'grace' Tagged Posts (Page 7)
Daily Devotions
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” vs. 35 Luke 6:31-36 Jesus could say radical, eye-brow raising things to his disciples because he knew God’s heart. Most people, then and now, believe that God keeps track of wrong-doing and wreaks vengeance on the ungrateful and the wicked. Somehow, we’ve gotten the…
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
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’” vs. 8 Isaiah 6:5-8 Initially Isaiah had been terrified to be in the presence of the Lord–the vision was too much for someone so undeserving. He was unclean–like everyone else he knew. But then, purely as a gift of God, he had been cleansed–he had been made clean, and it totally changed his…
Daily Devotions
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” vs. 5 Jeremiah 1:4-5 We like to believe that we are the masters of our own destinies, that we can pick and choose among a multitude of professions and careers in the course of our lives–that some could even decide to become preachers! Jeremiah would have laughed at such a notion! He believed that…
Daily Devotions
Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things;” vss. 8-9 Ephesians 3:1-12 It was apparent to Paul and some other leaders in the early Church that the good news revealed in Christ Jesus had actually been present ages…
Daily Devotions
The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” vs. 17 John 1:15-18 Jesus was born a Jew and grew up thoroughly enmeshed in Judaism’s traditions and laws, but when he began preaching and teaching his interpretation of the prophets revealed the centrality of God’s steadfast love and mercy. The gospel writer John put it clearly, “The law had come through Moses; grace and truth had come through Jesus Christ.” We’ve taken John’s words into…
Daily Devotions
And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” vs. 10 Hebrews 10:7-10 The writer of Hebrews recognized that the whole sacrificial system as laid out in the law had been invented by humans. Their intentions had been good; they had wanted to provide a way for people to receive forgiveness of sins. The guilt of sin had been debilitating and the periodic offerings had provided…
Daily Devotions
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me;’” vs. 3 Hebrews 10:5-7 After the destruction of the temple in 70 AD and its elimination as a place of worship and sacrifice, Jewish followers of Jesus scrambled to make sense of what had happened. Bit by bit, as they examined their scriptures, some of them began to understand Jesus’ death as a once for all…
Daily Devotions
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” vs. 4 Philippians 4:4-5 As Paul brings his love letter to the Philippians to a close he says good-bye by encouraging them to be people of joy. This is the best way to show him honor and give him thanks, and he even repeats it. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” It’s doubtful that he’s telling them to be happy all the time. Being happy is…
Daily Devotions
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” vs. 2 Daniel 12:1-3 Written at a time when the remnant of Israel was facing enormous persecution from their Greek overlords, the book of Daniel uses apocalyptic language to describe the onslaught and the bloodshed. The temple had been desecrated and the sacrificial system threatened–the people were looking for deliverance. For its audience the images made…
Daily Devotions
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.” vss. 3-4 Psalm 24 These verses are likely a fragment of a liturgy that was used at the door of the temple as Israelites came for worship. A priest would ask a question, “Who shall stand in the holy place?”…
Daily Devotions
whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.” vss. 25-26 Romans 3:25-29 While we can’t know the mind of Paul, it is likely that he intended his words to…