'guidance' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
‘Food will not bring us close to God.’ We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” vss. 8-9 1 Corinthians 8:1-6 Anything can become a divisive issue in a congregation! Among other things the Corinthians were struggling with whether or not it was appropriate to eat food that had been offered to idols.…
Daily Devotions
Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.” vs. 11 Psalm 86:11-13 When we began to walk with the Lord, however many years ago that might have been, we likely didn’t realize that it would be so difficult and that sometimes the path would be hard to distinguish. But that’s how it is, and we soon discover that we need constant guidance to stay on the…
Daily Devotions
For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” vs. 25 1 Peter 2:23-25 When left to our own devices we can manage to get ourselves into every kind of trouble imaginable. Humans seem to have an infinite capacity for mischief and wrongdoing, and sometimes it can be the ruin of us. In order to live well, we need some sort of internal compass that can be our guide…
Daily Devotions
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” vs. 4 Romans 15:4-6 Paul was waiting for Christmas, or to put it another way, he was waiting for the return of Christ, but he wasn’t letting any grass grow under his feet as he waited. He had been given a mission and, without training and without precedent, he daily engaged in proclaiming…
Daily Devotions
In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” vs. 6 Jeremiah 23:4-6 In the midst of uncertainty and upheaval, Jeremiah dared to dream of peace and stability, a time when Judah and Israel would live in safety under the rule of a good shepherd king. The name of this new leader gives a clue to his identity. The one…
Daily Devotions
So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.” vss. 30-31 Acts 8:26-31 The Ethiopian, evidently a descendent of Jews who had settled in Ethiopia centuries before, had come up to Jerusalem to worship at one of the festivals. And now, as he was going home, he…
Daily Devotions: July 21, 2020
July 21, 2020 Psalm 119:129-132 … “With open mouth I pant, because I long for your commandments.” vs. 132 The psalmist loved the law and was ecstatic as he pored over its commandments and savored its precepts. We who have been raised on a diet of grace and forgiveness might have some difficulty understanding that unabashed, almost amorous, delight in the law of the Lord. Often that’s because we think of law in terms of judgment rather than instruction. Paul…
Daily Devotions: May 3, 2020
May 3, 2020 John 10:6-10 … “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” vs. 9 For the people of Israel, the Shema prayer “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone” was the core of their faith and was to be recited every morning and evening. Many put a parchment containing this verse from Deuteronomy 6:1 in a little cylinder called a mezuzah…
Daily Devotions: March 31, 2020
March 31, 2020 Psalm 31:9-16 … “I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.” vs 11 The Psalmist didn’t know it but his words are a pretty good description of what it’s like to be infected with the Coronavirus. Thankfully that hasn’t happened for many of us but it’s certainly something that we fear. We carefully practice social…