Posts from 2020 (Page 26)
Daily Devotions: March 13, 2020
March 13, 2020 John 4:5-14 … “The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)” vs. 9 As John tells the story, Jesus doesn’t mess around with the long detour around Samaria that Galileans Jews generally used on their journey to Jerusalem. He takes the direct route and at the well near Sychar, a Samaritan city, gives a Samaritan…
Daily Devotions: March 12, 2020
March 12, 2020 Romans 5:6-11 … “Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.” vs. 7 Some theologian types through the years have put forward the notion that Jesus’ death was a sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world. Now they can certainly find verses in Scripture to back their position; indeed, there are many parallels that can be made between the Jewish sacrificial system and…
Daily Devotions: March 11, 2020
March 11, 2020 Romans 5:1-5 … “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand…” vss. 1-2 Paul realized that there was no point in hammering away at people with words of law and judgment. He’d had enough of that as a Pharisee and it had led him on a violent path of condemnation. He knew that even though…
Daily Devotions: March 10, 2020
March 10, 2020 Psalm 95 … “For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.’ Therefore in my anger I swore, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” vss. 10-11 Israel’s family story had some patches of what sounds like parental abuse. As they remembered their time in the wilderness, they heard about the problems at Meribah and Rephidim when the wanderers had been directed by…
Daily Devotions: March 9, 2020
March 9, 2020 Exodus 17:1-7 … “From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.” vs. 1 We can assume that Expedia was not available for Moses as he began leading the people through the wilderness! As a result, he was forced to rely upon the Lord as travel planner, and it really didn’t work very well.…
Daily Devotions: March 8, 2020
March 8, 2020 John 3:14-17 … “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” vs. 16 Sometimes the Gospel of John can be a bit disconcerting. Jesus sounds different, more divine than human, and we can have a hard time getting used to the change in voice. In this third chapter, for instance, what begins as a conversation with Nicodemus…
Daily Devotions: March 7, 2020
March 7, 2020 John 3:9-13 … “Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?’” vss. 9-10 Nicodemus didn’t understand Jesus’ talk about the Spirit of God. It wasn’t that he didn’t know the Scriptures, after all he was a teacher of the law, but he didn’t get that the Spirit blows where it wills and not according to our presuppositions. People can…
Daily Devotions: March 6, 2020
March 6, 2020 John 3:1-8 … “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” vs. 8 It’s amusing sometimes to hear people talk with such great assurance about God’s presence in this world. They seem to have some sort of direct line to the Divine Presence that is available only to…
Daily Devotions: March 5, 2020
March 5, 2020 Romans 4:13-17 … For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us)…vs. 16 Paul was writing to a community in Rome that included both Gentile and Jewish followers of Jesus Christ, and he was thrilled to…
Daily Devotions: March 4, 2020
March 4, 2020 Romans 4:1-5 … “But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.” vs. 5 Paul takes pains to remind his readers that their ancestor, Abraham, was made righteous, not because of his works, but because of his faith. And then, in the process of making his point, he defines faith as trust. We would do well to remember his definition! Too often we fall into the trap of thinking…
Daily Devotions: March 3, 2020
March 3, 2020 Psalm 121 .. “I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” vss. 1-2 From ancient times humans have looked to the mountains as the dwelling place of the Divine Presence. The Hebrews were no different, people were forever building shrines in high places and using them for worship. The Psalmist likely shared in that understanding, he tells us that when trouble…
Daily Devotions: March 2, 2020
March 2, 2020 Genesis 12:1-4a … “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” vs. 2 Over the last few years large numbers of people have expressed a desire to see America become a great nation again. Although some would argue that America is already great, on the surface, there is certainly nothing wrong with aspiring to greatness. The question then becomes, “What is…