Blog (Page 18)
Daily Devotions
A third time he said to them, ‘Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.’” vs. 23 Luke 24:1-25 The gospels present the trial of Jesus as being a complete miscarriage of justice. The charges presented by the religious leaders were misrepresentations of his words and actions and some were outright lies. Neither Herod or Pilate were convinced of his…
Daily Devotions
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth…” vss. 9-10 Philippians 2:9-11 Paul tells the Philippians that the Jesus who humbled himself unto death has been highly exalted and is worthy of worship. While Paul doesn’t specify the form of that worship, believers have certainly taken his words to heart. Their faith…
Daily Devotions
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…” vs. 5 Philippians 2:5-8 The Philippians hadn’t gone through confirmation or participated in new member classes. Some of them were Jews, many were Gentiles, and they had no common traditions or doctrines. So it’s not strange that there was confusion in their community about their new life in Christ and what that meant for daily living. Paul wasn’t living with them any longer and he didn’t know if…
Daily Devotions
But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.” vss. 14-15 Psalm 31:9-16 The psalmist doesn’t specify which terrors were plaguing him at this period of his life. It could have been almost anything: illness, persecution, depression, aging. The list of those things which bring us to our knees in the course of a lifetime is endless. But we do know that he…
Daily Devotions
The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens—wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.” vs. 4 Isaiah 50:4-9a Isaiah recognized that his primary function as a prophet was to teach people the way they could live God-pleasing lives. But beyond that he also realized that he had been uniquely gifted – he’d been given the tongue of a teacher.…
Daily Devotions
As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’” vs. 33 Luke 19:28-40 When Jesus was approaching Jerusalem for the last time he made a conscious decision to enter the city riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey. That image has taken hold of our imagination almost as completely as that of the cross. His mode of transport made abundantly clear that he was coming…
Daily Devotions
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” vs. 8 John 12:4-8 Jesus was of course right. We always have the poor with us, and as even Judas understood, we have a responsibility to use our resources to lift them out of poverty and enable them to experience the material blessings of life in this world. Many believers have been faithful to that ministry of caring and are currently supporting relief and charity work…
Daily Devotions
Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” vs. 3 John 12:1-3 John, after telling how Lazarus received new life at the hands of Jesus, goes on to share a story about Mary and Martha that reminds us of Luke’s story of the sisters. Again, Martha is the one given to serving, and she takes charge of the…
Daily Devotions
Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” vss. 13-14 Philippians 3:9-14 Paul knew that the best was yet to come and he was determined to press forward in the Way of Christ Jesus. He uses some sports talk to illustrate…
Daily Devotions
Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” vss. 7-8a Philippians 3:4b-8 Sometimes it’s interesting to look back at our lives from time to time, and if we look way back most of us can point to some achievements along the way. There may have been academic excellence or athletic awards, maybe even…
Daily Devotions
Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.” vs. 6 Psalm 126 We don’t know what was going on for the people of Israel, but the psalmist tells us that tears were flowing freely. It might have been some personal illness or tragedy or more likely some communal disaster, but prayers were being offered for restoration. The Lord had heard their pleas in the past and there were…
Daily Devotions
The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people…” vs. 20 Isaiah 43:19b-21 The Israelites lived in a land where the seasonal rains were crucial for their survival. Twice a year the heavens would open and the land would be watered and crops could be planted and harvested. But it wasn’t only the people who needed the rains – animals…