'God' Tagged Posts (Page 2)
Daily Devotions
But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!” vs. 5 Psalm 70 Sometimes we get tired of waiting for the Lord! It’s nice to say to ourselves and to others, “Oh, I have plenty of time, and God has given me the gift of patience, so it doesn’t matter when my deliverer shows up.” That’s a good attitude to have, since it seems we spend…
Daily Devotions
Alas for you who desire the day of the LORD! Why do you want the day of the LORD? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear…” vss. 18-19a Amos 5:18-20 When Amos came out of the south and into the prosperous north with a word from the Lord, he wasn’t going to a people who were unfamiliar with the traditions of Israel. There were religious leaders and active worship…
Daily Devotions
I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.” 6b-7 Isaiah 45:5-7 According to Isaiah, Cyrus, the Lord’s anointed, did not know the Lord, but that didn’t make any difference. Because God is, all things have their being in God. In fact, Isaiah says, not only do light and darkness come from God, so do both good and evil! That thought…
Daily Devotions
Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?” vs. 12 Psalm 80:8-15 Like Isaiah the psalmist uses the metaphor of the vineyard to describe Israel. But the questions asked are different. Isaiah asks “Why did the beautiful vineyard yield wild grapes?” but the psalmist asks “Why did God break down the vineyard’s walls?” Isaiah the prophet implies that Israel had disappointed the Lord, but the psalmist seems to have…
Daily Devotions
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 Psalm 25:1-9 All of us have a history! It begins in childhood and continues through our entire lives, and everything is recorded! Some would just as soon leave some early events out – they’re not proud of what they’ve done. The psalmist probably would have fallen in that category. He asks the Lord to…
Daily Devotions
For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live.” vs. 32 Ezekiel 18:25-32 Bad things had been happening to the people of Israel and many of them had concluded that all of this was the Lord’s fault and that the Lord could not be trusted. Ezekiel reminded them that all the bad stuff that had happened in the life of the Israelites was their own fault. If they wanted a better…
Daily Devotions
One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” vs. 4 Psalm 145:1-8 As we get older we often think of our legacy, those things which we will pass on to the next generation. For some that will involve material possessions, a generous inheritance or some precious artifacts that we have managed to collect. Those are obviously good things, particularly if they can be turned into cash and used to increase our children’s investment portfolios.…
Daily Devotions
But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?’ And he said, ‘Yes, angry enough to die.’” vs. 9 Jonah 4:2-11 As Jonah pouted outside the city of Nineveh, he was grateful for the shade offered by a bush God had graciously provided for his protection. But then the plant withered and died. With the sun beating down Jonah became even more angry, and the Lord questioned his right to be angry about…
Daily Devotions
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry.” vss.10-4:1 Jonah 3:10-4:1 Jonah was called the reluctant prophet for good reason. He had no love for Assyria, the fierce enemy of Israel, and when God told him to go to Nineveh, the capital,…
Daily Devotions
Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” vs. 15 Romans 14:7-12 Most folks don’t seem to fear standing before the judgment seat of God. They either don’t care or they’ve come to understand the transition from life to death in a different way. Perhaps they now believe that in death they’ll be welcomed home by a…
Daily Devotions
As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.” vs. 13 Psalm 103:11-13 Even though God is beyond description and it’s really impossible for our puny minds to understand or comprehend the Divine Presence, we still have a need to use words in our conversation about God. As a result, humans have always used metaphors to try to communicate that which we sense is true about God. We lift them from…
Daily Devotions
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” vs. 10 Psalm 103:8-10 Women’s gymnastics has become one of the favorite Olympic events and the semis and finals always show up on primetime television. We enjoy the grace and incredible athleticism of the gymnasts, and anxiously watch the performance of our favorites. There are always missteps and falls, sometimes there is paralyzing anxiety, and in the end only a few end up…