'faith' Tagged Posts (Page 25)

'faith' Tagged Posts (Page 25)

Daily Devotions

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” vss. 4-5 Psalm 96 Human beings seem to have a god gene as part of their DNA that drives them to set aside time and energy for worship as a regular activity. Sometimes the object of that worship was found in nature, perhaps a particular mountain or…

Daily Devotions

…through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name…” vs. 5 Romans 1:5-7 With the gift of grace, Paul had also received what might be called a “calling.” He had been made an apostle, one who is sent as an emissary, in order that Gentiles might also become believers. Essentially, Gentiles were outsiders, anyone who was not a Jew, and it was a big…

Daily Devotions

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” vs. 7 Psalm 46 The psalmist had a strong sense of God’s closeness–to put it in theological terms, he was aware of the immanence of God. To put it even more plainly, God was real to him, palpable and near, capable of being perceived by his senses. When there was danger or trouble of any kind, the psalmist was confident that God would protect him. Some…

Daily Devotions

You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death … But not a hair of your head will perish.”  vss. 16, 18 Luke 21:10-19 During the years of the Jewish Revolt, the followers of Jesus were persecuted and afflicted, not only by the Roman armies but by the Jewish rebels. Many were squeezed out of their homeland–others, while trying to remain faithful to the traditions, were betrayed…

Daily Devotions

Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” vs. 13 2 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Evidently a kind of malaise had taken over the congregation in Thessaloniki. There had been some ongoing persecution, but the primary problem was confusion about the coming return of Christ. Some were saying it had already happened, and a few had stopped working in anticipation that the day was close. Paul too believes that the return will be soon, but he admonishes the…

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; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.” vss. 13-14 Ephesians 1:11-14 As we observe the lives of fellow saints and sinners in our congregations, we are often touched by the serenity and peace that accompanies some…

Daily Devotions

Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” vss. 27-28 Romans 3:25b-28 We know that our salvation is by the grace of God and not through our works, but Paul also says that we are justified by faith, and sometimes that gets confusing. Some folks focus on faith and…

Daily Devotions

And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” vss. 7-8  Luke 18:6-8 The parable of the unjust judge has been clear in affirming the faithfulness of God. If a crooked judge will answer persistent petitions, then certainly God will do…

Daily Devotions

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.” vs. 8 Psalm 121 If we were to list our psalms of comfort, this one would probably rank near the top. This psalmist understood God, and he was able to provide a metaphor that describes the ever-vigilant nature of God better than any other. He writes, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from…

Daily Devotions

Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’” vs.19 Luke 17:15-19 Faith is a big word for the followers of Jesus. We run across it regularly as we read the scriptures and have discovered that it can have a variety of meanings. In this instance, Jesus ascribes it to a Samaritan man who had been healed of his leprosy. Evidently all ten of the lepers had faith, they had trusted…

Daily Devotions

When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean.” vs. 14 Luke 17:11-14 As we’ve learned to live with COVID, we’ve had to deal with ever-changing regulations for quarantine and travel. Once diagnosed, we have to be able to show a negative test to resume normal activities, and that hasn’t always been easy. We’ve missed family gatherings and had to cancel trips, all in the interest…

Daily Devotions

The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’  The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’” vss. 5-6 Luke 17:5-6 On the surface the demand sounds reasonable. It’s the sort of thing we might have said to Jesus–it might even be the core of our daily prayers: “Lord, increase our faith!” Often we imagine that…