Posts from July 2022

Posts from July 2022

Daily Devotions

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” vss. 20-21 Luke 12:16-21 Jesus told a parable about a man whose fields had done very well. In fact, they produced so much grain that the man didn’t have enough storage facilities. So he decided to…

Daily Devotions

Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’” vs. 13 Luke 12:13-15 There’s nothing that stirs up a family more than the division of an estate after a death has taken place. Ill feelings abound, attorneys are hired, and final disposition of lawsuits may take years to be settled. Even when a will exists and the intentions of the deceased seem crystal clear, family members end up at odds with…

Daily devotions

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator.” vss. 9-10 Colossians 3:8-11 Once we have begun to imitate Christ in all that we say and do, it will of course have an effect on our behavior. We’ll put aside anger, malice, and slander and adopt truthfulness as our new…

Daily Devotions

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” vs. 1 Colossians 3:1-7 Sometimes we’re told that we need to accept ourselves as we are, and not spend our lives trying to be something that we are not. There is truth in that advice, but it’s not the whole truth, because the way we are is not always the best that we can be–in fact,…

Daily Devotions

For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice, that one should live on forever and never see the grave.” vss. 8-9 Psalm 49:1-12 This psalmist, like the Teacher of Ecclesiastes, has accumulated a fair bit of wisdom in the course of his life, and he passes on an important oft-forgotten truth. No one lives forever, no matter how much money they might have! For him this knowledge brought peace and a freedom from fear and anxiety. He…

Daily Devotions

What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.” vss. 22-23 Ecclesiastes 2:18-23 Even people of faith are affected by the truth revealed in these heartbreaking words of wisdom from the Teacher. No matter who we are, and no matter what our occupation or profession, our…

Daily Devotions

…it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.” vss. 13b-14 Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14 The book of Ecclesiastes is known as Wisdom Literature, and found its way into the Hebrew Scriptures as a series of reflections and proverbs reflecting our human experience in the world. For the most part, the Teacher, or…

Daily Devotions

So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” vs. 9 Luke 11:5-11 Jesus, in teaching his disciples about prayer, does all that he can to assure them that God has an “open door” policy when it comes to interactions with those in need. Just as good parents can be counted on to give good things to their children, God will respond with…

Daily Devotions

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’” vs. 1 Luke 11:1-4 From the gospel record it appears that Jesus began each day with prayer, often getting up before dawn to go off by himself. Obviously his disciples noticed, and one morning when he returned to the group they asked if he would teach them to pray as John…

Daily Devotions

…God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.” vss. 13b-14 Colossians 2:13-15 There is a Cursillo retreat ritual, likely inspired by this verse, during which participants are given small sheets of white paper on which they are encouraged to privately make a list of their sins. When they have finished, they are invited to…

Daily Devotions

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.” vs. 8 Colossians 2:6-12 Humans are enormously curious and are always on the lookout for new knowledge, wherever in the universe we can find it. We take advanced courses in universities, read countless books, and subscribe to any number of podcasts, all in the hope of discovering some new…

Daily Devotions

On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.” vs. 3 Psalm 138 Sometimes we wonder what good it does to pray. We’re told to offer prayers regularly, for victims of mass shootings, for people threatened by massive forest fires, for the people of Ukraine, for those afflicted with dread disease–the list goes on and on. And so we do, some of us faithfully day after day, but often there are questions, especially when nothing…