'Lies' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” vs. 32 Matthew 5:27-37 As Jesus eliminates the loopholes that were a part of the law of Moses, he doesn’t deal with peripheral items. Instead he tackles the biggies: adultery, divorce, and truth-telling. And if those topics were important in the first century, they are at the core of the…
Daily Devotions
How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back—those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? … Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” vss. 26, 29 Jeremiah 23:26-29 The prophets in Jerusalem drove Jeremiah to distraction. Many had the ear of the king and were crafting their message to his desires. They recommended alliances and treaties that could only bring…
Daily Devotions
But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed.” vs. 23 Luke 23;13-30 According to Luke, Pilate had conducted some sort of judicial examination of Jesus and had found no reason to keep him imprisoned–he was not guilty of the charges against him. But that made no difference to the crowd–they had been convinced by the lies of the religious leaders and demanded that Jesus be crucified. That’s still how it is…
Daily Devotions
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil.” vss. 7-8 Psalm 37:7-11,39-40 It’s obvious to most of us that there are some pretty rotten people in our world, some of whom the psalmist would have called wicked. They are preoccupied with power and greed and will do anything…
Daily Devotions
Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’” vs. 37b John 18:36-37 It would appear that truth has become a rare commodity in the climate of our culture and our times. Of course people still talk about the truth and say that they value it, but there is little agreement about…
Daily Devotions
We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.” vs. 14 Ephesians 4:11-16 Not so long ago, as we began to enter the Age of Computers, there were some who hoped that the rapid dissemination of information and news would usher in a time of unity and peace. Since virtually everyone had instant access to all the accumulated knowledge of historians, scientists,…
Daily Devotions
Genesis 50:19-21 … “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” vs. 20 Joseph’s brothers had initially intended to kill him, but at the last minute sold him into slavery, and then lied to their father, saying wild beasts had taken their beloved younger brother. After Jacob’s death, they conjure up one more lie, saying that their father’s dying wish was for…
Daily Devotions
Romans 12:1-3 … “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” vs. 2 With the erosion of truth in contemporary society, it has become more and more difficult to discern what is good and acceptable thinking and behavior. Every social media platform is besieged by memes and tweets that are outrageous lies–and too many people…
Daily Devotions: June 22, 2020
June 22, 2020 Jeremiah 28:5-6 … “and the prophet Jeremiah said, ‘Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles.” vs. 6 Jeremiah wasn’t the only Prophet in town during the years of his ministry. There were many rivals and he was familiar with them all. One of them, Hananiah, was a particular…
Daily Devotions: January 28, 2020
January 28, 2020 For full passage click: Psalm 15:1-2 … “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 Just so we don’t get the idea that Micah was the only person in ancient Israel who believed God cared about behavior and conduct, this Psalmist added his perspective. Who is a friend of God? One who…
Daily Devotions: April 12, 2019
April 12, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 23:1-12 …“But they were insistent and said, ‘He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.’” vs. 5 The scribes and the Pharisees were right. Jesus had stirred up the people with his teaching wherever he traveled. He had painted a picture of the kingdom that touched the hearts of the multitudes and made them feel as though they were loved and…
Daily Devotions: November 18, 2018
November 18, 2018 To read the full passage click: Mark 13:5-8 …“Then Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and they will lead many astray.’” vss. 5-6 In recent years we’ve become aware of the increasingly sophisticated methods that are being used in the media to promote misleading and even false information. We’ve learned that not everything we see on our computer…