sin is never what God wants. And then, some would say God wanted to establish the earthly Kingdom for the Israelites first while Jesus was here on the earth, but then he was crucified. That certainly can be debated. But the point is that events don’t always go God’s way, as Paul was now in prison, and he asked the Colossians to pray for him to be released so that he could go around and proclaim the good news.

The Mystery of Christ in You, Part 2 (TMF:2875)

Friday, May 15, 2026
Peace to Live By: The Mystery of Christ in You, Part 2 (TMF:2875) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       In Genesis 12, we see a small glimpse into this, when God says to Abraham, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3, ESV). This is merely the beginning of the whole foreshadowing. And it tell us, had Israel not rejected the Messiah, had things gone differently (for, again, God does not foreordain sin and individuals have freedom), if things had gone differently, God still would have blessed the Gentiles and included them. It shows the beautiful hand of God in the whole thing, how from the very beginnings he planned to bless everyone, to take care of everyone. But circumstances in the world are different from what God had planned, and from what the Apostle Paul himself even wanted, for Paul says he is “in prison” on account of the mystery. In prison? Wow, that doesn’t sound like things are going the direction they should. It’s particularly sad.

The Mystery of Christ in You, Part 1 (TMF:2874)

Thursday, May 14, 2026
Peace to Live By: The Mystery of Christ in You, Part 1 (TMF:2874) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       “…that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison” (Colossians 4:3, ESV). What is this mystery of Christ that Paul wants, desires, to proclaim to others? If we recall, he discussed this in chapter 1. There he said, “the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26, 27, ESV). So, the mystery is “Christ in you.” “Christ in you.” We talked about this at length in chapter 1. It’s not only the Jewish people, then, who can, do, and will have Christ live in them (through the Holy Spirit), but it also includes the Gentile peoples. Unquestionably, God prophesied this all the way back toward the beginning.

Asking for Prayer, Part 3 (TMF:2873)

Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Peace to Live By: Asking for Prayer, Part 3 (TMF:2873) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       But he wants there to be opportunity. This is something that has to be brought before God. The implication then is that if the church doesn’t pray for this, that in not fulfilling Paul’s request he could actually be delayed, or that there could actually come no opportunity at all. Paul certainly believes that prayer affects the future in the way one wants. Otherwise, he wouldn’t ask the Colossians to pray. And we’ve already gone over the fact, early on in our study, that raising our petitions to God does produce a difference in our lives and in the lives of others, that we can genuinely sway God’s hand when it comes to things. It’s not that everything is already predetermined, or that God’s will is always done, or that what happens is automatically God’s will, as many, many will state. No, prayer can and does have an effect, and it matters whether or not we pray, and what we pray for.

Asking for Prayer, Part 2 (TMF:2872)

Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Peace to Live By: Asking for Prayer, Part 2 (TMF:2872) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       In this case, Paul has asked that the church in Colossae pray that God would open a door. Specifically, a door that the Gospel may be spread. That seems best how to understand what the word “word” truly represents because it is what he has been talking about in this entire letter in one way or another. Thus, opportunity to evangelize is what he requested. Notice that the prayer is that God “open to us a door.” At the moment Paul is writing this, there apparently isn’t opportunity, but he wants there to be opportunity. This is something that has to be brought before God. The implication then is that if the church doesn’t pray for this, that in not fulfilling Paul’s request he could actually be delayed, or that there could actually come no opportunity at all. Paul certainly believes that prayer affects the future in the way one wants. Otherwise, he wouldn’t ask the Colossians to pray.

Asking for Prayer, Part 1 (TMF:2871)

Monday, May 11, 2026
Peace to Live By: Asking for Prayer, Part 1 (TMF:2871) - Daniel Litton
(Tap to play feature or right-click to download)

       “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word” (Colossians 4:3, ESV). Paul asks for prayer. Asking for prayer. An important element of the Christian life, and one which we seem to do a good job at practicing. That’s why we shouldn’t ever be alone. This is just one verse of many verses that can be pointed to establish that fact. How can a Christian ask other Christians to pray for him or her if they are living their life independent of a group of believers? Even if you can’t find a church you completely agree with (for who truly can?), one in which you at least half agree with is better than none at all. You don’t have to agree with everything a church states in order to go there, to attend there, to fellowship with other believers. So, we can and should pray for each other—pray for the needs that we have, those which we actually present to each other.