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Daily Devotions
Matthew 21:42-46 … “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.” vs. 45 The religious leaders of the Jews were not lacking in intelligence–they got the point of Jesus’ parables and knew that he had been talking about them. But it made absolutely no difference in their behavior. They did not repent of their foolish ways and become his followers. Instead they began to plot about how they might arrest…
Daily Devotions: June 17, 2020
June 17, 2020 Psalm 69:7-10 … “It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” vs. 9 We don’t know that Jeremiah wrote any psalms, but given the prophetic tone of Psalm 69, he could have penned its words. In every age Prophets spoke with passion and paid for it with rejection and persecution. Even friends and relatives turned against them. It’s that prophetic part of discipleship that…
Daily Devotions: May 12, 2020
May 12, 2020 Acts 17:26-31 … “For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’” vs. 28 Luke remembered that Paul’s debate with the Athenians on Mars Hill contained a couple of apt references to Greek poets, and that Paul seemed to share their perspectives on the Divine Presence. Paul taught, as did those ancient philosophers, that all people are the children…
Daily Devotions: April 2, 2020
April 2, 2020 Matthew 21:1-11 … “When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’” vss. 10-11 According to Matthew, Jesus didn’t exactly sneak into Jerusalem when he arrived for the Passover. In fact, he did the opposite and staged an eye-catching entry with a palm-festooned procession and a crowd of enthusiastic supporters. As a result, the whole city exploded with curiosity.…
Daily Devotions: March 15, 2020
March 15, 2020 John 4:27-42 … “Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.” vs. 35 When the disciples looked around it’s likely they saw little more than villages full of despised Samaritans. They hadn’t even imagined that such folks would be interested in the Gospel of grace being proclaimed by Jesus. But Jesus knew! In his eyes these weren’t Samaritans,…
Daily Devotions: February 25, 2020
February 25, 2020 For full passage click: Isaiah 58:1-12 … “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” vs. 6 Isaiah 58 should be required reading for any who presume to be God-fearing believers. The Prophet was fed up with folks who claim to be religious, but who have no heart for the poor or the…
Daily Devotions: January 2, 2020
January 2, 2020 For full passage click: Ephesians 1:3-8 … “just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.” vs. 4 In the beginning, the universe came into being through the infusion of the Christ, and through billions of years that Christ has continued to breathe life and light into the continuing creation–and that includes every member of the human race. None have been excluded. None have…
Daily Devotions: December 18, 2019
December 18, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 80:17-19 … “Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.” vs. 18 With the kingdom in shambles, the Psalmist knows that Israel needs the help of the Lord and asked that the king be empowered to lead his army to victory. He promises that if the Lord will act to restore the people, they will never again turn away from faith. Many…
Daily Devotions: December 7, 2019
December 7, 2019 For full passage click: Matthew 3:1-6 … “Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” vss. 6-7 We know little about John the Baptist, just a few verses in the Gospels, and a brief mention in the works of Josephus, an ancient chronicler of Jewish history. Some believe he was an Essene…
Daily Devotions: September 9, 2019
September 9, 2019 For full passage click: Exodus 32:7-14 … “And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.” vs. 14 In this little story from Exodus, it appears that the Lord has flipped a gasket over the idolatrous behavior of the Israelites in the wilderness, and is ready to wipe them all out. Moses, aware of the Lord’s anger, has to use his best debating skills to avert disaster. What stands…
Daily Devotions: March 4, 2019
March 4, 2019 For full passage click: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 …“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. 13b A plague of locusts had descended upon Israel and Joel believed that they were a sign that the day of judgment was near. He pleads with the people to return to God with genuine repentance and not empty ceremonies. He wants them to know…
Daily Devotions: February 18, 2019
February 18, 2019 For full passage click: Genesis 43:3-11, 15 …“I myself will be surety for him; you can hold me accountable for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.” vs. 9 Judah and his brothers had contrived to sell their father’s favorite son, Joseph, into slavery. The story of Joseph’s rise to a position of prominence in Egypt is well-known, as is…