'faith' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
Romans 12:3-8…“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” vs. 3 We can’t help but be stunned at the inflated egos of those who have risen to positions of authority and leadership in this world. It seems as though every organization is filled with men and…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 15:27-28…“Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.” vs. 28 Periodically in the course of Jesus’ ministry he encountered faith in the most surprising people, and it always impressed him. This pagan woman had irritated his disciples with her loud cries for assistance, and she’d even gotten under his skin a bit, but when she followed up his put- down with a clever…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 15:21-24…“Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all.” vss. 22-23a It’s not clear why Jesus entered into Gentile territory with his disciples. It could be that he simply wanted time away from the crowds that were following him everywhere that he went. He doesn’t seem to have been interested in ministry…
Daily Devotions
Romans 11:30-32…“For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.” vs. 32 While Paul is to be cherished and admired for his remarkable apostolic ministry, we can’t help but wish that his writings were easier to understand. Sometimes we have particular difficulty as he explains his insights on God’s relationship to the Jews. He obviously cared deeply about his people, and wanted to clarify their place in salvation history. The problem is that the…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 14:28-33…“Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’” vs. 31 Whatever else might be said of Peter, Matthew wants us to know that he didn’t shy away from a challenge. When Jesus told him to get out of the boat and walk on the water, he actually did it. And what we often forget is that he was successful! He was able to imitate Jesus, and did…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 14:22-27…“But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’” vs.27 As Matthew tells the story, after the feeding of the 5000, Jesus had stayed behind for much needed prayer and meditation, and had sent the disciples back across the sea by themselves. When the winds increased and their boat was being battered by the waves, the disciples saw Jesus in the darkness walking toward them, and, thinking it was a ghost,…
Daily Devotions
Romans 10:11-15…“But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?” vs. 14 Paul knew that God made no distinctions and that the gift of salvation was for all people. No one was excluded! The problem was that not everyone knew Jesus and they’d never been told about the resurrection. If…
Daily Devotions
Romans 10:5-10…“because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” vs. 9 Paul was dealing with people who believed that righteousness came through obedience to the Law. But Paul taught that righteousness came through faith, that there were no heroic actions required to win God’s favor. Rather, he taught, righteousness came through confession of Jesus as Lord and belief in his resurrection.…
Daily Devotions
1 Kings 19:9-18…“At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” vs. 9 For a moment Elijah was triumphant in his struggle against the paganism that Israel had embraced under King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel. He had defeated her prophets of Baal in a great contest on Mount Carmel, but when she erupted in rage against him and threatened…
Daily Devotions
Romans 9:1-2…“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” vss. 1-2 After speaking of the incredible love of God in Christ Jesus, Paul’s tone shifts as he continues his letter to the Romans. He knows that large numbers of Jews are refusing to acknowledge Jesus as the messiah and their rejection is causing him extreme anguish–his heart is aching for his…
Daily Devotions
Romans 8:31-39…“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” vss. 38-39 Paul holds nothing back as he outlines the unimaginable extent of God’s power and love. We can almost hear him shouting, “Do you hear me people? There is nothing,…
Daily Devotions
Romans 8:18-25…“For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” vss. 24-25 The longer we live the more likely it is that we will experience the deaths of friends and family members. And when that happens we are always grateful to be able to offer words of comfort to those who grieve.…