Posts from 2023 (Page 5)
Daily Devotions
The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish…” vss. 14-15a Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 There was a time when preachers and revivalists regularly invoked the vivid pictures of the day of the Lord that are found in the Hebrew prophets. These passages paint a bleak description of judgment,…
Daily Devotions
But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ “vs. 9 Matthew 25:8-12 We have to look hard to find any kindness or grace in the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. The wise refuse to share their oil and the door to the wedding banquet is locked tight when the foolish finally arrive. Fortunately, this is not a parable about…
Daily Devotions
When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.” vss. 3-5 Matthew 25:1-8 First century Christians believed that Jesus was going to return to earth and complete the work that he had begun. As the years went by and that didn’t happen, it was simply assumed that he had been delayed, but that didn’t mean…
Daily Devotions
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.” vs. 17 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 Some people love the image that Paul chose to describe the great reunion of the living and the dead with the Lord. When taken literally these verses call to mind stories of the rapture that we’ve read about in popular novels…
Daily Devotions
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” vs. 13 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 Paul seems to have believed in the imminent return of Jesus, (it’s a common theme of his early letters), and that he would not die before that happened. But as the years passed, people in the congregations he had started began to die, and their…
Daily Devotions
But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!” vs. 5 Psalm 70 Sometimes we get tired of waiting for the Lord! It’s nice to say to ourselves and to others, “Oh, I have plenty of time, and God has given me the gift of patience, so it doesn’t matter when my deliverer shows up.” That’s a good attitude to have, since it seems we spend…
Daily Devotions
Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” vss. 23-24 Amos 5:21-24 During Israel’s golden age, the time of its greatest prosperity, Amos came out of the wilderness of Judah with a message from the Lord. To put it bluntly, there was nothing that the people were doing that was pleasing. They were cheating the poor,…
Daily Devotions
Alas for you who desire the day of the LORD! Why do you want the day of the LORD? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear…” vss. 18-19a Amos 5:18-20 When Amos came out of the south and into the prosperous north with a word from the Lord, he wasn’t going to a people who were unfamiliar with the traditions of Israel. There were religious leaders and active worship…
Daily Devotions
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 10 Matthew 5:7-12 Jesus has already mentioned that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness sake will be blessed, but sometimes we forget just who those folks are. It’s the word righteousness that throws us off. We generally think of that in moralistic terms, but really these are the people who yearn for justice. They want the poor to be lifted up, they…
Daily Devotions
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 3 Matthew 5:1-6 On this All Saints Sunday we’ll be remembering in a formal way all those we’ve been thinking about this week. Many of those loved departed ones will be mentioned during prayers–sometimes their names will be printed in the bulletin or appear on a screen. They are the saints of our hearts, and not necessarily of the stained glass variety. Of course some of…
Daily Devotions
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.” vs. 2 1 John 3:2-3 John leaves room for mystery in our future. We don’t yet know what we one day will be, but what we do know is that right now, today, we are God’s beloved children. For most that will…
Daily Devotions
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.” vs. 1a 1 John 3:1 We regularly hear that we are children of God, and for some that’s really old news. It’s old hat, something we take for granted. But for John, the epistle writer, it was spectacular, the supreme example of God’s abundant love. We can suspect that it meant so much to him because, in one…