'love' Tagged Posts (Page 5)
Daily Devotions
Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” vs. 8 Psalm 85:8-13 All of the prophets felt a call to bring the word of the Lord to the people of Israel and Judah. Most of the time it came as a warning of impending doom if idolatrous behavior didn’t come to an end. Again and again the prophet would…
Daily Devotions
The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.” vs. 9 Psalm 145:8-9 These few words from the psalmist contain all the truth that we humans will ever need to hear, and it’s undoubtedly the best news ever, yet we find it enormously hard to believe in our hearts. Oh, we don’t mind hearing that the Lord is good to us, and that God’s compassion includes us. We actually welcome that good news,…
Daily Devotions
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” vs. 1 Isaiah 55:1-5 No kitchen is complete without one or more plaques or posters that claim to capture the essence of life in just a few words or phrases. One saying that’s particularly memorable is this, “The best things in life…aren’t things.” It’s cleverly put, easily remembered, and captures the essence…
Daily Devotions
Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant; save the child of your serving girl.” vs. 16 Psalm 86:14-17 The psalmist was in a tough spot. He had enemies, ruffians who were indifferent to the Lord, and they were seeking his life. At the end of his rope he pleads for God’s intervention and rescue, asking for strength in his time of trouble. He had been trained from his youth that God could be…
Daily Devotions
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” vss. 1-2 Romans 8:1-6 Even though it drove Paul crazy to keep on doing the things that he didn’t want to do, and he couldn’t stop doing them no matter how hard he tried, he did not despair. He knew that God would not…
Daily Devotions
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” vs. 13 Isaiah 55:12-13 The myrtle is a fragrant flowering shrub, common to the mountains of Lebanon and Judea, that had enormous significance for the prophet. He told the returning exiles that it would be an everlasting sign of God’s favor and…
Daily Devotions
I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.” vs. 2 Psalm 89:1-4 According to Wikipedia a theory of everything is a hypothetical, singular, all- encompassing, coherent theoretical framework of physics that fully explains and links together all aspects of the universe. To this point no one has been able to construct such a framework–it is one of the unsolved problems of physics. Some theories have been proposed, but none have provided…
Daily Devotions
Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” vs. 3 Psalm 100:1-3 The psalmist was full of joy at being alive, and he regularly joined his faith community in worship as they filled the air with songs of praise and thanksgiving. Everything he knew and loved had come from the Lord–even his own life had been a gift of God. Even now,…
Daily Devotions
While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.’” vs. 18 Matthew 9:18-26 When his daughter died, the leader of the synagogue, presumably a Pharisee, wasn’t the least bit concerned about Jesus’ association with sinners. Instead this righteous man humbled himself, knelt down at Jesus’ feet, and pleaded with him to…
Daily Devotions
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” vs. 6 Hosea 6:4-6 Somehow the people of Israel and Judah had managed to get the Lord’s message all screwed up during their time of prosperity. Their forefathers had developed a sacrificial system that provided times for pilgrimages and offerings. It was a way of giving thanks and praise to the Lord while also atoning for sin. But through the years it had become…
Daily Devotions
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” vs. 13 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 It would be another 300 years or so before church leaders would get together to formalize a primitive notion of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. And some would argue that we’d be better off if those ecumenical creeds had not been formulated. After all, in their attempt to compose one statement…
Daily Devotions
I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.” vs. 18 John 14:18-21 It’s not unusual for people to have mixed feelings about their mothers. Occasionally children will blame them for any number of their emotional or psychological hang-ups, but more often they are held in deep regard and honored as a prime source of warmth and love. As a result, Mother’s Day has become the primary “Hallmark Holiday,” and outside of Christmas and Easter, is often the…