Posts from 2025 (Page 4)
Daily Devotions
Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great; for it is better to be told, ‘Come up here’, than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.” Proverbs 25:6-7 Proverbs 25:6-7 The book of Proverbs was one of the three books of Hebrew scripture that have been classified as Wisdom Literature. Its content varies but generally it includes a variety of pithy sayings and observations gleaned from various sources…
Daily Devotions
When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.” vs. 17 Luke 13:15-17 Jesus hadn’t minced words when he corrected the leader of the synagogue and his cronies. He called them hypocrites, and the people responded with rejoicing. Not only were they happy to see the bent woman straightened; but they were also likely thrilled to see the religious leaders put in their…
Daily Devotions
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight.” vss. 10-11 Luke 13:10-14 When Jesus saw the bent woman in the synagogue crowd as he was teaching on the sabbath, he couldn’t contain himself. Even though he knew there was a law against healing on the sabbath, he…
Daily Devotions
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe;” vs. 28 Hebrews 12:25-29 The writer of Hebrews goes to great pains to make connections for his readers between what happened in Jesus and the stories of God’s interactions with Israel. Because most of us have rather sketchy knowledge of the Old Testament passages, he refers to, some parts of Hebrews are…
Daily Devotions
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering…” vs. 22 Hebrews 12:18-24 Because the writer of Hebrew was writing to people who had become Christians and were also well-versed in the intricacies of the Hebrew scriptures, Old Testament allusions abound. Here he refers to the gathering of the Israelites at the foot of Mt. Sinai when according to Exodus the people were terrified…
Daily Devotions
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” vs. 8 Psalm 103:1-8 The psalmist would have been surprised to learn that many Christians avoid the Hebrew scriptures as much as they can, having been brainwashed into believing that they contain nothing but tedious laws and stories of a vengeful demanding God. Of course, all we need to do for another perspective is to take time to read those scriptures. The pages of the Old…
Daily Devotions
If you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the Lord,” vss. 13b-14a Isaiah 58:13b-14 Those who have spent a lifetime worshipping on a weekly basis probably do so for a variety of reasons. For some it’s simply a habit and they don’t really think too much about it. But…
Daily Devotions
If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness.” vss. 9b-10 Isaiah 58:9b-12 In recent weeks we have seen multiple photos and videos from occupied Gaza that show the radical effects of hunger and starvation. Hundreds have died and many more hundreds have died in their efforts to reach…
Daily Devotions
You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” vs. 56 Luke 12:54-56 The people in the crowds who gathered to hear Jesus teach were adept at making weather forecasts. Years of agricultural living had made them experts on interpreting the skies and the winds. They were much more capable than we are when it comes to reading the book of nature. But Jesus…
Daily Devotions
I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” vss. 50-51 Luke 12:49-53 Often, we imagine that Jesus was a man of infinite patience and deep serenity. Today’s text presents a different picture, one that may surprise us. Jesus told his disciples that he was having enormous stress as he…
Daily Devotions
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…” vs. 1 Hebrews 12:1-2 The stories of the ancestors were a great inspiration to the Hebrew Christians. These were the witnesses who had gone before them, sometimes making unbelievable sacrifices for the sake of those who would walk in their footsteps.…
Daily Devotions
And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises…” vss. 32-33 Hebrews 11:29-40 The writer of Hebrews believed that all the heroes and heroines of Israel had lived by faith, just as had the ancestors of them all, Abraham and Sarah. It was a proud history. Yet even though those people had been commended for their…