Blog (Page 89)
Daily Devotions
Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”’” Amos 7:10-15 As might be expected Amos’ message had not gone over well with the religious leaders of Israel. He was from Judah, and when he stirred up the poor against the rich in Israel, the…
Daily Devotions
And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by;’” vs. 8 Amos 7:7-9 With the aid of a plumb line a worker can always find the true vertical and will know in an instant if a wall is crooked or straight. The prophet Amos uses it as…
Daily Devotions
He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.” vs. 7 Mark 6:7-13 Jesus practiced what he preached. When he was rejected by the people of Nazareth he intensified his outreach and sent out his disciples to mirror his mission and his message in other villages of Galilee. He had known there would be setbacks, but he also knew that there were hundreds of hurting, needy people who…
Daily Devotions
Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’” vs. 4 Mark 6:1-6 The people who thought they knew Jesus the best, the people of his own home town, took offense at his words when he returned to Nazareth during his Galilean mission. It isn’t that they weren’t impressed–they thought he was astounding and that his wisdom was unparalleled. Jesus wasn’t surprised by the rejection–it…
Daily Devotions
Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” vss. 8-9 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 We don’t know what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” might have been, though there’s certainly been plenty of speculation. Obviously it was…
Daily Devotions
But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me,” vs. 6 2 Corinthians 12:2-7a It was not uncommon for people in Paul’s day to experience heavenly journeys. Often such persons claimed to have had great mysteries explained, which they then passed on to their followers. Paul…
Daily Devotions
To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!” vs. 1 Psalm 123 The words of the psalmist are familiar–we’re accustomed to thinking of God as being “up there” someplace. We even talk about praying to the “Man Upstairs” and wondering if “He’s” been watching everything that we’ve been doing. While we can appreciate the psalmist’s piety and even emulate his cry for divine mercy, the imagery is unfortunate. It’s simply not true that…
Daily Devotions
The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’” vs. 4 Ezekiel 2:3-5 Ezekiel’s call was to be a prophet to the rebellious nation of Israel and he believed that he spoke for God as he addressed them. He wouldn’t be just expressing his opinions in his sermons, he would be the voice of God! That’s an audacious claim, and we can be fairly confident that…
Daily Devotions
He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you.” vs. 1 Ezekiel 2:1-3 UFO enthusiasts believe that the vision described by Ezekiel in chapter one of his book is the account of his encounter with an alien spacecraft around the year 597 BCE. Of course that’s not how Ezekiel interpreted it–for him it was an encounter with the Lord, an experience that changed his life. Whatever it was that he saw and…
Daily Devotions
When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’” vs. 39 Mark 5:35-43 What Jesus said to the mourners at the synagogue leader’s home was crazy–and they knew it! That’s why they laughed at him! They knew the difference between death and sleep, and so do we. That’s why we mourn when someone dies–it’s the natural thing to do. Of course Jesus paid no attention, went…
Daily Devotions
She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.’” vss.27-28 Mark 5:21-34 The woman’s condition made her ritually impure so she had a dual purpose in seeking out Jesus. She hoped that if she touched his clothes she would be both healed and cleansed. In our world we think of healing primarily in physical terms. We seek out…
Daily Devotions
I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need…” vss. 13-14a 2 Corinthians 8:11-15 It seems that some people in the Corinthian congregation were reluctant to share their hard-earned money with the needy folks in Jerusalem. Such feelings are quite common, even in the family of faith. And the more material goods we’ve managed to accumulate the more…