'God’s presence' Tagged Posts (Page 3)
Daily Devotions
All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.” vs. 24 1 John 3:23-24 We do a lot of talking about the Holy Spirit in our congregations and some people are eager to claim that they possess the Spirit, thereby implying that there are many who don’t. As a result there are folks who go through life wondering…
Daily Devotions
Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” vss. 37-38 Mark 15:25-39 According to Josephus, a Jewish historian of the first century, the curtain of the temple was a Babylonian tapestry, a blue veil embroidered with a panorama of the heavens that kept the Holy of Holies from being seen. After Jesus’ death, it was said by some that at the very moment of…
Daily Devotions
Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.” vs. 8 Mark 9:7-9 Most people have a variety of spiritual and religious experiences as they search for a unitary expression of faith, one that will stand the test of time and withstand the doubts that stalk them. There are days that our faith is strong, buttressed by internal certainties rising from what we perceive to be divine encounters. On those days there’s a…
Daily Devotions
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.” vs. 2 Psalm 50:1-6 For the psalmist God was anything but hidden. He believed that the Lord daily summoned the people of Israel, from the rising of the sun to its setting, to acts of worship and sacrifice. And more than that, he was convinced that Jerusalem itself, holy Zion, home to the temple of Solomon, was the dwelling place of God on earth. True worship took place there, and…
Daily Devotions
Acts 19:1-2 “He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’” vs. 2 Evidently disciples of John the Baptizer had spread far beyond the boundaries of Judea and Galilee–Paul ran into a few during his first trip to Ephesus, more than a thousand miles away from the Jordan valley. They hadn’t even heard about Jesus and were puzzled when Paul asked…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 147:12-20 “He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down hail like crumbs— who can stand before his cold?” vss. 15-17 In Genesis we learn that all things came into existence by the word of God–”and God spoke, and it was good.” The psalmist picks up that theme and describes the word as the agent of creation–even the snows and frosts of winter…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-9 “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” vs. 8 Not everyone gets excited about Advent, especially not since it’s been swallowed up by the cultural expansion of Christmas. There may be occasional references to Advent calendars or Advent wreaths, but most folks put their energy into decorating, entertaining, and buying. And that’s true even for…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 80:1-7, 15-17 “O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.” vss. 4-5 Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and because family gatherings have been shown to be “superspreaders” in the COVID pandemic, many are choosing to forego traditional celebratory dinners with friends and relatives. For them it’s one more negative effect of these last nine months of…
Daily Devotions: March 3, 2020
March 3, 2020 Psalm 121 .. “I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” vss. 1-2 From ancient times humans have looked to the mountains as the dwelling place of the Divine Presence. The Hebrews were no different, people were forever building shrines in high places and using them for worship. The Psalmist likely shared in that understanding, he tells us that when trouble…
Daily Devotions: August 8, 2019
August 8, 2019 For full passage click: Hebrews 11:1-3 … “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.” vs. 3 Our faith ancestors had a strong conviction that the universe came into existence by the Word of God. It wasn’t something that they could prove or even explain very well, but it was the foundation of their belief system. Through the…
Daily Devotions: July 18, 2019
July 18, 2019 For full passage click: Colossians 1:15-20 …“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created…all things have been created through him and for him.” vss. 15-16a, c These words from Colossians remind us of the prologue to the gospel of John. They paint a picture of the Christ that challenges our imagination in its breadth and mystery. Here we are reminded…