Posts from June 2022 (Page 2)
Daily Devotions
As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.” vs. 27 Luke 8:26-31 Many of the homeless who can be seen in the streets of our cities suffer with various forms of mental illness. Some find refuge in shelters but many simply wander, looking for food and begging, and often being a…
Daily Devotions
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” vs. 29 Galatians 3:27-29 Guided by the Spirit, Paul had developed a magnificent vision of unity in the Church that aligned perfectly with the desires of Jesus for his followers. He knew that the congregations of Galatia were a mixture of Jews and Greeks, slave and free, and men and…
Daily Devotions
Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.” vs. 23 Galatians 3:23-26 Looking back, Paul now sees that his life before Christ, under the law, was like a rigid imprisonment. Strict adherence to the commandments and the ordinances kept him on the straight and narrow, but at a cost. He never experienced the freedom that comes with faith and grace. In this letter to the Galatians, he explores that new life…
Daily Devotions
For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.” vs. 24 Psalm 22:19-28 While being a follower of Jesus includes being a part of a community, most of us probably relate to God from the perspective of an individual. We might have a sense of what is going on for others, rejoicing and grieving with them in our life together, but we…
Daily Devotions
Thus says the Lord: As the wine is found in the cluster, and they say, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,’ so I will do for my servants’ sake, and not destroy them all.” Isaiah 65:8-9 As the prophet considered the nation’s behavior following their return from Babylon, he was stunned at the way they rejected the Lord and adopted pagan practices. If he had been their God he would have washed his hands of…
Daily Devotions
I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that did not call on my name.” vs. 1 Isaiah 65:1-7 The prophet was amazed at the attitude of the returned people of Israel. They had been set free from captivity, but showed little interest in returning to their Lord. Instead they sought out exotic gods…
Daily Devotions
He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” vs. 14 John 16:14-15 Jesus had given the disciples a mission, to love as they had been loved, and he had given them the Holy Spirit as a guide. And because the world was so tumultuous and the challenges so great, in those early years they relied heavily on the daily guidance of that Spirit. Now that isn’t as easy as it sounds. There…
Daily Devotions
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…” vss. 12-13a John 16:12-13 Jesus had given the disciples the basics; he’d told them to love one another unconditionally. Well enough, but it didn’t take long for them to discover that there were a lot more things to learn about being his followers, especially as they found themselves immersed in the…
Daily Devotions
And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…” vss. 3-4a Romans 5:3-5 There are some who believe that when they consciously begin to walk with Jesus, things will turn around for them in every way. Diseases and relationships will be healed, business will flourish, wealth will increase, and faith will be strengthened. All the glitches of life that affect ordinary people will just disappear…
Daily Devotions
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…” vs. 1-2a Romans 5:1-2 There are some people who stopped going to worship during COVID times and discovered that they really didn’t miss it. They liked having Sunday mornings free, and found that they could fill their spiritual needs just as well in walks beside still waters and quiet evenings…
Daily Devotions
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” vss. 3-4 Psalm 8 The psalmist had never seen a picture from the Hubble Telescope; he didn’t have a clue about how old or immense the universe actually is. His conclusions were drawn completely from observations of the dark skies and years of contemplation.…
Daily Devotions
…then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.” vs. 30-31 Proverbs 8:22-31 Occasionally, when we look closely at the foundational writings of our faith community, we’re surprised at what we discover. For instance, many of us didn’t realize that in the Wisdom book of Proverbs the Lord is described as having had Sophia (Wisdom) as his female partner…