'faith' Tagged Posts (Page 33)
Daily Devotions: June 26, 2019
June 26, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 16:7-11 …“You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” vs. 11 The Lord was not a stranger to the psalmist! They had a connection that had begun with the breath of the Spirit in creation, and that had continued throughout his life. Not a day passed without a prayer of thanksgiving and songs of praise. Many of us…
Daily Devotions: April 16, 2019
April 16, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 71:1-14 …‘Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you…Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent.” vss. 6, 9 Not everyone comes to faith as a child. Many followers of Jesus report that their parents gave them little spiritual direction as they grew up,…
Daily Devotions: April 14, 2019
April 14, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 23:31-49 …“Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last.” vs. 36 According to Luke’s sources, Jesus’ last words were, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, the Inspired One expired, and gave up his spirit. Whether or not this is a description of what happens at the point of death is not the…
Daily Devotions: March 9, 2019
March 9, 2019 For full passage click: Romans 10:8b-13 …“For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” vs. 10 Everything that is necessary for universal salvation has already been done, and it’s all a gift from God. God’s love and forgiveness is by grace and it is for everyone–no exceptions. That does not mean however, that everyone is currently enjoying the good gifts of God. In fact, too…
Daily Devotions: February 1, 2019
February 1, 2019 To read full passage click: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 …“Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.” vs. 8 Christianity is known for its trends. Every few years there is a major breakthrough of some sort and we become obsessed with the newest and the latest worship practices and doctrinal statements. At those moments, there are endless debates…
Daily Devotions: January 9, 2019
January 9, 2019 To read full passage click: Psalm 29:1-4 …“Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.” vs. 1 Humans have always wondered about God. In the beginning they saw God connections everywhere, particularly in the unexplained mysteries of the universe. In those times, God was the standard cause for everything humans didn’t understand. As knowledge grew and scientific investigation revealed the natural forces at work in the world around us, some began…
Daily Devotions: January 5, 2019
January 5, 2019 To read full passage click: Ephesians 3:7-12 …“Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power.” vs. 7 While many question whether Paul was the actual writer of the book of Ephesians, there is no doubt that its content is consistent with what we know of his life. He was completely committed to the message of inclusive grace that had…
Daily Devotions: December 13, 2018
December 13, 2018 To read full passage click: Philippians 4:4-5 …“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” vs. 4 Most of us believe that rejoicing is something we do when wonderful things happen in our lives. Our team wins the big game, a long awaited child is born, we get the raise we’ve been waiting for–the list could go on. There are many occasions for pure joy in the course of a lifetime. But Paul told the…
Daily Devotions: December 2, 2018
December 2, 2018 To read full passage click: Luke 21:29-36 …“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.” vss. 34-35 Jesus was talking about the much anticipated return of the Son of Man, an event eagerly awaited by his followers in the early…
Daily Devotions: November 29, 2018
November 29, 2018 To read full passage click: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-10 …“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?” Vs. 9 Paul had paused for a time in Thessalonica on his second missionary journey, proclaimed the gospel, and had promptly been run out of town! Later on he wondered about those who had received his message and sent Timothy back to check on them. When…
Daily Devotions: September 22, 2018
September 22, 2018 Mark 9:30-32 …“But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.” vs. 32 The arrest and crucifixion of Jesus came as a jolt to his disciples. They had anticipated triumph and success, a great victory over the dominating oppressive powers. But after the resurrection, when it became apparent to them that Jesus was indeed the Christ, some of them remembered that he had talked about persecution and suffering while he was…
Daily Devotions: September 7, 2018
September 7, 2018 James 2:14-17 …“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?” vs. 14 Martin Luther famously lamented the presence of the book of James in the New Testament and called it an “epistle of straw.” He said this because he believed that it undermined the teachings of Paul, who wrote to the Romans that we are justified by faith apart from the works…