'behavior' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’” vss. 1-2 John 9:1-7 It was natural for the disciples to have questions about the blind man. In their world, a person blind from birth would be an anomaly, and they wanted to know how and why things like this occurred. There had to be a cause, and they strongly believed that…
Daily Devotions
We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way…” vss. 3-4 2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:3-10 Paul had been reconciled to God through Christ Jesus, and now, as Christ’s ambassador, he believed that others might be reconciled to God through his ministry. Because of that important calling, he was now determined not to be an obstacle to anyone’s faith. His behavior…
Daily Devotions
But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” vs. 32 Matthew 5:27-37 As Jesus eliminates the loopholes that were a part of the law of Moses, he doesn’t deal with peripheral items. Instead he tackles the biggies: adultery, divorce, and truth-telling. And if those topics were important in the first century, they are at the core of the…
Daily Devotions
O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!” vs. 3 Micah 6:1-5 The prophet Micah was very aware that Israel had not been acting in a way that was pleasing to the Lord. In this passage he imagines the Lord taking the controversy to the mountains and, in a court-like setting, presenting the case. In Micah’s vision the Lord sounds like a parent scolding beloved children. Some of us recognize the…
Daily Devotions
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly…” vss. 11-12 Titus 2:11-14 The book of Titus reflects the conviction of early believers that God’s saving grace had been showered upon all humanity in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. That’s a truth worth holding close to our hearts, especially in these times of religious…
Daily Devotions
Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.” vs. 24 Jeremiah 23:23-26 Twenty-five hundred years ago Jeremiah refused to believe that God could be manipulated or avoided. God was no idol of stone or wood hanging out in temples and having no connection to daily life. Like many of us, Jeremiah believed that the Lord filled the universe, that God was present in…
Daily Devotions
Philippians 1:27-30 … “Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit…” vs. 27 Paul was consistent in his proclamation of the pure Gospel, and insisted that salvation came by grace, and not through obedience to the law. But he also believed with all of his heart that it makes…
Daily Devotions: March 18, 2020
March 18, 2020 Ephesians 5:8-10 … “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light—for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.” vss. 8-9 The writer of Ephesians knew that it was possible for people to lead good, decent lives, and always tell the truth. It was simply a matter of behaving as we are! As Jesus once put it, “You…
Daily Devotions: February 24, 2020
February 24, 2020 For full passage click: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 … “rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.” vs. 13 Israel had been invaded by a plague of locusts and the prophet Joel believed that relief would come only if the people turned back to God and repented of their sinful ways. Most of us probably…
Daily Devotions: November 26, 2019
November 26, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 122 … “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.’” vss. 6-7 Jerusalem was not only the capital of Judah, it was the center of worship life for all devout Jews, no matter where they lived in the world. The temple was here and three times each year there were important festivals to attend. Even today three major…
Daily Devotions: March 24, 2019
March 24, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 9:6-10 …“So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’” vs. 7 It appears that in this parable, the man’s love for his fig tree was quite conditional. He could put up with three years of fruitless living, but that was his limit. That’s the…
Daily Devotions: August 29, 2018
August 29, 2018 Psalm 15 …“O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart;” vss. 1-2 Many of us are pretty comfortable thinking of ourselves as sinners. We know what we’re like on the inside and that we regularly wander from the path of righteousness. It’s an identity that grows on us and we certainly don’t have any…