Blog (Page 147)

Blog (Page 147)

Daily Devotions: June 3, 2019

June 3, 2019 For full passage click: Genesis 11:1-5…“Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” vs. 9 Those who composed the story of the tower of Babel realized how confusing the multiplicity of languages was for human cooperation. They claimed that the confusion was divinely inspired, that it was done to keep humans from doing the…

Daily Devotions: June 2, 2019

June 2, 2019 For full passage click: John 17:24-26 …“Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” vs. 24 Jesus is conscious that the love that sustains him has been present from before the foundations of the world. As John puts it in other places, Christ is the Alpha, and through…

Daily Devotions: June1, 2019

June 1, 2019                                                                                      For full passage click: John 17:20-23 …”I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us…” vss. 20-21a As John recounts Jesus’ final prayer with his disciples, his language can seem repetitious and obscure. As a result, we can easily miss an…

Daily Devotions: May 31, 2019

May 31, 2019                                                                          For full passage click: Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 …“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.” vs. 17 At the heart of the book of Revelation, mysterious and obscure as it may be, there is a strong and consistent emphasis on grace. Christ Jesus freely offers the water of life to everyone…

Daily Devotions: May 30, 2019

May 30, 2019 For full passage click: Acts 1:1-11 …“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” vs. 8 After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the disciples still had the parochial notion that his mission had been simply a prelude to the restoration of the kingdom of Israel. That was as much as they could comprehend.…

Daily Devotions: May 29, 2019

May 29, 2019  For full passage click: Psalm 97 …“Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.” vs. 2 The psalmist didn’t wonder in his heart whether or not there was a god. For him such a notion was beyond question. But he also knew that God was cloaked in mystery and was often obscured by the clouds and darkness of our lives. We know that feeling, too. Those of us…

Daily Devotions: May 28, 2019

May 28, 2019 For full passage click: Acts 16:25-34 …“At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay.” vs. 33 When the Philippian jailer, in the aftermath of an earthquake, asked what he needed to do to be saved, Paul was quick with a response, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household.” Some have used Paul’s answer…

Daily Devotions: May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019                                                                                                              For full passage click: Acts 16:16-24 …“She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.” vs 18 At first, Paul did nothing when the slave girl persisted in taunting him as he walked through the streets of Philippi. He doubtless recognized her instability but he chose not…

Daily Devotions: May 26, 2019

May 26, 2019                                                                                                        For full passage click: John 14:25-29 …“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” vs. 27 According to the world’s standards, peace is the absence of overt warfare and it comes at a cost. Lives are lost and cities and towns are destroyed as dominating forces duke it out…

Daily Devotions: May 25, 2019

May 25, 2019 For full passage click: John 14:22-24 …“Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’” vs. 23        Those who work with the public in any capacity have often noted that people can be, and often are, downright nasty and mean. They say and do hurtful things and seem to have no regard for the feelings of those…

Daily Devotions: May 24, 2019

May 24, 2019 For full passage click: Revelation 22:1-5 …“And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” vs. 5 It’s hard not to think of death as we look toward the future. All of us have had loved ones die, and we know that one day our time will come, too. It’s inevitable! No matter how hard we…

Daily Devotions: May 23, 2019

May 23, 2019                                                                                         For full passage click: Revelation 21:10, 22-27 …“I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” vss. 22-23 John’s vision of the new Jerusalem would have been hard for faithful Jews to comprehend. The temple had been the…