Blog (Page 105)
Daily Devotions
Mark 1:4-8 “I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” vs. 8 There seems to have been some controversy in the early church about water and spirit baptism. Water baptism was of course linked with John the Baptist, but Jesus didn’t baptize anyone with water–though according to John’s Gospel, his disciples did baptize. Jesus simply interacted with hurting people, laid hands on some, and invited others to become his followers. He didn’t have…
Daily Devotions
Acts 19:4-7 “When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied—” vs. 6 According to Luke, when John the Baptist’s disciples submitted to baptism Paul laid hands on them–and there were spectacular manifestations of the Spirit, much like what had happened in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. It was not unusual in the early congregations for such things to take place–speaking in tongues or “glossolalia” was considered…
Daily Devotions
Acts 19:1-2 “He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’” vs. 2 Evidently disciples of John the Baptizer had spread far beyond the boundaries of Judea and Galilee–Paul ran into a few during his first trip to Ephesus, more than a thousand miles away from the Jordan valley. They hadn’t even heard about Jesus and were puzzled when Paul asked…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 2:1-12 “When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.” vs.10 All around the world star-gazers were out in force on the night of December 21 to observe the “Great Conjunction,” which some were calling the Christmas Star. The planets Jupiter and Saturn had come close together, as close as they’d been in 400 years. Some Christians were saying that this was what the Wise Men had seen as they searched for the infant Jesus…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 29 “May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!” vs. 11 The psalmist had no doubt about the sovereignty of God, and believed that every part of creation reflected the power and majesty of its creator. Earthquakes, winds, thunder, and lightning were all a part of the earth’s posturing before the Almighty One–and as one caught up in the turmoil and messiness of it all, he cried out, “May the Lord…
Daily Devotions
Genesis 1:1-5 “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” vs. 3 According to the ancient Hebrews, all creation was spoken into existence by God in the beginning, and the first of those words was, “Lights!” And it makes sense! Any movie director knows that nothing can happen on the set until proper lighting is in place, hence the phrase, “Lights, camera, action!” What’s interesting though, is that this light had nothing to do with the sun.…
Daily Devotions
John 1:15-18 “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” vs. 18 Through the centuries humans have been told that the study of religions will lead them to an understanding of God. And so we have done our work. We’ve dug into holy scriptures, listened to learned teachers, and probed deep into the intricacies of the world’s religions–and for the most part the search…
Daily Devotions
John 1:10-14 “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.” vss. 12-13 John the Gospel writer seems to be saying here that people are not the children of God unless they have received Jesus, that only after believing in him do they truly receive the power to…
Daily Devotions
Ephesians 1:11-14 “In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit…” vs. 13 For many believers these words are linked to the Rite of Baptism as practiced by some of our congregations. After the washing with water and the laying on of hands, the officiant proclaims, “__________, child of God, you have been sealed with the Holy…
Daily Devotions
Ephesians 1:3-10 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.” vss. 3-4 The writer of Ephesians knew that the story of the Christ did not begin with Jesus, but in the very origins of the universe. And that’s where our story…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 147:12-20 “He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down hail like crumbs— who can stand before his cold?” vss. 15-17 In Genesis we learn that all things came into existence by the word of God–”and God spoke, and it was good.” The psalmist picks up that theme and describes the word as the agent of creation–even the snows and frosts of winter…
Daily Devotions
Jeremiah 31:10-14 “Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.” vs. 13 The picture of hope that Jeremiah painted for the people of Israel included return to the land and an amazing celebration. Their mourning would be turned into joy, and their sorrow transformed into gladness. There would be dancing and merriment…