'forgiveness' Tagged Posts (Page 10)
Daily Devotions: September 4, 2019
September 4, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 1:4-6 … “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” vs. 4 The imagery used by the Psalmist calls to mind the hilltop threshing floors used by farmers to separate the wheat from the chaff at harvest time. As they tossed the separated grain into the air, the chaff would be blown away by the wind while the heavier wheat would fall back to the earth. The…
Daily Devotions: September 4, 2019
September 4, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 1:4-6 … “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” vs. 4 The imagery used by the Psalmist calls to mind the hilltop threshing floors used by farmers to separate the wheat from the chaff at harvest time. As they tossed the separated grain into the air, the chaff would be blown away by the wind while the heavier wheat would fall back to the earth. The…
Daily Devotions: April 25, 2019
April 25, 2019 For full passage click: Revelation 1:4-6… “To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 5b-6 John begins his mysterious apocalypse with a dedication that glorifies the Risen Christ. In his estimation, not only had the faithful been loved and forgiven through Jesus Christ, they had been made into…
Daily Devotions: March 26, 2019
March 26, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 32:1-5 …“Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” vs 5 The psalmist had been engaged in a great cover-up and his conscience had been nagging at him. We don’t know what had happened but it doesn’t seem to have been a public matter. Only he knew what…
Daily Devotions: December 20, 2018
December 20, 2018 To read full passage click: Hebrews 10:5-6 …“Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.’” vss. 5-6 The sacrificial system had been the centerpiece of worship for the people of Israel for centuries. It was a way for them to deal with the guilt and the power of sin. By…
Daily Devotions: November 28, 2018
November 28, 2018 To read full passage click: Psalm 25:5-10 “Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!” vs. 7 All of us have a backstory! And as we meet new people in the course of our lives, we often will fill them in on what has gone before. It’s an important and helpful step in building a relationship. Some parts of that story are…
Daily Devotions: October 28, 2018
October 28, 2018 John 8:34-36 …“Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin…So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’” vss. 34, 36 There’s not a lot of talk about sin in our day. It’s almost as though it has ceased to be a factor in our daily living. Oh, we still acknowledge mistakes and know that sometimes we do dumb stuff, but in general, we don’t…
Daily Devotions: October 6, 2018
October 6, 2018 Mark 10:2-12 …“He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’” vss. 11-12 When this text is read in our worship services it often triggers feelings of guilt. Many followers of Jesus have been divorced and struggle to align their experience with his teachings. Even those who were in abusive relationships wonder if they should have simply endured. Others…
Daily Devotions: July 12 , 2018
July 12, 2018 Ephesians 1:3-10…“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.” vss. 7-8a The writer to the Ephesians can scarcely contain himself as he begins his letter to his friends in Ephesus. He has come to an explosive and expansive understanding of God’s grace and love and pours out his amazing conclusions in his introductory paragraph. He believes that the people reading…
Daily Devotions: April 17, 2018
April 17, 2018 Acts 4:8-12…“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” vs. 12 The disciples were ecstatic! They had such good news for their leaders…and for the entire world. Through the Holy Spirit they had come to believe that Jesus was the Christ and that through him God’s salvation had come to humanity. As they traveled about proclaiming that audacious message it seemed…
Daily Devotions: April 16, 2018
April 16, 2018 Acts 4:5-7…“When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’” vs. 7 When the religious authorities in Jerusalem heard that the disciples were preaching that Jesus had been raised from the dead and were actually healing the sick, they ordered them to be arrested. They weren’t an impressive group–just a few Galilean fishermen and some hangers-on. When the wealthy, well-educated priestly types saw…
Daily Devotions: April 15, 2018
April 15, 2018 Luke 24:44-48…“Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,” vs. 45 Being familiar with the scriptures wasn’t enough for the disciples to have a clue about what had happened in Jesus. Nowhere was there a straightforward indication that the promised messiah would suffer, be crucified as a criminal, and then die. One option would have been for them to completely abandon the Hebrew scriptures and focus on building a new faith tradition–something no one ever seriously…