'grace' Tagged Posts (Page 9)
Daily Devotions
For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham…” vs. 16 Romans 4:13-17 Paul assures the Romans that the promise of God to Abraham rested on grace, and it was therefore guaranteed to all his descendants. This declaration has continued to be foundational for every following generation of…
Daily Devotions
For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” vs. 19 Romans 5:12-19 Paul had loved the ancient stories of the Hebrews and had tucked them away in his memory bank. And now as he attempted to explain the righteousness of God to the Romans, he drew on one of those stories to make sense of his message. He explained that the disease of…
Daily Devotions
Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.” vs. 1 Psalm 119:1-8 The psalmist obviously believed that it was possible to walk in the way of the Lord by keeping all of the law’s ordinances and commandments. He says that such persons would be blameless and receive the gift of happiness. While there are few people among us who are concerned about keeping all the precepts of the law, there are those who…
Daily Devotions
If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.” vs. 16 Deuteronomy 30:15-18 People who live by grace are often puzzled by the conditional descriptions of God’s love that figure so prominently…
Daily Devotions
Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!” vs. 9 Psalm 27:6-9 People of faith find it hard to remain steadfast through tough times. Even the psalmist’s fine words turned accusatory when the light of the Lord seemed to dim. When there was no response to his prayers for help, he immediately assumed…
Daily Devotions
Paul…to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…” vss. 1-2a 1 Corinthians 1:1-4 Paul had lived in Corinth for some time in the course of his first missionary journey, and had founded the congregation there. Mostly Gentile, they had continued to be faithful to the gospel and had kept in contact with Paul after he had gone on to Ephesus. Not only had they written him a…
Daily Devotions
I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.” vs. 10 Psalm 40:1-11 People of faith are sometimes reluctant to talk about the ways God has been active in their lives. It could be that they’ve known people who wear their faith on their sleeves and talk of little else—admittedly, such experiences with the zealous can…
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….” vss. 8-9a Ephesians 3:1-12 Paul was well-versed in the scriptures and believed that he understood the nature and will of God, but an encounter with the Risen Christ wiped all that confidence from his…
Daily Devotions
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” vss. 24-26 Numbers 6:22-27 In most of our congregations the pastor’s last words to the gathered people are some form of the Aaronic Benediction. And while for some this is a welcome signal that the end is in sight, most worshippers are touched by this familiar blessing.…
Daily Devotions
Christmas Day And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” vs. 14 John 1:1-14 Christmas is the day chosen to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and the name was chosen quite deliberately. It would not have been adequate to call it Jesusmas. Not only would that name have been clumsy to say, it wouldn’t have come close to expressing the…
Daily Devotions
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly…” vss. 11-12 Titus 2:11-14 The book of Titus reflects the conviction of early believers that God’s saving grace had been showered upon all humanity in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. That’s a truth worth holding close to our hearts, especially in these times of religious…
Daily Devotions
…through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name…” vs. 5 Romans 1:5-7 With the gift of grace, Paul had also received what might be called a “calling.” He had been made an apostle, one who is sent as an emissary, in order that Gentiles might also become believers. Essentially, Gentiles were outsiders, anyone who was not a Jew, and it was a big…