Blog (Page 150)
Daily Devotions: August 3, 2019
August 3, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 12: 13-15 …“And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’” vs. 15 In our age of extravagant consumption, it’s easy to point fingers at the super-rich and accuse them of living greed-driven lives. Their garish displays of ostentatious wealth are regularly splayed across our television screens for all to see. But we don’t…
Daily Devotions: August 2, 2019
August 2, 2019 For full passage click: Colossians 3:5-11 … “In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!” vs. 11 Even though we are called to discipline as we move from death to resurrection, the renewal does not depend on our success or failure. To say that it does would remove Christ from the equation, and Paul knows that such can never be…
Daily Devotions: August 1, 2019
August 1, 2019 For full passage click: Colossians 3:1-7 …“So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” vs. 1 Sometimes followers of Jesus are reluctant to tell others that their lives need to change, that what they are doing is destructive to themselves and to others. Paul had no such difficulty as he dealt with his brothers and sisters in Christ. He wholeheartedly believed…
Daily Devotions: July 31, 2019
July 31, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 49:1-12 …“Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?” vss. 5-6 The Psalmist was not impressed with those who flexed muscles and boasted about their riches. He considered them his persecutors and knew that they had accumulated their wealth at the expense of the lowly. In his eyes they were…
Daily Devotions: July 30, 2019
July 30, 2019 For full passage click: Ecclesiastes 1:18-22 …“What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.” vss. 22-23 The Teacher, the writer of Ecclesiastes, composed his work over 2000 years ago and describes the human condition about as well as anyone. He speaks from…
Daily Devotions: July 29, 2019
July 29, 2019 For full passage click: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14 …“I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.” vs. 14 When we buy into the values of our culture and its prevalent definition of success, sooner or later we’re likely to be overwhelmed by a sense of futility. Like the Teacher in the book of Ecclesiastes, our eyes will be opened and we’ll see that all is…
Daily Devotions: July 28, 2019
July 28, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 11:4-13 …“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” vs. 13 According to Luke, Jesus says some important things about answered prayer to his disciples. Evidently they had the same questions as many of us. As soon as we start talking about prayer the conversation often shifts to the…
Daily Devotions: July 27, 2019
July 27, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 11:1-4 …“He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’” vs. 1 There is a poem by James Montgomery that has been set to music and can be found in many collections of hymns. The lyrics speak to the essence of prayer: “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed, the…
Daily Devotions: July 26, 2019
July 26, 2019 For full passage click: Colossians 2:11-15 …“when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” vs. 12 People have argued for centuries about the proper mode of baptism, whether it should be by sprinkling, pouring or immersion. In general, those practicing infant baptism have used sprinkling or pouring, but even they have to admit that immersion symbolizes one of…
Daily Devotions: July 25, 2019
July 25, 2019 For full passage click: Colossians 2:6-10…“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” vss. 6-7 Continuity in faith is one of our great challenges as the people of God. There are points in life where there is a flurry of excitement, perhaps a new class at our church or a…
Daily Devotions: July 24, 2019
July 24, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 138:6-8 …“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” vs. 8 Many people wonder, and some worry about God’s plan and purpose for their lives. The worriers are concerned about the possibility that they’re missing something important, that God wants them to do something bold and heroic while they’ve been doing the routine and boring. They want…
Daily Devotions: July 23, 2019
July 23, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 138:1-5 …“On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.” vs. 3 This psalmist was a man of faith. He believed that there were many gods but he had made worship of the Lord a part of his daily life. Wherever he was, he would take time to turn toward the Jerusalem temple and offer his prayers of thanksgiving and praise. And he felt the benefits! Many…