Posts from 2026
Daily Devotions
Acts 7:55-60…“While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died.” vss. 59-60 Stephen, one of the seven persons chosen by the apostles to help with the distribution of goods to the needy, was eloquent and full of the Spirit. When challenged by Jewish opponents he preached a long sermon, recounting the…
Daily Devotions
John 10:6-10…“I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” vs. 9 In the Roman catacombs the earliest artistic rendering of Jesus is as the Good Shepherd. And in the gospel of John this is how Jesus spoke of himself–it’s a familiar image. But John also reports that Jesus called himself the gate of the sheep, and this depiction can be helpful in understanding just who Jesus is…
Daily Devotions
John 10:1-5…“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.” vss. 1-2 Shepherds were a staple of the Hebrew scriptures. Both David and Moses herded sheep before they began leading people, and the prophets graded the kings according to their shepherding skill. So it’s no surprise to discover that…
Daily Devotions
1 Peter 2:22-25…“For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” vs. 25 According to the gospel of John the resurrected Jesus had told Peter three times, in a touching scene of love and restoration by the Sea of Galilee, to feed and care for his sheep. And three times Peter responds with a passionate “yes.” And that’s what Peter did! As he writes he tells his readers that,…
Daily Devotions
1 Peter 2:19-21…“If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval.” vs. 20 Slavery was firmly entrenched in the Roman Empire during the first and second centuries, and as the gospel was proclaimed many slaves were baptized and became part of faith community. Peter addresses them in this letter, advising them to accept the authority of their masters, even…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 23…“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.” vs. 6 The psalmist believed that there were benefits in having the Lord as his shepherd. It wasn’t that he was any better than anyone else. He was just one of many sheep in the flock. But there was such a blessing in living without anxiety and worry. There was always enough…
Daily Devotions
Acts 2:46-47…“Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.” vss. 46-47a Luke notes that the church in Jerusalem had the good will of all the people and that really shouldn’t surprise us. The believers were engaging in unconditional love and sacrificial service and it’s under those conditions that humans flourish in every…
Daily Devotions
Acts 2:42-45…“All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” vss. 44-45 The good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection sparked a revival among the believers, and it touched every aspect of their lives. They not only devoted themselves to prayer and the teaching of the disciples, they were moved to share everything they owned with their community. There’s no other…
Daily Devotions
Luke 24:28-34…“Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.” vs. 35 What happened at the table in Emmaus is one of the most insightful stories in all of scripture. Just hearing Jesus interpret the scripture wasn’t enough to open the eyes of Cleopas and his wife! They’d learned a lot of stuff as they walked along the road with the stranger, but it wasn’t…
Daily Devotions
Luke 24:13-27…“Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” vs. 27 Even though the gospels indicate that Jesus spoke with his disciples about his death and resurrection during his ministry in Galilee, their reaction after his crucifixion indicates that they didn’t have a clue about what had been in store for him. Indeed, his death had devastated them and the resurrection only brought confusion. But as reports continued…
Daily Devotions
1 Peter 1:21-23…“Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.” vs. 22 When the Christian community was established in Jerusalem after the resurrection of Jesus they were known for the deep love that they had for one another. And when missionaries like Paul brought the good news of Jesus to distant lands, that same characteristic was observed. Peter refers to that…
Daily Devotions
i Peter 1:17-20…“If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile.” vs. 17 From Peter’s perspective the people to whom he was writing were like exiles, people living in a land that was not their own who had been united by their invocation of God as Father. Here he also implies that one day their God will judge all people impartially according to…