Posts from 2023 (Page 28)
Daily Devotions
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” vss. 6-7 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 Paul was a great church planter. Apollos was an eloquent preacher. Paul thought they were fellow servants in the work of the Lord, but the people thought they were competitors. The result was division in the community as the believers chose between them. Some of our…
Daily Devotions
I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh.” vss. 2-3a 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 Dr. Paul has a dietary diagnosis for symptoms being experienced by the folks in Corinth–he says they’re not ready for the meat of the gospel. In fact, he’s not even sure they’ve been able to handle the pablum he’s been so carefully doling out. They’ve…
Daily Devotions
Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.” vs. 1 Psalm 119:1-8 The psalmist obviously believed that it was possible to walk in the way of the Lord by keeping all of the law’s ordinances and commandments. He says that such persons would be blameless and receive the gift of happiness. While there are few people among us who are concerned about keeping all the precepts of the law, there are those who…
Daily Devotions
Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him…” vss. 19b-20a Deuteronomy 30:19-20 Our decision to respond to the love of God with obedience is a turning point in our lives, and is probably the most important choice we will ever make. It has a profound effect on all that we say or do for the rest of our lives. And not only will it touch our…
Daily Devotions
If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.” vs. 16 Deuteronomy 30:15-18 People who live by grace are often puzzled by the conditional descriptions of God’s love that figure so prominently…
Daily Devotions
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 20 Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus wasn’t interested in having his followers be “law-abiding citizens.” He wanted them to be better than that! There were already plenty of scribes and Pharisees in the land, and they were obsessed with keeping every commandment of law. They were known for their righteousness. There was no need for more people like them.…
Daily Devotions
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden… In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” vss. 14, 16 Matthew 5:12-16 There is a power in these words from Jesus that goes beyond human understanding, and we can only begin to grasp their significance as we realize that Jesus is talking about the light…
Daily Devotions
Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” vss.6-7 1 Corinthians 2:6-12 Even though Paul did not use lofty terms and eloquent language in talking with the Corinthians, he was a learned man and nobody’s fool. But he wasn’t interested in the…
Daily Devotions
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” vs. 2 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Corinth was the San Francisco of its day, a bustling seaport full of immigrants from all over the Mediterranean area, and new religions were popping up about every other day. People were jaded, sophisticated, and wise in the ways of the world. When Paul showed up and connected with the fledgling Christian community, he decided to put the crucified Jesus Christ…
Daily Devotions
It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.” vss. 5-6 Psalm 112:1-9 Life goes well with people who are righteous and generous; their love of justice and mercy will be remembered forever. That’s the way it’s always been, the psalmist assures us, and that’s the way it will always be. Some would call this ancient observation a universal truth, a…
Daily Devotions
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house…?” vss. 6-7a Isaiah 58:5-9a In the last couple of weeks, authorities have been conducting homeless counts. Volunteers scatter across the Valley and seek out the people living in the streets,…
Daily Devotions
‘Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’ Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.” vs. 3 Isaiah 58:1-5 The prophet lived among people who had carefully preserved all the trappings of religiosity. They worshiped regularly and kept all of the prescribed fasts. Their external piety was beyond approach–yet God remained remote to them. So the prophet tells them in no uncertain terms…