Blog (Page 184)
Daily Devotions: August 20, 2019
August 20, 2019 For full passage click: Jeremiah 1:6-10 … “See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” vs. 10 Jeremiah’s boyhood commission likely made a huge impression on him. He believed that the Lord had put words in his mouth, and from that point on he devoted himself to bringing that message to whomever would listen—and even those who wouldn’t!…
Daily Devotions: August 19, 2019
August 19, 2019 For full passage click: Jeremiah 1:4-6 … “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” vs. 5 Jeremiah did not believe that he was a prophet by chance, nor did he think he had chosen to be one. Rather, he was convinced that what he was doing in Jerusalem was his destiny. God had appointed him even before…
Daily Devotions: August 18, 2019
August 18, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 12:54-56 … “You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” vs. 56 There are times when we humans are pretty adept at making our predictions. Like folks in Jesus’ day, we’re even skilled at figuring out what the weather is going to be, and we don’t even look at the clouds. A quick look at…
Daily Devotions: August 17, 2019
August 17, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 12:49-53 … “From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three…” vs. 52 We’ve all become aware of the increasing divisiveness in our country as opinions have become polarized, and it’s been more difficult to find common ground. In some instances, life-long friendships have been threatened, family members have stopped speaking to one another, congregations have splintered, and we’re finding it harder and harder…
Daily Devotions: August 16, 2019
August 16, 2019 For full passage click: Hebrews 12:1-2 … “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…” vs. 1 It’s hard to overestimate the influence of those believers who have walked in the way of faith before us. Sometimes it’s fathers and mothers who have brought us to…
Daily Devotions: August 15, 2019
August 15, 2019 For full passage click: Hebrews 11:29-40 … “Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised…” vs. 39 The writer of Hebrews was well aware of the proud history of his people. He could recount the stories of judges, prophets, and kings in great detail. And it wasn’t only the notable folks who had caught his attention. There had been countless others, too, who had been faithful to the Lord,…
Daily Devotions: August 14, 2019
August 14, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 … “The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.” vs. 13 In 1520, Pope Leo X quoted from this Psalm in a papal bull called Exsurge Domine in which he officially condemned Martin Luther and 41 of his teachings. According to Leo, Luther was a wild boar from the wilderness of Germany who was ravaging the Church, the choice vineyard of…
Daily Devotions: August 13, 2019
August 13, 2019 For full passage click: Isaiah 5:4-7 … “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!” vs. 7 We frequently read Scripture from an individual perspective, looking for guidance and hope in our own changing circumstances, and often the verses speak directly to our hearts. Isaiah however, wasn’t speaking to individuals, he was…
Daily Devotions: August 12, 2019
August 12, 2019 For full passage click: Isaiah 5:1-3 … “Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.” vs. 1 As Isaiah began his work in Jerusalem, he took pains to remind the people of the special love relationship that existed between them and the Lord. It wasn’t just an accident that things had worked so well for them in their long history as a nation. They…
Daily Devotions: August 11, 2019
August 11, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 12:15-40 … “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.” vs. 39 Preparedness has been a part of the Christian life from the beginning. Jesus talked about it with his disciples, and later believers took up the theme as they looked for the coming Christ. Later on, even as the expected imminent…
Daily Devotions: August 10, 2019
August 10, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 12:32-34 … “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” vs. 32 Whether we like it or not, we are treated to hourly reports, Monday through Friday, on how the stock market is doing. There is generally no rhyme or reason for the daily fluctuations but we can’t escape knowing how it’s doing. Some folks like that! They have multiple investments and…
Daily Devotions: August 9, 2019
August 9, 2019 For full passage click: Hebrews 11:8-16 … “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.” vs. 8 For the early Christians, it was obvious that the community of faith included more than just those who were acquainted with Jesus and his teachings. They were happy to embrace Abraham and Sarah and all those…