'humility' Tagged Posts (Page 2)
Daily Devotions
They have distributed freely; they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.” vs. 9 Psalm 112:6-10 The psalmist is effusive in his praise of the righteous, those believers who walk in the way of obedience, and it’s interesting to see what attributes he holds up as deserving of special honor. He doesn’t mention a thing about their grand houses or estates, nor does he note their exploits on the battlefield. Instead, he…
Daily Devotions
Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great; for it is better to be told, ‘Come up here’, than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.” Proverbs 25:6-7 Proverbs 25:6-7 The book of Proverbs was one of the three books of Hebrew scripture that have been classified as Wisdom Literature. Its content varies but generally it includes a variety of pithy sayings and observations gleaned from various sources…
Daily Devotions
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight.” vss. 10-11 Luke 13:10-14 When Jesus saw the bent woman in the synagogue crowd as he was teaching on the sabbath, he couldn’t contain himself. Even though he knew there was a law against healing on the sabbath, he…
Daily Devotions
Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” vss. 3-4 Psalm 82 The psalmist is imagining a council of the gods of the nations that has gathered to consider the state of humankind. Such gatherings are mentioned several times in the Hebrew scriptures and can be understood as a precursor to the absolute monotheism that was typical…
Daily Devotions
But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.” vs. 19 Acts 16:16-24 Paul had been irritated by a slave girl with the spirit of divination who had kept shouting at them each day as they walked the streets of Philippi. So one day he just stopped in his tracks and ordered the unclean spirit to come out of her–and it did.…
Daily Devotions
“…they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” vss. 3b-4 Revelation 21:1-6 As John comes to the close of his vision, he leaves us with words that resonate with every person who has ever walked the face of the earth. In the new creation, he boldly asserts,…
Daily Devotions
“Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them praise the name of the Lord…” vss. 9, 10, 12, 13a Psalm 148:7-14 Having covered the heavens, the psalmist still wasn’t done! Echoing Genesis 1 he credits the Lord with all that has been brought forth upon the earth, and nothing is excluded. Even snowstorms, mountains, sea monsters, creeping things…
Daily Devotions
And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” vs. 5 Revelation 22:1-5 Occasionally people will fall into an illness which brings them to the brink of death. Doctors will advise family and friends that there is nothing more that can be done, that their loved one is in a coma from which there is likely no return. And…
Daily Devotions
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth…” vss. 9-10 Philippians 2:9-11 Paul tells the Philippians that the Jesus who humbled himself unto death has been highly exalted and is worthy of worship. While Paul doesn’t specify the form of that worship, believers have certainly taken his words to heart. Their faith…
Daily Devotions
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…” vs. 5 Philippians 2:5-8 The Philippians hadn’t gone through confirmation or participated in new member classes. Some of them were Jews, many were Gentiles, and they had no common traditions or doctrines. So it’s not strange that there was confusion in their community about their new life in Christ and what that meant for daily living. Paul wasn’t living with them any longer and he didn’t know if…
Daily Devotions
As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’” vs. 33 Luke 19:28-40 When Jesus was approaching Jerusalem for the last time he made a conscious decision to enter the city riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey. That image has taken hold of our imagination almost as completely as that of the cross. His mode of transport made abundantly clear that he was coming…
Daily Devotions
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” vs. 8 Isaiah 55:6-9 Whatever might be said about Isaiah, he certainly had his finger on the pulse of the Divine Presence. For the most part we humans have been hopelessly confused about the nature of God, and have in fact created God in our own image. We claim to know God’s will about any number of things, and assume that God will always behave…