Posts from November 2020 (Page 2)
Daily Devotions
Psalm 95:1-7a “O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” vss. 1-2 As the worship quarantine continues in our congregations, one of the things we’re missing the most is lifting our voices in songs of praise and thanksgiving. In fact, we’ve been told by those who understand how…
Daily Devotions
Ezekiel 34:20-34 “Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged…” vss. 21-22a The scattering of people does not happen by chance. Ezekiel used the sheep metaphor to describe exactly what takes place. The fat and the strong sheep bully the weaker members of the flock and chase them away from their sources…
Daily Devotions
Ezekiel 34:11-16 “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep…I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.” vss. 15a-16 Ezekiel liked the metaphor of shepherd to describe the relationship of God to the people of Judah. Like lost sheep they had been scattered and left to…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 25:24-30 “For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” vs. 29 Jesus’ parables can be read either from the perspective of law or gospel. In this instance our inclination is to immediately go to the law and see his story as a warning not to bury our talents. Sometimes readers will even be upset by the action…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 25:14-18 “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.” vss. 14-15 Essentially, all that we do in life is stewardship. Every person on the planet has been entrusted with gifts and abilities that are the legacy of our Creator. No one has been exempted and each has been blessed…
Daily Devotions
1 Thessalonians 5:6-11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” vs. 11 Paul loved the people of Thessalonica and encouraged them to stand firm in faith and not be discouraged by Christ’s failure to return as they had hoped. They weren’t going to miss out on salvation no matter what happened. That assurance was theirs by grace and couldn’t be taken away. Having said that, he goes on to recommend encouragement as a…
Daily Devotions
1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 “But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.” vss. 4-5 These are not easy days for any of us. We’re still dealing with the fall-out from the elections, and while some are satisfied with the results, others are not. Certainly nothing has been done to address the deep…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 90:5-8, 12 “For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.” vss. 7-8 In the wake of the election we’ve seen waves of anger sweeping our country. There have been charges and countercharges, lawsuits filed, along with demonstrations and occasional violent protests. All these are a result of deep-seated resentments and all-consuming wrath. Some are wondering if our elected…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 90:1-4 “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” vss. 1-2 The psalmist’s sense of God was deep and profound, far beyond the silly notions we hear bandied about in our time. There is no hint that he pictured the Divine as anything other than the “ground of all being.” Even before there was…
Daily Devotions
Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 “Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.” vs. 18 Prophets like Zephaniah had harsh words for the people of Israel and Judah. They were careful observers and it was obvious to them that the nation had strayed…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 25:8-13 “And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.” vs. 10 While the parable of the wise and the foolish bridesmaids is uncomplicated, it arouses a variety of questions for contemporary followers of Jesus. In its original context it seems designed to encourage believers to remain faithful and not be discouraged as they waited for the expected return of Jesus.…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 25:1-7 “Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” vss. 2-4 At the beginning of his ministry Jesus concluded his Sermon on the Mount with a story about a wise man who built his house on a rock, and a foolish man who built his house on sand. The winds blew and the floods rose; one…