Posts from April 2026
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…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 116:12-19…“What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.” vss. 12-14 The psalmist knew that he had been blessed by his Loving Lord and felt that it was his duty and delight to respond with a thanksgiving offering. Many are doing that today in…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 116:1-4…“I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.” vss. 1-2 As was typical among the psalmists, we don’t know the particulars of this writer’s situation. He’d come close to death, cried out to the Lord, and had been restored. Understandably, he now loves the Lord and offers this prayer of thanksgiving and praise–and promises to keep…
Daily Devotions
Acts 2: 2a, 36-41…“Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” According to Luke Peter’s sermon had a profound effect on the Judean Jews who were in Jerusalem for the festival of Pentecost. They were convicted by his words and asked what they should do. What Peter suggests reminds us of the message…
Daily Devotions
John 20:26-31…“Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’” vs. 29 Because Thomas has been known as the doubting disciple, he’s a favorite for those who struggle with doubts in their faith journey. In reality though, John tells us that Thomas became a believer because he saw the Risen Jesus face to face. In other words, he got lucky! For the rest of…
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