Blog (Page 120)
Daily Devotions: July 17, 2020
July 17, 2020 Romans 8:19-25 … “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 Paul regularly spoke of hope as he wrote to early Christians. He knew that the glories of which he spoke were not readily apparent to them and that they wondered if they would experience resurrection.…
Daily Devotions: July 16, 2020
July 16, 2020 Romans 8:12-18 … “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” vs. 18 Unlike many Christians of our day. the early followers of Jesus expected that there would be suffering along the Way. That’s what had happened to Christ Jesus and there was no reason to expect that it wouldn’t also happen for them. It isn’t that they enjoyed the suffering or looked…
Daily Devotions: July 15, 2020
July 15, 2020 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 Through the years, many religions have offered compelling descriptions of God and have encouraged their adherents to take them to heart and make them the central truth of their lives. Unless those descriptions match those of the Psalmist in today’s text, they should be discarded and forgotten—they simply aren’t the truth! Some…
Daily Devotions: July 14, 2020
July 14, 2020 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 There are some who would say that the truth is relative, and that it really doesn’t make any difference what we believe, that one person’s truth is as good as any other’s. The Psalmist would be appalled! In his estimation, the truth was a part of the Lord’s essence, and…
Daily Devotions: July 13, 2020
July 13, 2020 Isaiah 44:6-8 … “Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.” vs. 8 The Prophet had what we might call a ‘confident faith’. Not only did he believe in God, he had a name for God—the one God was none other than the God of Israel, the God who…
Daily Devotions: July 12, 2020
July 12, 2020 Matthew 13:18-23 … “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.” vs. 22 The interpretation of the Parable of the Sower in Matthew’s Gospel shifts the attention from the seed, and it becomes the parable of the differing soils. As such, it is an amazingly precise description of the four ways in…
Daily Devotions: July 11, 2020
July 11, 2020 Matthew 13:1-9 … “Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” vs. 8 Some of the more practical minded folks among us might wonder why the sower didn’t throw all the seed on good ground. That way all the seed would produce and the crop would be multiplied. That makes sense, but misses the point. The parable isn’t about agricultural practices, it’s about the way God operates in…
Daily Devotions: July 10, 2020
July10, 2020 Romans 8:7-11 … “But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” vs. 10 For Paul it was obvious: If we are in Christ Jesus, then Christ is also in us. And this is our hope and our joy. Even though, because of the worldwide sin pandemic, we cannot even be close to perfect, our inner Christ brings resurrection and life. As Jesus put it so…
Daily Devotions: July 9, 2020
July 9, 2020 Romans 8:1-6 … “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’s argument—as he lays out the Gospel to the Romans, can seem convoluted and cumbersome; it certainly isn’t as simple as we might like it. But he’s very clear about the essence of the Good News…
Daily Devotions: July 8, 2020
July 8, 2020 Psalm 65:13-15 … “the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.” vs. 13 The Psalmist imagines all of creation living in a perpetual harmony, with each part recognizing the goodness of the other. In this vision of the peaceable kingdom, the meadows provide food for the flocks and the valleys joyfully bring grain, while humans work as stewards and caretakers. When all the parts work together,…
Reopening to Guests mid-September!
We are so excited to be welcoming guests again! Our doors open mid-September and we are looking forward to seeing old friends and preparing to meet new ones. At Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center we have been busy deep cleaning and disinfecting while the center has been on hiatus. New protocols are in place for dealing with COVID-19 so if you have any questions, please call us at 480-488-5218 and we will be happy to give you more information.Our…
Daily Devotions: July 7, 2020
July 7, 2020 Psalm 65:9-10 … “You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.” vs. 9 For much of our existence, humans lived close to nature and were familiar with the rhythms of the seasons. They saw God connections clearly and recognized the presence of the Lord in the tilling of crops and the watering of the…