Posts from May 2022 (Page 2)

Posts from May 2022 (Page 2)

Daily Devotions

But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” vs. 27 Revelation 21:10, 21-27 As the book of Revelation draws to a close, its writer describes the holy city of Jerusalem as the center of God’s new creation. The vision brings to mind the great castles of Fantasyland, a place where there is no night, death will be no more, and everything is suffused…

Daily Devotions

Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! … Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! … Young men and women alike, old and young together!” vss. 7-8, 10, 12 Psalm 148 The psalmist understood that all things have their origin in the Great Mystery, Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe, and that humans are a part of the web of…

Daily Devotions

When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.” vs. 13 Acts 16:11-13 When Paul and his companions arrived in Philippi after crossing the Aegean Sea, there wasn’t an established synagogue but there were some Greek women who were God-fearers; i.e., they had been attracted to Jewish teachings but had not become converts. Paul found them…

Daily Devotions

During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’” vs. 9 Acts 16:9-12 When Paul began his missionary journeys he didn’t have an outreach plan or an executive assistant. Guided by the Holy Spirit he flew by the seat of his pants, moving from one city to the next, totally dependent on the hospitality of strangers. Most often he would seek out the synagogues…

Daily Devotions

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” vs. 34 John 13:31-35 It’s back to basics today. Jesus was leaving the disciples and he knew they would miss him–he wouldn’t be teaching or guiding them any longer, and they would struggle to know what to do. So he makes his final instruction as plain as he possibly could and his words have echoed through the…

Daily Devotions

Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.’” vs. 6 Revelation 21:5-6 Whatever else we might say about the writer who gifted us with the book of Revelation, he definitely had a sense of God’s majesty and glory. He knew that the Great Mystery was the Alpha and the Omega,…

Daily Devotions

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” vs. 1 Revelation 21:1-4 Events of the past months have reawakened the fear of atomic war in the hearts of people. It seems that even in these “enlightened” times there are those who would willingly wreak havoc and destruction on their fellow human beings. Some believe that as weapons become more deadly, life…

Daily Devotions

The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.” vss. 6-7 Psalm 67:3-7 There is no doubt that as inhabitants of the earth we have been blessed by God in unbelievable ways. There are now more than 7.7 billion people in the world and every day all those persons have to be fed, clothed, and housed–and all the resources come from our…

Daily Devotions

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.” vss. 1-2 Psalm 67:1-2 The psalmist believed that if the Lord would continue to be gracious to Israel and shower blessings on the people, it would be a witness to the nations of God’s favor. Perhaps, he reasoned, they would be so impressed that they too would begin to…

Daily Devotions

When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, ‘Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.’” vs. 11 Acts 11:11-18 Luke leaves us with the impression that this one conversation was enough to change the minds of the Jerusalem believers and open their hearts to the uncircumcised. Of course we know from Paul’s letters that it took years for the gospel to be seen in an inclusive way. Judaizers dogged…

Daily Devotions

So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’” vss. 2-3 Acts 11:1-10 Oh how hard it is for the community of faith to actually practice inclusion! In Peter’s day the circumcised believers found it impossible to believe that the uncircumcised could be included among the faithful. When word came to them that Peter had been seen having table fellowship with Gentiles, they were appalled…

Daily Devotions

My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” vss. 27-28 John 10:27-30 We’ve entered into the primary season in our election cycle and politicians of every stripe are spending millions of dollars to craft messages that they believe will attract the most voters to their cause. Sometimes the process isn’t pretty. It doesn’t seem to be necessary…