'faith' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
Acts 7:55-60…“While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died.” vss. 59-60 Stephen, one of the seven persons chosen by the apostles to help with the distribution of goods to the needy, was eloquent and full of the Spirit. When challenged by Jewish opponents he preached a long sermon, recounting the…
Daily Devotions
John 10:1-5…“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.” vss. 1-2 Shepherds were a staple of the Hebrew scriptures. Both David and Moses herded sheep before they began leading people, and the prophets graded the kings according to their shepherding skill. So it’s no surprise to discover that…
Daily Devotions
Romans 6:3-11…“Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” vs. 4 The disciples of Jesus were very familiar with the practice of baptism. The gospel of John hints that, like Jesus, at least a couple of them had been baptized by John the Baptist. That was a particular kind of baptism, a…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 22… “The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.” vss. 26-27 Psalm 22 is familiar to most believers because it begins with the words Jesus uttered from the cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” According to Mark and Matthew these…
Daily Devotions
John 11:33-45…“The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.” vs. 45 John tells us that when Lazarus emerged from the tomb at the command of Jesus, he had new life, but there was a problem. His hands and feet were bound and he could not see. Here in a few words John laid out a metaphor that…
Daily Devotions
John 4:31-42… “They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.’” vs. 42 The woman had been an effective evangelist. When she went back into her home city and excitedly told the people about Jesus, many believed in him because of her testimony. But then when they actually met Jesus and had a chance…
Daily Devotions
Romans 5:1-5… “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand;” vss. 1-2a Sometimes we believers get our slogans confused, and we wonder things like, are we “justified by grace through faith,” or is it “justified by faith through grace?” And really it doesn’t make any difference which phrase we’ve learned–both contain the same essential truth about our relationship to God. But…
Daily Devotions
John 3:11-17… “If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” Nicodemus didn’t get it, and there were no words to explain what he was missing. Sometimes that’s how it is when we try to share our deepest feelings and ideas with a curious questioner. We can know something so intimately in our hearts but when we try to share that truth all the words…
Daily Devotions
Romans 4: 13-17… “If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither isthere violation.” vss. 14-15 There is much to be said for operating under the rule of law in our world. It’s whatenables businesses to flourish and governments to be trusted. Without it marketsare quickly taken over by cartels and politicians rake in billions…
Daily Devotion
Psalm 29… “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.” vss. 2-3 According to Genesis 1 God spoke the universe into existence. Again and again we see the repeated phrase, “And God said…and it was so.” And the gospel writer John, agreeing with Genesis, wrote, “All things came into being through the Word.”…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 1:18-21… “But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” vs. 20 Like Luke, when Matthew put together his account of Jesus’ life and ministry, he decided to include the story of Jesus’ birth, but his description doesn’t have the flair…
Daily Devotions
In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;” vs. 13 Ephesians 1:11-23 “You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” We hear these words regularly in the baptism rituals of our congregations. They are said following the washing with water and are a precious reminder of the grace…