Blog (Page 172)
Daily Devotions: September 10, 2018
September 10, 2018 Isaiah 50:4-9a …“The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.” vs. 5 The prophet was grateful that God had called him to teach and he gladly used his gift to bring comfort to the weary. But he had also been gifted with humility. He knew that his wisdom was limited and if he was going to be a good teacher he had to learn to listen. Every day…
Daily Devotions: September 9, 2018
September 9, 2018 Mark 7:31-37 …“Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” vs. 36 Mark frequently reminds his readers that Jesus often told people to keep quiet about his healing ministry, but there’s never an explanation for the secrecy. As a result, there has been enormous debate about what is known as Mark’s “messianic secret.” Some have said that Jesus was simply applying reverse psychology. He knew…
Daily Devotions: September 8, 2018
September 8, 2018 Mark 7:24-30 …“Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’” vss. 26-27 There’s no getting around it. These are harsh words from Jesus and would have brought a storm of criticism from our contemporary press. In our world, no…
Daily Devotions: September 7, 2018
September 7, 2018 James 2:14-17 …“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?” vs. 14 Martin Luther famously lamented the presence of the book of James in the New Testament and called it an “epistle of straw.” He said this because he believed that it undermined the teachings of Paul, who wrote to the Romans that we are justified by faith apart from the works…
Daily Devotions: September 6, 2018
September 6, 2018 James 2:1-10 …“But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court?” vs. 6 James couldn’t believe what he was seeing in the early Christian community. From his perspective, the leaders were showing a definite preference for the rich. They were the ones who were welcomed effusively and given preferred seating. He had seen first-hand how the poor behaved, they didn’t have fine clothes…
Daily Devotions: September 5, 2018
September 5, 2018 Psalm 146:5-10 …“The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.” vs. 9 While we can find fragments of scripture to support whatever harebrained notions we might choose to hold, when we take the bible as a whole there are certain themes that rise to the top. The psalmist had his finger on one of those underlying principles and wasn’t afraid to let…
Daily Devotions: September 4, 2018
September 4, 2018 Psalm 146:1-4 …“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.” vss. 3-4 Sometimes it’s interesting to see how people of faith can get caught up in the politics of our time. They will, of course, be voters, that’s one of our responsibilities as citizens. But sometimes they actually seem to believe that one of…
Daily Devotions: September 3, 2018
September 3, 2018 Isaiah 35:4-7a … “then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;” vs. 6 Isaiah hadn’t been reading the latest reports on the long-term effects of climate change–he had something else on his mind. He knew that the people of Judah were frightened and discouraged. Their enemies were very real and their country was on the…
Daily Devotions: September 2, 2018
September 2, 2018 Mark 7:14-15, 21-23 …“Then he called the crowd again and said to them, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.’” vss. 14-15 Jesus spoke these words in response to the Pharisees’ insistence upon complete adherence to the most minute points of their laws, particularly those which dealt with proper eating and drinking. Most of those…
Daily Devotions: September 1, 2018
September 1, 2018 Mark 7:1-8 …“Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them.” vss. 1-2 The Pharisees were not particularly health conscious. They weren’t worried about germs or pathogens. When they noticed that some disciples had not washed their hands they objected on religious grounds. This was a violation of the law and they…
Daily Devotions: August 31, 2018
August 31, 2018 James 1:22-27 …“But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.” vs. 22 Surveys in recent years have shown that many people regularly associate the word “Christian” with the word “hypocrite.” Reasons for such an association might vary, but it’s certainly not something for Christians to be proud of. Some might say this has happened because the popular culture is at war with our faith and has plotted to ruin its reputation. Others…
Daily Devotions: August 30, 2018
August 30, 2018 James 1:17-21 …“You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” vss. 19-20 According to James, those who are followers of Jesus are a kind of first fruits of God’s creatures. We have been given the power to live as God intends, a template of righteous living for others to emulate. James indicates that as God’s righteous ones the first…