Tara-Leigh Cobble

Think of all Paul encountered in his travels.

And then imagine a woman doing that in that day and culture.

So Paul tells the church, give that woman whatever she needs.

Yes, sir.

He goes on to list other men and women he wants them to greet, including A&P, whom he says risked their lives for him.

This is almost certainly not hyperbole.

They probably nearly died to help Paul advance the gospel, probably during the riots in Ephesus.

Then, just as his pen is about to run out of ink, he's like, here are some people I do not want you to greet.

the people who deceive the hearts of the naive.

This is just a quick line, but it points out that what we know informs our hearts.

Knowledge can protect us from deception.

That's huge, especially if we don't want to be misled about who God is.

I'm so excited about my God shot.

It's in 1620, which says, "'The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.'"

First of all, it's interesting that the God of peace is doing some crushing.

In order to bring peace into any situation, you can't ignore the chaos.

You have to address it.

So God addresses the chaos of Satan and evil, and he crushes it.

Second, this verse shows us that we are participants in the battle God has won.

God crushes Satan under our feet.