'Love of God' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.” vss. 11-12 Psalm 51:6-11 For a couple of generations these verses were regularly sung as a part of liturgical worship in many congregations. We probably didn’t intentionally memorize them, but they became embedded in our brains nonetheless. For many they were a reminder that one of the main…
Daily Devotions
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel…” vs. 27 Philippians 1:27-30 There’s a lot we can get away with as followers of Jesus. After all, we have been set free in Christ from all the…
Daily Devotions
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 Romans 8:31-39 Paul began this ending paragraph of chapter 8 in his letter to the Romans by writing “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Martin Luther…
Daily Devotions
But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.” vs. 24 Acts 2:22-32 Luke tells us that from the very beginning, even from Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, the central message of the Church was that the crucified Jesus had been raised from the dead. He says that it was impossible for death to hold Jesus in its power. Later on Paul extends that teaching…
Daily Devotions
Maundy Thursday For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” vs. 26 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, has enormous significance for the entire Christian community and is celebrated weekly in congregations all around the world. While practices differ and we have argued for centuries about the significance of the ritual, it is, for most believers, the central feature of worship. And as Paul indicates…
Daily Devotions
I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.” vs. 10 Psalm 40:1-11 People of faith are sometimes reluctant to talk about the ways God has been active in their lives. It could be that they’ve known people who wear their faith on their sleeves and talk of little else—admittedly, such experiences with the zealous can…
Daily Devotions
And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’” vs. 17 Matthew 3:16-17 Whatever reason Jesus might have had for seeking baptism at the hands of John, there is no doubt that the experience marked the beginning of his ministry. As he came up out of the water, Matthew says, the heavens were opened to him, the Spirit of God came near, and he heard the voice of God. It’s noteworthy…
Daily Devotions
Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” vs. 11 Matthew 11:7-11 Jesus had to be careful in talking about John the Baptist. He was a well-known radical preacher who had gained enormous popularity by speaking truth to power. Large numbers of people had become his disciples, and they had been deeply upset by his arrest and imprisonment.…
Daily Devotions
No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” vs. 13 Luke 16:8-13 Most of the time the parables of Jesus are focused on a particular point, and if we study them long enough, we can see what he’s up to. The parable of the dishonest manager is more difficult to deal with. Many have…
Daily Devotions
Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away … No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.” vss. 11, 14 Deuteronomy 30:11-14 What is this word that the scribe is describing in these ancient texts, a word not found in a book, or across the sea? It is the very Word that the gospel…
Daily Devotions
Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’” vs. 23 John 14:23-24 It’s obvious from the gospel of John that loving Jesus is synonymous with loving others in the same way that he poured out his sacrificial love on us. Most of us have discovered, however, that his commandment is easier said than done. We tend to have the…
Daily Devotions
Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.” vss. 3-4 Psalm 63 Almost a half century ago, back before amplifiers replaced acoustic guitars, folks in evangelical congregations regularly heard the song “Thy Loving Kindness” and loved its catchy harmonies. “Thy Lovingkindness is better than life, Thy Lovingkindness is better than life. My lips shall…
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