Posts from March 2022

Posts from March 2022

Daily Devotions

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ…” vss. 8b-9a Philippians 3:8-9 Paul knew what it was like to have a righteousness that was based on the law. He had spent his entire life paying attention to the details…

Daily Devotions

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more…Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.” vss. 4b, 7 Philippians 3:4b-7 It’s no accident that Paul was a recognized leader in the early Church–he had exceptional qualifications and was brimming with confidence. And he certainly had no ego issues–he was proud of his ancestry and never backed away from controversy. Yet as he sat in prison, thinking…

Daily Devotions

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.” vss. 4-5 Psalm 126 Many of us have learned through bitter experience that when our smart phone or computer is malfunctioning, the first step in recovery is to reboot, to shut it down completely and then start it up again. Occasionally that works! Service is restored and we are ecstatic! The psalmist seems to have been looking for…

Daily Devotions

Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” www. 18-19 Isaiah 43:16-21 Some people live with their eyes on the past. They long for the way things used to be and spend valuable energy trying to get back to original intent when interpreting the documents of…

Daily Devotions

But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!’” vs. 17 Luke 15:11b-32 The prodigal had been living large, enjoying the seamy side of life and satisfying the needs of his body with self-indulgence. But then came the day he found himself scrounging for food in a pigsty, and his eyes were opened. As Jesus tells the story, he “came to…

Daily Devotions

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” vss. 1-2 Luke 15:1-3 Even though Luke was writing many years after Jesus’ ministry he clearly understood the reasons for the tension that had arisen between Jesus and the religious leaders. By welcoming sinners and eating with them Jesus was undermining centuries of religious tradition and practice. He…

Daily Devotions

that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” vs. 19 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 Most of us regularly and faithfully affirm our faith in Jesus as the Christ, and that’s a good and wonderful thing to do. But as we make our confession we should not imagine that Jesus was the first or only Christ–we simply cannot limit our understanding of Christ to Jesus…

Daily Devotions

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.” vs. 16 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Followers of Jesus love to explore his humanity–they read books about the historical Jesus and have debates about what he was really like. Some go on tours to the Holy Land to follow in his footsteps and see the places where…

Daily Devotions

Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.” vs. 9 Psalm 32:6-11 In recent months many have marveled at the divergent thinking that can emerge in times of crisis. Because all have access to multiple news and information sources, we have the opportunity to consider opposite points of view on just about every subject. And because some have declared that all…

Daily Devotions

Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” vs. 5 Psalm 32:1-5 For some reason many people seem to love carrying the burdens of the past as they try to make their way through a life that can at times be horribly difficult. Maybe they’ve been told that “big boys don’t cry” or have the impression…

Daily Devotions

The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.” vs. 12 Joshua 5:9-12 The writers of Israel’s history believed that God had led the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt and had given them the land of Canaan as their territory. Most of us simply accept the story and are impressed by the generosity of God–we’ve heard about…

Daily Devotions

He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” vss. 8-9 Luke 13:6-9 When we study scripture we tend to fall into the either-or trap–either this is true or that is true. For example, either we’re saved by grace or we’re saved by works, and we choose whichever “truth” suits our fancy…