Blog (Page 197)
Daily Devotions: November 18, 2017
Matthew 25:14-23 “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.” vss. 14-15 Matthew’s account of Jesus’ teaching ministry begins with the Sermon on the Mount and ends with three parables about the coming Day of the Lord and the Final Judgment. The parable of the talents…
Daily Devotions: November 17, 2017
1 Thessalonians 5:6-11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” vs. 11 Paul was charting new ground in his letter to the Thessalonians. He’d never been to seminary or taken a class in pastoral care…there weren’t any denominations and no one knew exactly what was going on. Paul himself had done a lot of praying and had come to depend on the Holy Spirit in the course of his travels, and along the…
Daily Devotions: November 16, 2017
1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 “But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.” vss. 4-5 It was widely agreed in the early church that the Day of the Lord would come without warning like a thief in the night, and it seems there was considerable speculation about just when that would be. Many…
Daily Devotions: November 15, 2017
Psalm 90:5-8, 12 “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.” vs. 12 It’s not unusual for the young to have a sense of immortality and to act as though they are going to live forever. Many seem to not quite understand that someday they too will be old, and that their bodies will begin to wear out. They see old people around but they’re careful in their interactions. These faceless aged folks are,…
Daily Devotions: November 14, 2017
Psalm 90:1-4 “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” vss. 1-2 A sizeable majority of people say that they believe in God, yet ideas about the nature of God are all over the map. It’s not surprising that this would be the case! Our vocabularies simply don’t have the words to even come close…
Daily Devotions: November 13, 2017
Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.’” A century earlier Amos had a word of warning for Israel…and the country was destroyed. Now Zephaniah warns the people of Jerusalem, his hometown, that the same fate awaits them on the coming day of the Lord. Prosperity has…
Daily Devotions: November 12, 2017
Matthew 25:7-13 “Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’” vss. 11-12 This is a parable that the upright and prepared can give a hearty “Amen” to. They particularly like the part where the wise bridesmaids say to the foolish, “Go buy your own oil!” That sentiment appeals to those who have lived life the right way and who would relish the chance to…
Daily Devotions: November 11, 2017
Matthew 25:1-6 “When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.” vss. 3-4 Matthew remembers a story that Jesus told and uses it to address the problem of Christ’s delayed return. Evidently some in his community were like the five foolish bridesmaids. They were ready to greet the returning bridegroom…but they hadn’t expected to wait…and their lamps burned out…and they have no reserves. That can easily happen…
Daily Devotions: November 10, 2017
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 “For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” vs. 16 There are references throughout the New Testament to an imminent return of Christ. It seems to have been a universal expectation for Christians. Believers were confident that the work that was begun in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus would be brought…
Daily Devotions: November 9, 2017
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-15 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” vs. 13 Early in his missionary journeys, Paul believed in the immanent return of the Lord Jesus. But, as time passed, he began to hear that some believers had concerns. They were wondering about loved ones who had recently died. Would they miss out on the…
Daily Devotions: November 8, 2017
Psalm 70 “But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!” vs. 5 There’s nothing like tough times to kindle a spark of faith in us. During the good years…when the stock market is up, our health is good, and family is doing well…we can go for long periods without even thinking about God. Months pass without a serious prayer…we can go for decades without darkening…
Daily Devotions: November 7, 2017
Amos 5:22-24 “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.” vs. 24 These words, directed by the prophet Amos to the leaders of Israel, have a contemporary ring to them and remind us of the inspired oratory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Like Amos, King saw clearly the inequities of society and made an eloquent plea for an end to injustice in segregated America. Prophets like Amos and Dr. King generally are not well…