Blog (Page 170)
Daily Devotions: October 19, 2019
October 19, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 18:1-5 … “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” vs. 1 Far too often we run into intractable situations where we have little idea about what to say or do. Solutions are elusive and we can’t even give or get good advice or direction. These are prime moments for prayer, and Jesus would have agreed! In fact, he told a parable to…
Daily Devotions: October 18, 2019
October 18, 2019 For full passage click: 2 Timothy 4:1-5 … “For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires…” vs. 3 Timothy, the young pastor, is advised in this letter to proclaim the Gospel with conviction in every season and to have patience in his teaching. He’s warned that there will be a time when his little flock would…
Daily Devotions: October 17, 2019
October 17, 2019 For full passage click: 2 Timothy 3:14-17 … “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” vs. 16 Those who hold that the Bible is the literal and infallible word of God, often point to this little verse as their proof-text. Sometimes they miss the obvious point that this text refers only to the Hebrew Scriptures–what we call the New Testament didn’t even exist when…
Daily Devotions: October 16, 2019
October 16, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 12 … “Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; the faithful have disappeared from humankind. They utter lies to each other; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.” vss. 1-2 It’s hard to overestimate the gifts that the various Psalmists have given us. They write from a variety of experiences and their words are a treasure trove for our reflection and meditation. Sometimes their laments…
Daily Devotions: October 15, 2019
October 15, 2019 For full passage click: Genesis 22:27-31 … “So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.’” vs. 30 John writes in his Gospel that no one has ever seen God, but that Jesus the Christ had made God known. Yet, in the Genesis stories we find a different perspective. Abraham had conversations with the Lord and in this passage Jacob reports seeing God face-to-face. And…
Daily Devotions: October 14, 2019
October 14, 2019 For full passage click: Genesis 32:22-26 … “Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.” vs. 24 The accounts of the patriarchs and matriarchs in Genesis are rich with literary allusions and masterful symbolism. Full of vivid detail, they made for magnificent story-telling and helped to shape Jewish identity. Jacob, from whom Israel gets its name, was his mother’s favorite and a willing participant in a heart-breaking act of fraud and deceit. Forced…
Daily Devotions: October 13, 2019
October 13, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 17:15-19 … “Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” vs. 18 Even though they had common ancestral roots and faith practices, Samaritans were despised by the Jews. So when the one leper who returned to thank Jesus was revealed to be a Samaritan, Jesus makes a point of it. This sort of thing happened more than once in the course of his ministry. People…
Daily Devotions: October 12, 2019
October 12, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 17:11-14 … “When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean.” vs. 14 The book of Leviticus is meticulous in laying out the ground rules for dealing with any kind of skin disease. Those who contracted the most serious of those diseases, the one known as leprosy, were ostracized from the community and forced to keep their distance.…
Daily Devotions: October 11, 2019
October 11, 2019 For full passage click: 2 Timothy 2:14-15 … “Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening.” vs. 14 The letters of First and Second Timothy, together with Titus, are often known as pastoral epistles because they address concerns being experienced by the leaders of the early Christian community. The Gospel, as preached by Paul and others, had…
The Spiritual Practice of Fasting-Part 1
What do Mardi Gras, Friday Fish Fry, and locusts and wild honey have in common? That’s right – fasting. Mardi Gras (literally Fat Tuesday) is now a carnival celebration, which culminates on the day before Ash Wednesday. In Great Britain, Mardi Gras is referred to as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. The idea of Fat Tuesday originated in medieval times when monks would use up their rich food and fats, often in the form of pancakes, the night before Ash…
Daily Devotions: October 10, 2019
October 10, 2019 For full passage click: 2 Timothy 2:8-13 … “…if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” vs. 13 People in the early church firmly believed that those who die with Christ will also live with him. That phrase shows up in early hymn fragments and was probably recited at baptismal rituals. But they also believed and taught that if they were faithless, Christ would remain faithful. This simple teaching was at the core…
Daily Devotions: October 9, 2019
October 9, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 111:6-10 … “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.” vs. 10 Wisdom has been prized through all generations and many continue to pursue it. Some confuse it with knowledge and believe that if they go to school, study, and graduate with honors they’ll have it. For them, it’s connected to having all the answers. The Psalmist…