The God Shot With Tara-Leigh Cobble

The God Shot: Philemon 1:6

"I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ." (Philemon 1:6)The apostle Paul wrote this letter to Philemon to ask him for a favor. He wanted Philemon to forgive someone who had sinned against him and repented. Philemon had already been demonstrating God's love toward others in the church and now Paul is asking him to extend that love again. As Philemon shares his faith in God with those around him, it reveals God's heart and character to a watching world. They see what it looks like to know God and be changed by Him and when they see that God is glorified. You will have struggles today. As the world watches, may you be a person God uses to reveal His heart to them. May your faith become effective for the full knowledge of Christ. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Philemon 1:4-5

"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus." (Philemon 1:4-5)This is just the intro to Paul's letter to a man named Philemon, but somehow Paul manages to fill it with theology. Even his hellos and goodbyes can show us a lot about who God is if we pay attention. So what do we see about God in this verse? Did you see who Paul thanked for Philemon's faith and love, not Philemon. Instead, he thanks God for it. He rightly recognizes God as the source of all elements: faith, love, and good works. God is the source of supply and goal. When we try to do things in our own strength, we will come to the end of ourselves, but when we tap into the love God has poured out to us, we're able to extend it to others. God is our source and he's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Titus 3:10-11

"Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned." (Titus 3:10-11)Paul wrote this letter to Titus, whose church had problems with false teachers. Paul doesn't just want Titus to be right. He wants him to be wise in how he responds to division. First, Paul tells Titus to avoid quarrels and controversies. Then he tells him how to handle members of his church who don't avoid those things. People who stir up division in the church over second and third-tier issues take the focus off the gospel and our response to it. The gospel is what God has done for us and in response, we love him and share his love with others. May you be an ambassador of the gospel today and an ambassador of peace and love demonstrating His love to a watching world. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Titus 3:9

"But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless." (Titus 3:9)Paul wrote this letter to Titus, whose church had problems with false teachers. Paul doesn't just want Titus to be right, He wants him to be wise and how he responds to division passes to avoid foolish controversies. Don't waste your time on quarrels about the law. They don't benefit people. Why not? Isn't the truth important? Yes, the truth of the gospel is important. But that's not what these quarrels were about. They were about second and third-tier issues. When we get worked up over those things, we lose our audience. They stop listening. They can't hear the gospel because we've shouted too long about other things. Today, may we walk in the wisdom Paul gave to Titus, pointing others to the main thing, Jesus, because He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Titus 3:8

"This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone." (Titus 3:8)When the apostle Paul wrote this letter to a young pastor named Titus, his church was struggling with a lot of the same things. Most of the churches were in the first century where there were lots of false teachers leading people astray. Even though this happened 2000 years ago, we still have these problems today and we do well to listen to Paul's words. Believe in God and devote yourself to good works because it will benefit you and everyone around you as you demonstrate God and His love to a watching world. No matter what light or darkness your day holds, it is no threat to His light! He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Titus 3:6-7

"whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:6-7)Do you know that you've inherited the kingdom of God? You are a co-heir alongside Jesus! This life will disappoint you no doubt and the things we longed for will fade, fall apart, and decay. However, our eternal inheritance includes a life with the God who saved us. On this side of eternity, He has granted us His Holy Spirit to dwell in us and remind us of that hope. He has granted us Jesus Christ who lived a righteous life and then traded His righteousness for our sin, saving us by His life and death. What grace! What hope! If you feel hopeless today, lift up your eyes and set your heart on tomorrow where your hope will be fulfilled by perfect love. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: Titus 3:4-5

"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit," (Titus 3:4-5)Goodness, loving-kindness, Savior, mercy, washing, regeneration, renewal: there is so much of God's character in these verses. And on top of that, we see all three persons of the Trinity here, Father, Son, and Spirit. The Father sent the Son to save us and sent the Spirit to bring us new life and continue His work in us. It was all set in motion by the Father's very good plan and what He initiates, He will sustain and He will fulfill. He always finishes what He starts so take heart Christian, He hasn't given up on you. He's with you and He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: 2 Timothy 4:5

"But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:5)Timothy probably felt very alone. He was leading a young church in a pagan culture and that church was dealing with lots of false teachers. It may have been tempting to be hot-headed when dealing with the people around him. So his mentor Paul reminded him to be sober-minded, logical, and sensible. He also encouraged him to endure suffering, it is promised to us after all! In the midst of opponents and suffering, Paul didn't want Timothy to lose his focus. The focus shouldn't be on resisting the opponents or the suffering, but on preaching the good news of Jesus. When life is harder than we want it to be, we don't suffer like the world does because our suffering will always carry with it the eternal hope of our eternal King Jesus. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: 2 Timothy 4:3-4

"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)Wow. It seems like Paul could have written these words yesterday. Paul's mentee, Timothy, was leading a young church in a pagan culture and they were dealing with lots of false teachers. False teachers tend to peddle two different types of messages: abundance or fear. The abundance type ignores the message that Christians will suffer and the fear type ignores the message that while suffering is promised, it isn't the point. Both of those things fix our eyes on the temporary, not the eternal, making it easy for us to be short-sighted and misled. Paul wants us to remember the hopeful truth of our eternal King Jesus. He's where the joy is!

The God Shot: 2 Timothy 4:1-2

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction." (2 Timothy 4:1-2)Have you ever had a mentor? Here Paul is challenging his mentee, Timothy, to preach God's word at all times and be prepared to patiently guide, correct, and encourage people. The patience is the hard part, right? But do you know how Timothy could access that patience? By remembering the way God has dealt with him, he can tap into God's kindness to him as he deals with others. In the verses immediately before these, Paul says God teaches, reproves, and corrects us too. Lean into His direction and kindness as you deal with others today. He's where the joy is!