Posts from 2025 (Page 5)
Daily Devotions
Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” vss. 3-4 Psalm 82 The psalmist is imagining a council of the gods of the nations that has gathered to consider the state of humankind. Such gatherings are mentioned several times in the Hebrew scriptures and can be understood as a precursor to the absolute monotheism that was typical…
Daily Devotions
They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal.” vs. 23 Jeremiah 23:26-29 Jeremiah had a bone to pick with the so-called prophets who hung around the court in Jerusalem. They would say whatever they believed would tickle the ears of the king and the nobility, and their advice was always self-serving. Jeremiah believed that the word of the Lord was like fire…
Daily Devotions
Am I a God nearby, says the Lord, and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.” vss. 23-24 Jeremiah 23:23-26 Jeremiah knew the Lord intimately and understood that God was beyond human understanding. If we imagine that we can escape the scrutiny of the Lord by staying away from church or avoiding prayer or becoming atheists, we…
Daily Devotions
But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.” vs. 39 Luke 12:35-40 Jesus follows up his instructions on the dangers of riches and the importance of living simply with a little parable about the importance of servants being ready for the return of their master. It’s hard to miss his point! We don’t know what the future will bring, and…
Daily Devotions
Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms.” vss. 32-33a Luke 12:32-34 When we take the words of Jesus seriously and make them the focus of our scriptural study, it’s stunning to discover how often he speaks about riches and wealth. So, if your pastor seems to be talking about money more often that you find comfortable, that pastor is not off base. In…
Daily Devotions
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.” vs. 8 Hebrews 11:8-16 Since Abraham and Sarah are mentioned first among the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Hebrew people, it’s not strange that the writer of Hebrew makes them prime models of faithfulness for his readers. In fact, they get top billing! But as he refers to…
Daily Devotions
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.” vs. 3 Hebrews 11:1-3 Most ancient peoples have wild and convoluted stories about the creation of the world. In these tales’ gods and goddesses engaged in mythic struggles for power and position and in the process all things now seen came into existence. By contrast the Hebrew creation stories seem tame and orderly.…
Daily Devotions
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” vs. 22 Psalm 33:17-22 There is a lot of talk about love among people of faith. After all Jesus commanded his disciples to love both God and neighbor, and from the beginning his followers have done their best to do just that. And even John Lennon jumped on the bandwagon with his hit single, “All We Need Is Love.” There’s probably not a sermon that…
Daily Devotions
Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.” vs. 12 Psalm 33:12-17 The psalmist believed that the children of Israel were God’s chosen people. This sentiment appears regularly in the Hebrew scriptures and has continued to be the foundation of Judaism. Even today the nation of Israel sees itself as having that special relationship to the Lord, and there is a credible scriptural basis for that belief. Of course, those…
Daily Devotions
And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.” vs. 6 Genesis 15:1-6 It’s just a single verse from one of the ancestral stories in Genesis, yet these few words have had an outsized importance as believers have put together their story of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. Paul used them as the linchpin of his letter to the Romans in his attempt to show that our salvation doesn’t depend on our obedience to works…
Daily Devotions
I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you.’” vss. 19-20a Luke 12:16-21 If any of the people in the crowd around Jesus were familiar with the book of Ecclesiastes, they would have realized that the truths contained in his parable on greed were found in its pages. While some of…
Daily Devotions
And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’” vs. 15 Luke 12:13-15 Jesus had narrowly avoided getting involved in a family dispute about an inheritance, an issue that’s been around ever since children began to wonder how their parents’ possessions would be distributed after their deaths. Of course, there are a myriad of laws to cover such occasions and thoughtful estate…