Blog (Page 122)
Daily Devotions: June 24, 2020
June 24, 2020 Psalm 89:1-4 … “I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.” vs. 1 Sometimes when we read the Psalms we wonder just who these Pollyanna writers must have been. We imagine that they lived in more tranquil times than ours; that they didn’t face the societal upheavals that get daily attention from our news sources. Otherwise, how could they have possibly written such optimistic…
Daily Devotions: June 23, 2020
June 23, 2020 Jeremiah 28:7-9 … As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.” vs. 9 Upon hearing the words of Jeremiah, the prophet Hananiah upped the ante by repeating his prediction that peace was just around the corner for Judah, and Jeremiah went away in silence. He didn’t believe the prophecy of peace, but only time would reveal the…
Daily Devotions: June 22, 2020
June 22, 2020 Jeremiah 28:5-6 … “and the prophet Jeremiah said, ‘Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles.” vs. 6 Jeremiah wasn’t the only Prophet in town during the years of his ministry. There were many rivals and he was familiar with them all. One of them, Hananiah, was a particular…
Daily Devotions: June 21, 2020
June 21, 2020 Matthew 10:35-39 … “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” vs. 34 There are many who wish that Matthew had not bothered to include these words of Jesus in his Gospel. They’re disquieting and harsh, especially to those who love harmony in daily living. Frankly it would be nice if we could just take scissors to these verses and excise them…
Daily Devotions: June 20, 2020
June 20, 2020 Matthew 10:24-33 … “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted.” vss. 29-30 Discipleship was harrowing work in those early years and Matthew remembered that Jesus had told them it would not be easy, that people would treat them like they treated him, and life would be difficult. But Jesus had also assured…
Daily Devotions: June 19, 2020
June 19, 2020 Romans 6:1b-11 … “Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” vss. 1b-2 At some point it became fashionable for Christians to speak of their personal relationship to Jesus and many have become comfortable with that kind of talk. They’ve learned to recount the story of their conversion and what it is like to have Jesus come into their…
An Open Dialogue: The Racial Divide in America
Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center Invites All to an Open Dialogue on The Racial Divide in America. Featuring: Joel Bjerkestrand and Sarah Payne Naylor Details: Thursday, June 25, 2020. 4:00 – 5:30 pm. At: Spirit in the Desert, 7415 E. Elbow Bend Rd, Carefree, AZ. Due to Social Distancing Guidelines, space will be extremely limited. Please call or email to reserve your seat: (480) 488-5218; sue@spiritinthedesert.org Facial masks must be worn during this event. This event will be streamed LIVE…
Daily Devotions: June 18, 2020
June 18, 2020 Psalm 69:16-18 … “Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.” vs. 16 Sometimes life seems to drag on and on with no discernible changes in our circumstances or condition. In those moments our feelings of impatience are often reflected in our prayers. Since we’ve been told and have come to believe that our Lord is full of steadfast love and abundant mercy, it’s hard to understand…
Daily Devotions: June 17, 2020
June 17, 2020 Psalm 69:7-10 … “It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” vs. 9 We don’t know that Jeremiah wrote any psalms, but given the prophetic tone of Psalm 69, he could have penned its words. In every age Prophets spoke with passion and paid for it with rejection and persecution. Even friends and relatives turned against them. It’s that prophetic part of discipleship that…
Daily Devotions: June 16, 2020
June 16, 2020 Jeremiah 20:11-13 … “But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.” vs. 11 Through the centuries, Prophets have clung to their visions and dreams with a tenacious optimism that could not be extinguished even in the face of intense opposition and persecution. Jeremiah was carried away against his…
Daily Devotions: June 15, 2020
June 15, 2020 Jeremiah 20:7-10 … “For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.” vs. 8 Jeremiah gives us a glimpse of his mindset in today’s passage and he obviously wasn’t enjoying his work as Prophet. The message given him by the Lord sparked resentment in all that heard it, and he was regularly mocked on all…
Daily Devotions: June 14, 2020
June 14, 2020 Matthew 10:1-8 … “These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” vss. 5-6 While Jesus did have occasional encounters with Gentiles during the course of his ministry, and granted their requests for healing, it seems clear from the Gospel record that he considered his call to have been to the house of…