'consequences' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.” vs. 14 Exodus 32:11-14 According to this story recounted in Exodus, Moses was able to convince the Lord to change his mind and abandon his plan to destroy the Hebrews at Mount Sinai. All it took was a reminder that such an action would diminish the Lord’s reputation among the Egyptians. People have wondered about these verses through the centuries. Is it true…
Daily Devotions
Daily Devotions
Daily Devotions
A third time he said to them, ‘Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.’” vs. 23 Luke 24:1-25 The gospels present the trial of Jesus as being a complete miscarriage of justice. The charges presented by the religious leaders were misrepresentations of his words and actions and some were outright lies. Neither Herod or Pilate were convinced of his…
Daily Devotions
Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.” vs. 11 Amos 5: 11-15 Amos called out the people living in the prosperous cities of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He knew exactly how they had gained their wealth! They had gotten rich from their relentless taxation and exploitation…
Daily Devotions
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” vss. 24-25 Mark 3:20-30 Abraham Lincoln quoted this verse when he launched his campaign in 1858 as the Republican candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois. These words opened his speech and were a direct reference to the impending division of the United States that had been triggered by a massive controversy…
Daily Devotions
The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.’” vs. 12 Genesis 3:11-15 From the very beginning, it has been important in difficult situations to know how to assess blame! In our ancient scriptures, the very first story about human interaction with God has the man blaming the woman for his act of disobedience, and more than that, the text implies that the real culprit is God!…
Daily Devotions
Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.” vs. 6 Numbers 21:4-9 It’s not uncommon for people to wonder why awful things are happening in their lives. And for people of faith the wondering is often accompanied by the question, “Why is God doing this to me?” Behind the question lurks the popular assumption that when we sin, God will arrange for our punishment, maybe not with poisonous snakes,…
Daily Devotions
After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.” vs. 19 Matthew 25:14-19 Most of us have at least a passing familiarity with what is known as the Parable of the Talents. It’s the story of a rich man going on a journey who entrusts his property to his slaves. One gets five talents, another two, and the third receives just one. When the master returned, he summoned his slaves and settled accounts with…
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
For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.’ Therefore in my anger I swore, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” vss. 10-11 Psalm 95 The psalmist was a person of faith and had a profound sense of God’s glory and majesty. He gladly proclaimed that God was the Lord of heaven and earth, the Creator of all that is seen and unseen. He called…
Daily Devotions
Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.” vss. 8-9 Psalm 98:8-9 Many have been waiting for this day for weeks. They’re tired of looking at all the campaign signs and being besieged by unwelcome television ads and unsolicited text messages on their phones. It’s a relief that the…
Daily Devotions
But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” vs. 2a Malachi 4:1-2a Malachi, like other prophets in Judah, spoke of the coming Day of the Lord, a time in which God would rain down fire and destruction on evil-doers, while also preserving the righteous from any harm. We see that same prophetic discourse in these latter days as we look forward to a future that many believe is fraught with…
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