Posts from 2023 (Page 16)
Daily Devotions
The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” vss. 10-11 Romans 6:6-11 Paul has some large expectations for those who have been baptized into Christ and who dare to call themselves his followers. We are not to be content with muddling along in life and blindly following the ways of the world.…
Daily Devotions
Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” vs. 4 Romans 6:1b-5 During the Jesus Revolution of the 1960’s, thousands of searchers responded to the proclamation of God’s unconditional love by being immersed in the waters of the nearest stream, lake, or sea. For many it was a life-changing experience and signaled…
Daily Devotions
Do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.” vs. 17 Psalm 69:16-18 Whenever we’re feeling isolated and alienated, for whatever reason, the only thing that will restore serenity in our hearts is the assurance of God’s presence. One of the by-products of our isolation is a perception that God has deserted us, that the Omnipresent One has purposely decided to leave us on our own. Of course it’s impossible for that…
Daily Devotions
It is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother’s children.” vss. 7-8 Psalm 69:7-10 We don’t know what had taken place in the life of the psalmist, but he’s feeling alienated from his community and his family. It could be that, like Jeremiah, he had offered a prophetic message that was poorly received and was now experiencing a prophet’s reward.…
Daily Devotions
For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.” vs. 8 Jeremiah 20:7-13 For the most part it’s wonderful to be a follower of Jesus, walk in the Way of Love, and share the good news with sad and lonely people. It does our heart good to see folks respond with thanksgiving to our message of mercy and…
Daily Devotions
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” vss. 5-6 Matthew 10:1-8 When Jesus began his preaching, teaching, and healing, he was laser-focused on the Jews. He seems to have had no interest in ministry to the Gentiles, and even told his newly chosen disciples to avoid them. While that may seem strange to us,…
Daily Devotions
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” vs. 36 Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus had been overwhelmed by the crowds that he encountered as he began his ministry in Galilee. Everywhere he went they flocked to hear his words and be touched by his healing hands, and his heart was filled with compassion. If we’ve ever wondered about our mission as his followers, there really can be no…
Daily Devotions
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” vs. 8 Romans 5:6-8 It’s easy to slide into believing that God’s love is conditional, mostly because that’s generally the nature of human love. Even the best of us will ultimately run out of patience when friends and family let us down. As we’re quick to tell one another, “Forgiveness has its limits!” It’s just too hard to keep on letting…
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. 3-4 Romans 5:1-5 Paul was indomitable! While he obviously enjoyed the peace of heart and mind that were a by-product of faith in Christ Jesus, he also rejoiced in his sufferings. It wasn’t that he was a masochist, but he had come to know that suffering is a part of life, and that it can’t…
Daily Devotions
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” vs. 5 Psalm 100:4-5 In the midst of the current tumult regarding war, nuclear weapons, climate disaster, and the resurgence of hate speech, we can find amazing consolation in the words of this 2500 year-old psalm. The psalmist, inspired by the Spirit, knew the core of what humans need to flourish. First is a firm conviction that God is good and so is the…
Daily Devotions
Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” vs. 3 Psalm 100:1-3 The psalmist was full of joy at being alive, and he regularly joined his faith community in worship as they filled the air with songs of praise and thanksgiving. Everything he knew and loved had come from the Lord–even his own life had been a gift of God. Even now,…
Daily Devotions
Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.” vss. 5-6a Exodus 19:2-8a The ancient Hebrews had what some might call an elevated sense of their importance. They fervently believed that they had been set aside by God for a special purpose. Out of all peoples of the…