'Jesus' Tagged Posts (Page 33)
Daily Devotions
Matthew 16:24-26 … “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” vs. 24 Jesus did not consult a marketing expert when he began his historic mission in the towns and villages of Galilee. If he had, he would have been told that self-denial is not the way to attract followers. It just doesn’t work! Which is why contemporary Christian leaders have largely abandoned any…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 14:22-27 … “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone…” vs. 23 Those who are more introverted in their relationship to the external world are likely to identify with Jesus as they read in scripture of his desire to be alone. The world was changing. John the Baptist had been brutally murdered. Decisions about continuing his ministry needed to be made. Some people love…
Daily Devotions: July 24, 2020
July 24, 2020 Romans 8:33-39… “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” vss. 38-39 As the days begin to blur together and we continue to be confused and frightened by contradictory reports of how long COVID-19 will impact our…
Daily Devotions: April 19, 2020
April 19, 2020 John 20:26-31 … “But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” vs. 31 When John wrote his Gospel there was no doubt about his convictions or his intentions. He may not have known Jesus personally, but he was certainly aware of his life and ministry, and he had come to believe that Jesus was…
Daily Devotions: March 17, 2020
March 17, 2020 Psalm 23 … “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” vs. 5 Often we think of the Lord as our place of refuge in tough times and our comforter when things get dark, and that’s appropriate, because that’s what shepherds do. And, as the children of God, we are well taken care of in every circumstance. The Psalmist knew that, but he…
Daily Devotions: December 25, 2019
December 25, 2019 For full passage click: John 1:1-14 … “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 The prologue to the Gospel of John powerfully states that all things came into existence through the Word, which can also be known as the Christ. To put it in modern terms, the DNA of the Christ has been imprinted…
Daily Devotions: November 21, 2019
November 21, 2019 For full passage click: Colossians 1:11-16 … “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.” vss. 15-16 These are two of the most spectacular verses in all of Scripture and deserve to be etched upon our hearts and maybe…
Daily Devotions: September 20, 2019
September 20, 2020 For full passage click: 1 Timothy 2:5-7 … “For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human…” vs. 5 As time passed, the early Christians continued to reflect on the person of Jesus and his connection to God. By the time this letter was written–probably in the late first century, (and most likely not by Paul), there was some agreement that there was but one God, but that…
Daily Devotions: May 11, 2019
May 11, 2019 For full passage click: John 10:22-26 …“So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’” vs. 24 As Jesus’ ministry gathered momentum, it was not unusual for some people to wonder whether he was the Messiah. Expectation had been running hot among some segments of the population, especially those who were chafing under the oppressive Roman rule. But the gospels…
Daily Devotions: March 29, 2019
March 29, 2019 For full passage click: 2 Corinthians 5: 18-21 …“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” vs. 21 Most of us have grown to maturity thinking that Jesus of Nazareth was sinless, that he never once did any of the things that we do regularly—never a cross word, never an impure thought, never an act of rebellion. We believe this because…
Daily Devotions: February 14, 2019
♥ February 14, 2019 For full passage click: 1 Corinthians 15:16-20 …“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” vs. 17 For Paul, God’s greatest act of love was forgiveness, and he often speaks of Jesus’ death on the cross as the atoning sacrifice that removed our sins. In this passage however, he links forgiveness to resurrection and says that, if Christ had not been raised, we would still be in our…
Daily Devotions: December 30, 2018
December 30, 2018 To read full passage click: Luke 2:48-52 …“He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’” vs. 49 It appears that parenting Jesus was a challenge for Mary and Joseph. They had every right to be upset with him. He had deliberately stayed behind in Jerusalem when the group from Nazareth had begun their journey home. There’s no mention that he said a…