'faith' Tagged Posts (Page 2)
Daily Devotions
Romans 12:9-13…“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.” vss. 12-13 After giving the Roman faithful a healthy dose of doctrine and complex legal arguments Paul moves on to what seems to be the core of his message. He wants them to know what is really important for their community of faith, and it isn’t having proper theology! What counts is the cohesiveness of their little congregation…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 26:1-8…“Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and mind.” vss. 1-2 This psalmist has the utmost confidence in his own righteousness. If there were any entrance requirements for temple worship, he has no doubts about passing the test. He is a man of integrity and has nothing to hide from the Lord. There is no question…
Daily Devotions
Jeremiah 15:15-18..““Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.” vs. 16 Jeremiah was called to be a prophet about 627 B. C., during the reign of King Josiah. At first he had resisted the call and claimed to be too young, but ultimately as this verse indicates, the Lord’s words became to him a…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 16:17-20..“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” vs. 18 The disciples had likely seen the temple of Pan at Caesarea Philippi, and had marveled at the water gushing out of the grotto on which it stood. According to one of the legends attached to this wonder of nature, because the ancients didn’t have a clue where all the water was…
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…