'Jesus' Tagged Posts (Page 6)
Daily Devotions
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days’ rise again.” vs. 31 Mark 8:27-33 Mark reports in his gospel that when the disciples tell Jesus that they believed he was the messiah; he gave them a glimpse of what was to come. There would be a period of great suffering and rejection and finally…
Daily Devotions
The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffereddistress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, I pray, save my life!’” vss. 3-4 Psalm 116:1-9 It’s hard to believe that 23 years have passed since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. It’s a date that hangs on in our memories as a moment in which our realities were shattered.…
Daily Devotions
The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.” vs. 5 Isaiah 50:4-5 Not only had Isaiah listened to the call of his Lord to teach the exiled people of Judah, he now continued to listen to the daily word that came to him in the stillness of his meditation. That’s what happens when we take some of the precious time allotted to us in the course of every day to be…
Daily Devotions
My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?” vs. 1 James 2:1-4 James evidently was fed up with the behavior of the believers in his congregations–and he doesn’t mince words. Because of their acts of favoritism, he questions whether they really believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And what is it that they’ve been doing? It has to do with their reception of visitors. If a person with fine…
Daily Devotions
Happy are those whose hope is in the Lord, who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry, and sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind, he lifts up those who are bowed down; The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow.” vss. 5,7, 8a, 9a Psalm 146:5-10 When the psalmist warned his readers not to trust mortal rulers and to put their hope in God, he…
Daily Devotions
O LORD, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart;” vss. 1-2 Psalm 15 The question asked by the psalmist was enormously important for the religious leaders in Jerusalem. They revered the Law of Moses and believed wholeheartedly that only those who were perfectly obedient were welcome in the temple of the Lord. The righteous were those who walked…
Daily Devotions
And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?” vs. 8 Deuteronomy 4:6-9 Even though the world is good, brokenness has also been a part of the human experience from the beginning. One of the first great spiritual insights of our faith ancestors was that a system of laws and commandments would make it possible for them and their children to bring healing to their broken world.…
Daily Devotions
Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’” vss. 63-69 John 6:63-69 In the end, when we’ve considered all the options and checked out all the alternatives, there are many who come to the same conclusion as Simon Peter. There just isn’t anything out there that can come close to offering anything better than the gospel…
Daily Devotions
Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.” vs. 57 John 6:54-58 Some of us can remember a time when the celebration of Holy Communion was infrequent in some of our congregations. There was a sense that what really counted was a good sermon, and direction on how believers ought to live in this broken world. And at the same time, in the majority of…
Daily Devotions
To those without sense she says, ‘Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight.’” vss. 4-6 Proverbs 9:4-6 Every generation professes concern for succeeding generations, frequently castigating the young for their senseless and immature behaviors, even though we all know that foolishness is not the exclusive domain of that sector of the population. Folks of every age are susceptible to outrageous and childish…
Daily Devotions
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” vs. 51 Ephesians 4:25-29 There are a number of passages in scripture that tell stories about miraculous feedings. Obviously there was the experience of the Israelites with manna in the wilderness, and everyone knows about the feeding of the 5000 at the hands of Jesus. But…
Daily Devotions
They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”’?” vs. 42 Ephesians 4:25-29 The religious folks were having a tough time with Jesus. He’d come from Nazareth where he was known as the son of Joseph–his mother was Mary, a good woman who everyone knew. And now he was claiming to be the Bread of Heaven?! They just couldn’t buy it!…