Posts from 2026
Daily Devotions
Romans 8:18-25…“For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” vss. 24-25 The longer we live the more likely it is that we will experience the deaths of friends and family members. And when that happens we are always grateful to be able to offer words of comfort to those who grieve.…
Daily Devotions
Romans 8:12-17…“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption.” vs. 15 When Jesus spoke to his disciples after his resurrection, the first words out of his mouth were, “Do not be afraid.” In fact they’d heard that phrase regularly from him throughout his ministry. Whatever situation they were in he wanted them to know that everything was going to be okay, that all would be well.…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 86:14-17…“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” vs.15 Sometimes it’s hard to know how we could get so messed up in the way we think about God. Admittedly there are some verses in our scriptures that can be misleading or easily misinterpreted, but for the most part the testimony of the prophets and of Jesus echoes the teaching of this anonymous psalmist. Troubled and paranoid as…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 86:11-13…“Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.” vs. 11 The psalmist was aware that there was a way to live and that it was connected to God’s truth. The trick was to figure out exactly what that truth was. Indeed, that’s been the mystery of the ages, and humans have concocted a multitude of religions that purport to shine light on that path. Even…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 44:6-8…“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” vs. 6 As the prophet brought the word of the Lord to the exiles in Babylon, he was well aware that there was an abundance of visible gods for the people to choose among. There was a well established pantheon of deities with Marduk as their chief. Temples for…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 13:18-23…“But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” vs. 23 We don’t know if Jesus was thinking of himself as he told the parable of the sower, but it is likely that the story reflected his experience in the course of his teaching ministry. And his point in telling…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 13:1-9…“And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up…’” vss. 3-4 Jesus didn’t lack for crowds in the course of his Galilean ministry. Wherever he went people gathered, and he taught them many things, often in the form of parables. The one about the sower is familiar and shows how he felt about those…
Daily Devotions
Romans 8:9-11…“But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” vs. 10 Just because we are believers doesn’t mean that life is going to be a bed of roses for us. In fact some of the most faithful people are also subject to regular battles with depression. They do their best to cope and paste smiles on their faces to show others that they are just fine, but…
Daily Devotions
Romans 8:1-7…“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” vss. 1-2 Paul had nothing but good news for the Romans. He had figured out the answer to the dilemma of sin and death. He’d been caught up in that game of perfection for years and now he had been set free, and…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 65:9-13…“the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.” vs.13 For this psalmist creation was a visible manifestation of God’s presence. It wasn’t just eye candy for Sunday drives through the countryside. All that could be seen was not only connected to God, it had a vital relationship to God. As all of us learned from “Sound of Music” the hills weren’t just there to look at, they were…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 55:12-13…“Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” vs. 13 The myrtle is an evergreen broadleaf plant common to the Middle East and is known for its medicinal properties. Its white blossoms are large and showy and it has come to be a symbol of love and peace. Isaiah…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 55:10-11…“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven…making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;” vss. 10 11a For the prophet Isaiah there was a kind of inevitability to the goodness and generosity of the Lord. At least that was the pattern that he saw in the creation. The natural forces that sustain life have been built…