Posts from 2026
Daily Devotions
Matthew 28:1-10…“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” vss. 5-6 Each of the four gospels have different accounts of Jesus’ resurrection, but there are two things that they have in common. First, each of them features an empty tomb! The body of Jesus is nowhere to…
Daily Devotions
Romans 6:3-11…“Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” vs. 4 The disciples of Jesus were very familiar with the practice of baptism. The gospel of John hints that, like Jesus, at least a couple of them had been baptized by John the Baptist. That was a particular kind of baptism, a…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 22… “The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.” vss. 26-27 Psalm 22 is familiar to most believers because it begins with the words Jesus uttered from the cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” According to Mark and Matthew these…
Daily Devotions
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 “…the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” vss. 23-24 It’s very likely that these words from Jesus have been quoted more often than any other. They’re known as the Words of Institution and no celebration of the Holy Eucharist can be complete without their being…
Daily Devotions
Hebrews 12:1-3… “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 So, what is it that encourages us to lead a good and decent life in the midst of the crookedness and perversity of this generation? Is it because we want to win God’s favor and gain a favored…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 71:1-14…“Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you. Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent.” vss. 6, 9 Any lifelong follower of Jesus can readily identify with the psalmist’s words. Often the life of faith begins in infancy. Before we know anything about the bible or creeds we hear prayers…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 42:1-9…“He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.” vss. 2-3 After centuries of devastating wars and incompetent rulers, the prophet, residing in captivity, had a vision for a new nation, one that was modeled on the Suffering Servant. Now there would be a new governance, and Israel would be…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 27:26-54…“They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’” vss. 28-29 While Gospel of Matthew portrays Pilate as being reluctant to go forward with the crucifixion of Jesus, the governor’s soldiers seem to have relished the task. This was what they did, and…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 27:11-25…“Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release for you?’ And they said, ‘Barabbas.’’ vss. 20-21 There is no doubt that the Romans were in charge of Jesus’ execution. It was what they did to maintain order in the territories they governed. But they also had concerns about public opinion—the governor did…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 21:1-1…“The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” vs. 9 All of the gospels report that Jesus entered Jerusalem on his final journey, flanked by hordes of pilgrims, and riding on a donkey. The crowd hailed him as the successor to David, Israel’s greatest king, and was looking forward to his coronation…
Daily Devotions
Philippians 2:7b-11…“And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” vss. 7b-8 How would the landscape of our country change if our leaders were infected by the mind of Christ and humbled themselves, becoming obedient to the principles of the Peaceable Kingdom? The difference would be startling. We’ve gotten so used to pretension, hypocrisy, and self-exultation on the part of politicians that some can’t even imagine any other…
Daily Devotions
Philippian 2:5-7a…“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,” vs. 5 Sometimes we think of ourselves as being different from Jesus, as though he behaved and acted as he did because he had a special relationship with God, one that we do not have. Often we hear people excusing their own broken behaviors with the words, “Well, only one man was perfect and that was Jesus!” While Paul doesn’t weigh in on that issue in his…