Blog (Page 58)
Daily Devotions
Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away … No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.” vss. 11, 14 Deuteronomy 30:11-14 What is this word that the scribe is describing in these ancient texts, a word not found in a book, or across the sea? It is the very Word that the gospel…
Daily Devotions
For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, when you obey the Lord your God by observing his commandments and decrees…” vss. 9b-10a Deuteronomy 30:9-10 The scribes of Israel believed that if the people obeyed the Lord by observing the Lord’s commandments and decrees, the Lord would take delight in bringing prosperity to the nation. The Lord would make Israel great again! We can understand why this was such a…
Daily Devotions
See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.” vs. 19 Luke 10:16-20 Those who have discovered that they share their homes with scorpions are likely glad that they have been given authority from Jesus to tread upon them, preferably while wearing thick soled shoes. But it’s a bit of a mystery why such a verse should have made it into scripture. A few…
Daily Devotions
Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.” vss. 5-6 Luke 10:1-11 When Jesus sent out the 70 in mission they were traveling in a world that looks very different from our own. They walked in pairs along rural roads, and stopped in villages with dusty streets to cure the sick and bring the…
Daily Devotions
For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!” vs. 15 Galatians 6:11-16 Some of the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem didn’t get what the new life in Christ was all about, and they drove Paul to distraction. Their representatives had followed him into the cities of Galatia and were telling new believers that they needed circumcision–baptism wasn’t enough. This conflict within the ranks of the newly formed Church provoked real anger in Paul, and he didn’t…
Daily Devotions
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” vss. 7-8 Galatians 6:7-10 Paul’s words to the Galatians were not rocket science. They are exactly the sort of thing that parents have been saying to their children from the beginning. We reap whatever we sow! This…
Daily Devotions
Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.” vss. 8-9 Psalm 66:1-9 From a practical or realistic standpoint, Israel’s survival as a people didn’t make much sense to the psalmist. They weren’t a powerful nation and had somehow managed to survive through the succeeding reigns of a series of superpowers. For him there was only one logical answer: their God had…
Daily Devotions
As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” vs. 13 Isaiah 66:13-14 When we get older and start learning new things in school, it’s not unusual to do an assessment of what we’ve been learning in Sunday School. And sometimes the old familiar stories don’t stand up to our scrutiny. We reject entire portions of scripture as being archaic and unscientific, and decide that we are no longer believers. Usually that…
Daily Devotions
Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her—that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast…” vss. 10-11a Isaiah 66:10-12 When Israel returned from captivity, Jerusalem was a mess–the walls were destroyed and the temple was a wreck. And the people who greeted them, those who had remained in the land, were not at all friendly. The prophet, instead of lamenting, tells…
Daily Devotions
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’” vs. 57 Luke 9:57-62 As the preaching and healing ministry of Jesus gained momentum, occasionally he would ask people to follow him, and sometimes there were even volunteers. Some folks were wanting to jump on the bandwagon, but Luke tells us that Jesus wasn’t very welcoming. He told one man to let the dead bury their own dead, and another that he…
Daily Devotions
When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’” vs. 54 Luke 9:51-55 When the Samaritan villagers refused to receive Jesus as he made his way to Jerusalem, James and John were filled with indignation. They wanted to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them–they wanted to kill them all. Jesus of course rebuked them and simply went on to…
Daily Devotions
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” vs. 22 Galatians 5:18-25 Paul’s picture of kingdom living is timeless and seems too good to be true. How is it possible to live in community and experience such extraordinary fruits in ourselves and in others? He makes it sound so easy–all we need to do is become love-slaves of Christ, and the Spirit will…