'Jesus Christ' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” vs. 3 John 17:1-5 It’s not unusual for believers to think of eternal life as the new life that awaits them after death. And sometimes they then wonder what they’ll be doing with all that time on their hands. After all, singing in a great heavenly chorus could be fun for a while, but imagine doing it for all…
Daily Devotions
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” vss. 4-5 Psalm 96 Human beings seem to have a god gene as part of their DNA that drives them to set aside time and energy for worship as a regular activity. Sometimes the object of that worship was found in nature, perhaps a particular mountain or…
Daily Devotions
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” vs. 6 Isaiah 9:6-7 Early Christians knew the Hebrew scriptures like the backs of their hands, and after Jesus’ death and resurrection they found dozens of references in the law and the prophets that verified their conviction that Jesus was the Messiah. This little verse from Isaiah was well…
Daily Devotions
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God….” vs. 1 Romans 1:1-7 Paul actually calls himself a “slave” of Jesus Christ, but since people are uncomfortable with that designation, translators have accommodated and usually substitute the word “servant.” But Paul meant “slave”! He considered himself to be owned, body and soul, by Jesus Christ, with a call to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Many of us are uncomfortable using…
Daily Devotions
The saying is sure: ‘If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.’” vss. 11-13 2 Timothy 2:8-13 Being a Christian in the first century was a dicey experience. To be a believer was often dangerous. Persecutions and imprisonments were common. Leaders like Paul and others faced an…
Daily Devotions
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.” vs. 8 Colossians 2:6-12 Humans are enormously curious and are always on the lookout for new knowledge, wherever in the universe we can find it. We take advanced courses in universities, read countless books, and subscribe to any number of podcasts, all in the hope of discovering some new…
Daily Devotions
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.” vs. 30 John 20:30-31 By the time John wrote his gospel toward the end of the first century there were doubtless many stories about Jesus circulating among the congregations. Some were oral traditions but it’s likely a good number were in book form. Most of these documents have been lost to us, but for John there were a wide variety of…
Daily Devotions
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” vss. 4b-5 Revelation 1:4b-6 There is a line in the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty,” that is particularly fun for children to sing. Even adults love the sounds of the…
Daily Devotions
You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” vs. 11 Psalm 16:6-11 Even though God is always at hand and the divine marker is in our DNA, many are blind to those indicators and live in what seems a totally random religious pattern. They follow one god for a season and then another, and often end up worshiping at the altar of materialism–always a good…
Daily Devotions
Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” vs. 25 Hebrews 7:23-25 After the death and resurrection of Jesus his followers continued to go regularly to the temple and make full use of the sacrificial system. After all they were faithful Jews and this is what they were accustomed to do. But after the temple was destroyed in 70 AD they were flummoxed–they needed…
Daily Devotions
But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.” vs. 32 Mark 9:30-32 Sometimes we imagine Jesus to have been like a kind and gentle pastor, a leader who could warm our hearts with a smile, and who we could have come to at any time with any questions or concerns. That’s a nice thought and we are indeed blessed when we meet such persons. Unfortunately that description doesn’t fit the Jesus we meet…
Daily Devotions
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” vs. 13 1 John 5:11-13 John presumes that his readers believe that Jesus was the Son of God, and he also wants them to know that they have eternal life. It’s almost as though there is a difference between believing and knowing, and he’s saying to believers, “Wait a minute, there’s more!” In saying…
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