Posts from 2020 (Page 29)
Daily Devotions: February 7, 2020
February 7, 2020 For full passage click: 1 Corinthians 2:6-12 … “But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” vs 7 Whenever we try to wrap our heads around the Gospel it doesn’t take long to discover that there is a great mystery involved. What may have seemed simple at one point in our lives is actually deeper than we had ever imagined. It’s not that the message is enormously complicated–Paul…
The Spiritual Practice of Fasting-Part 2
Fasting is just about giving up chocolate or alcohol for Lent, isn’t it?” Actually, there are other ways of fasting, and, in the Christian tradition, other times of the Church year apart from Lent, when we are encouraged to fast. We discussed in “Fasting – Part 1,” that fasting from meals can help us make room for God, help us focus on our spiritual needs rather than our physical needs, and help us prepare for Church seasons such as Easter…
Daily Devotions: February 6, 2020
February 6, 2020 For full passage click: 1 Corinthians 2:1-4 … “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” vss. 1-2 For Paul, the whole Gospel revolves around Jesus Christ; beyond that central focus, everything else he expounds on in his letters is commentary. He really didn’t have to say…
Daily Devotions: February 5, 2020
February 5, 2020 For full passage click: Psalm 112:1-7 … “Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments…Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.” vss. 1, 3 Our Scriptures offer a broad range of perspectives on the God-pleasing life and the blessings that come to the faithful. Often we’re told that riches are deceptive and that the treasures of this world are ephemeral and dangerous. We’re used…
Daily Devotions: February 4, 2020
February 4, 2020 For full passage click: Isaiah 58:3-9a … “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” vs. 6 We humans are drawn to the trappings of religion and the intricate rituals that have become interwoven with our worship. We decorate our altars and sanctuaries with fine linens, valuable chalices, and beautiful paraments of many…
Daily Devotions: February 3, 2020
February 3, 2020 For full passage click: Isaiah 58:1-2 … “Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.” vs. 2 The nation of Israel believed that they had a special relationship with the Lord. There was a whole tribe dedicated to the care of the…
Daily Devotions: February 2, 2020
February 2, 2020 For full passage click: Matthew 5:7-12 … “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” vs. 9 Jesus tells us here that peacemakers get a special blessing in that they will be called children of God. We can infer from that designation that those who work for peace have a special connection to God and are a reflection of God’s being. It seems right then that there is an annual Nobel Peace Prize…
Daily Devotions: February 1, 2020
February 1, 2020 For full passage click: Matthew 5:1-6 … When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them…” vss. 1-2a As Matthew put together his story of Jesus, he made use of multiple resources, some written and some oral, and always he shows his appreciation for the Hebrew scriptures. He wants his readers, who were probably Jews, to be reminded…
Daily Devotions: January 31, 2020
January 31, 2020 For full passage click: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 … “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” vs. 30 Paul reminds the Corinthians that by the world’s standards, most of them were pretty unremarkable, and that’s how it has continued to be for the people of God. We are, for the most part, pretty ordinary folks, and yet we have an extraordinary calling…
Daily Devotions: January 30, 2020
January 30, 2020 For full passage click: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 … “For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles…” vss. 22-23 For many decades, the followers of Jesus struggled to put together a coherent testimony for what they had experienced. They were agreed that Jesus was the Messiah, but their message didn’t make any sense to outsiders. The expectation had been that the Messiah would be…
Daily Devotions: January 29, 2020
January 29, 2020 For full passage click: Psalm 15:3-5 … “who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be moved.” vs. 5 The Psalmist was familiar with the Law and its regulations against lending money at interest. For the Israelites, the reason was obvious. Anyone who asked to borrow money was in need, and it was just plain wrong to make money because of another…
Daily Devotions: January 28, 2020
January 28, 2020 For full passage click: Psalm 15:1-2 … “O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart;” vss. 1-2 Just so we don’t get the idea that Micah was the only person in ancient Israel who believed God cared about behavior and conduct, this Psalmist added his perspective. Who is a friend of God? One who…