'gospel' Tagged Posts (Page 2)

'gospel' Tagged Posts (Page 2)

Daily Devotions

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…” vss. 1-2a Hebrews 12:1-2 The record of faithfulness outlined in Hebrews 11 is impressive. Scribes had preserved nearly two millennia of stories and regarded those records as their holy scriptures. By…

Daily Devotions

The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” vss. 22-23 Psalm 118:14-23 We don’t know what has happened, but the psalmist is celebrating a great victory. Against great odds he has prevailed over his enemies and he gives all the credit to the Lord. As he enters the temple to offer thanksgiving his mouth is filled with songs of praise. The words used to describe this…

Daily Devotions

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?” vs. 12 1 Corinthians 15:12-14 As part of his proclamation in the early congregations Paul regularly spoke of his personal encounter with the Risen Christ. In that transformative moment he was called to become an apostle and to stop persecuting Christians. So when he ran into believers who claimed that there was no resurrection of the dead…

Daily Devotions

For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am…” vss. 9-10a 1 Corinthians 15:6-11 Paul still had to pinch himself when he considered his calling to be an apostle–he knew he didn’t deserve it–that he was unfit because of his prior record as a persecutor of Christians. But he had no doubt about his call, and when…

Daily Devotions

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free…” vs. 18                                                   Luke 4:17b-21 When Jesus was handed the scroll of Isaiah he chose to read a portion of chapter 61. It was the scripture that had come to his mind as he had wrestled with ministry…

Daily Devotions

Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” vs. 4 John 15:1-4 The good news of the Gospel is plain. Christ abides in us–no exceptions, no one is left out. His DNA has been stamped in us from the very beginning. So that’s one thing we don’t need to worry about–there’s plenty of room in Christ for…

Daily Devotions

What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.” vs. 18 1 Corinthians 9:16-18 Paul was under attack by some opponents for profiting from his work as an apostle. He bristled at the charge and responded in a typical Pauline way. First he says that he has a right to receive compensation–a worker deserves to be paid!…

Daily Devotions

Matthew 25:24-30 “For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” vs. 29 Jesus’ parables can be read either from the perspective of law or gospel. In this instance our inclination is to immediately go to the law and see his story as a warning not to bury our talents. Sometimes readers will even be upset by the action…

Daily Devotions

1 Thessalonians 1:6-10 … “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit…” vs. 6 Paul hadn’t stayed long in Thessalonica. His preaching had been favorably received by some Gentile searchers but the Jews of the city had forced him to leave. He was worried that the word he had preached would be lost by those who had received it, and was overjoyed…

Daily Devotions

Philippians 1:27-30 … “Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit…” vs. 27 Paul was consistent in his proclamation of the pure Gospel, and insisted that salvation came by grace, and not through obedience to the law. But he also believed with all of his heart that it makes…

Daily Devotions: May 18, 2020

May 18, 2020 Acts 1:6-14 … “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” vs. 8 Many people have given up trying to understand the ascension of Jesus in a literal way. It doesn’t make any sense to their logical scientific minds. But, for Luke it has enormous significance as a transition point between the…

Daily Devotions: March 8, 2020

March 8, 2020                                                                                                                        John 3:14-17 … “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” vs. 16 Sometimes the Gospel of John can be a bit disconcerting. Jesus sounds different, more divine than human, and we can have a hard time getting used to the change in voice. In this third chapter, for instance, what begins as a conversation with Nicodemus…