Posts from 2020 (Page 20)
Daily Devotions: May 23, 2020
May 23, 2020 John 17:1-6 … “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.” vs. 4 According to John, Jesus glorified God by finishing the work that he had been given to do. It’s no accident then that in John’s Gospel, Jesus’ last words from the cross are, “It is finished!” He had completed his mission and was ready for whatever came next. This isn’t a bad model for those who desire to…
Daily Devotions: May 22, 2020
May 22, 2020 1 Peter 5:6-11 … “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.” vs. 6 The longer we live in this world the more likely it is that we will come to understand the virtues of humility. We just don’t have all the answers and we don’t have solutions to every problem. Some things are beyond the capacity of human minds to comprehend or figure out. Naturally, some…
Daily Devotions: May 21, 2020
May 21, 2020 1 Peter 4:12-14 … “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” vs 12 Believers are regularly promised in the New Testament writings that they should not be surprised when suffering came their way. Times were different and persecutions came sporadically but inevitably to people of faith. They are told by their leaders that they should regard these ordeals…
Daily Devotions: May 20, 2020
May 20, 2020 Psalm 68:32-35 … “Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, Selah” vs. 32 The word Selah occurs 71 times in the Psalms, always at the end of a verse, and no one knows what it means! Oh, some scholars have made guesses. Many say it is some sort of a liturgical direction that was used in temple worship, perhaps signaling a pause, but no one really knows for sure. Undoubtedly, at…
Daily Devotions: May 19, 2020
May 19, 2020 Psalm 68:1-10 … “Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds—his name is the Lord— be exultant before him.” vs. 4 When our ancient ancestors watched the clouds roll across the sky, they sometimes imagined them as chariots of the Lord—the God of the storms who had the power to vanquish hated enemies and provide relief for the oppressed. It’s an impressive image! In all of…
Daily Devotions: May 18, 2020
May 18, 2020 Acts 1:6-14 … “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” vs. 8 Many people have given up trying to understand the ascension of Jesus in a literal way. It doesn’t make any sense to their logical scientific minds. But, for Luke it has enormous significance as a transition point between the…
Daily Devotions: May 17, 2020
May 17, 2020 John 14:18-21 … “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” vs. 21 John’s powerful and affirming words of love in this portion of his Gospel have lifted the hearts of Christians for centuries. It just feels so good to know that Christ dwells in us and that love is the…
Daily Devotions: May 16, 2020
May 16, 2020 John 14:15-17 … “This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” vs. 17 Spirit-talk is almost always mysterious; it’s the language we use when we try to describe the everyday nearness of God, and that’s close to an impossible task. Some people, many people maybe, never seem to get what we’re saying…
Daily Devotions: May 15, 2020
May 15, 2020 1 Peter 3:18-22 … “in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.” vss. 19-20 Peter reminds us that in the early years of the Church, believers gravitated toward the image of the ark as a metaphor for…
Daily Devotions: May 14, 2020
May 14, 2020 1 Peter 3:13-17 … “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” vss. 15b-16a The people Peter was addressing were living in turbulent times and their situation was quite different from ours. Believers were very much a minority group and regularly faced questions and even persecution from their adversaries. Peter advises patience in suffering but also…
Daily Devotions: May 13, 2020
May 13, 2020 Psalm 66:8-20 … “Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.” vss. 8-9 We still don’t know when or if life will return to normal as we continue to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, the middle of May is seen as a time to loosen restrictions and begin to open up the economy.…
Daily Devotions: May 12, 2020
May 12, 2020 Acts 17:26-31 … “For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’” vs. 28 Luke remembered that Paul’s debate with the Athenians on Mars Hill contained a couple of apt references to Greek poets, and that Paul seemed to share their perspectives on the Divine Presence. Paul taught, as did those ancient philosophers, that all people are the children…