Posts from June 2018 (Page 2)
Daily Devotions: June 18 , 2018
June 18, 2018 Job 38:1-11…“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.” vs. 4 People have long asked, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”–and have struggled to find suitable answers. The writer of Job is certainly familiar with the question and has presented a long narrative exploring various answers. In the course of his story, he presents God’s response to Job’s laments in colorful and provocative ways. His images…
Daily Devotions: June 17 , 2018
June 17, 2018 Mark 4:30-34…“With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.” vss. 33-34 As a teacher, Jesus regularly used parables to pass on the great truths of the kingdom of God. For the most part they’re short and uncomplicated, and use familiar examples to give glimpses of God’s work. They’re similar to…
Daily Devotions: June 16 , 2018
June 16, 2018 Mark 4:26-29…“He also said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.’” vss. 26-27 From ancient times, those who till the soil and plant crops have generally had a strong appreciation of God’s role in the whole process, and, at harvest time, have led the way in making sacrifices and giving…
Daily Devotions: June 15 , 2018
June 15, 2018 2 Corinthians 5:14-17…“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” vs. 17 Insanity has been described in the AA program as doing the same thing over and over again, each time hoping for different results. It’s a good definition, one that most of us have had some experience with. In this view, real change can only happen when the old has passed away, and…
Daily Devotions: June 14 , 2018
June 14, 2018 Corinthians 5:6-10…“For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.” vs. 10 As followers of Jesus pick and choose their favorite passages of scripture, they often skip over verses like this one from Paul. Those who bask in the grace freely offered by God are troubled by intimations that there might one day be a time…
Daily Devotions: June 13 , 2018
June 13, 2018 Psalm 92:12-15…“In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap, showing that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” vss. 14-15 The psalmist has noticed that the righteous will often seem to live forever. He compares them to a cedar or palm tree planted in the courts of God. They live on and on as faithful servants and continue to bear fruit even…
Daily Devotions: June 12 , 2018
June 12, 2018 Psalm 92:1-4…“For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.” vs. 4 There are some days that seem better than others. We wake in the morning with a smile on our faces, and through the day we are alert to the blessings of our lives and the pure wonder of being alive in this spectacular spot in the universe. The psalmist was having one of…
Daily Devotions: June 11 , 2018
June 11, 2018 Ezekiel 17:22-24…“Thus says the Lord God: I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of a cedar; I will set it out. I will break off a tender one from the topmost of its young twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.” vs. 22 Ezekiel writes from Babylon at a time of crisis and turmoil in Jerusalem. The expected military help from Egypt had not arrived and the last Davidic…
Daily Devotions: June 10 , 2018
June 10, 2018 Mark 3:31-35…“And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” vss. 34-35 We get mixed messages from scripture about Jesus’ relationship with his family. John and Luke indicate that by the end of his life, Mary and his brother, James, were on board with his mission, but Mark tells us there was a disconnect early on.…
Daily Devotions: June 9 , 2018
June 9, 2018 Mark 3:20-30…“When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’” vs. 21 It’s disheartening sometimes to realize how many naysayers there are among us. As soon as someone attains some measure of notoriety, background investigations are launched and inevitably dirt begins to appear in the news. We hear all the old stories of past indiscretions and unsubstantiated accusations–and some of us love it. We…
A Special Feeling for Veterans
When Richard and Nancy Christiansen of Ann Arbor, Michigan built a winter condo in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2000, they were introduced to Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center in Carefree by Pastor Bob Hutson. Over the years Richard and Nancy have attended day lectures at the retreat center, and during one Christmas, their entire family were guests at the center for a special family Christmas celebration. Richard said, “Spirit in the Desert is a special place for renewal and healing…
Daily Devotions: June 8 , 2018
June 8, 2018 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1…“So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” vs. 16 Our situation is very different from that of the Thessalonians, yet our concerns are similar. Paul had assured them that the Day of Lord was at hand, that Jesus would be returning soon, but nothing had happened. Instead, they were getting older and some of them had died. So he…