'love' Tagged Posts (Page 6)
Daily Devotions
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” vss. 5b-6 Revelation 1:4b-8 While it’s unlikely that the writer of Revelation was the apostle John, it did come from a church leader bearing that name and living in the mid to late first century at a time of intense persecution. The…
Daily Devotions
Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord;I have no good apart from you.’” vss. 1-2 Psalm 16:1-6 There are times in life when it’s good to just take stock of who we are, and perhaps more importantly, whose we are. The psalmist is doing just that. There doesn’t seem to be any particular crisis and he’s not pleading with the Lord to do an intervention. In fact, he’s…
Daily Devotions
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.” vs. 41 Mark 12:41-44 It’s fascinating to read in Mark that while he was in Jerusalem Jesus took time away from his teaching to sit down by the treasury and watch people give. He knew that there is no better way to gauge what is in a person’s heart than to observe their giving habits. That’s one of…
Daily Devotions
But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.” vs. 26b Hebrews 9:28-29 In this section of Hebrews, the writer is taking pains to convince his Jewish readers that in Christ the old sacrificial system has been replaced. This was an important message, particularly since the temple, the place of sacrifice, had been destroyed by the Roman armies. While not all Jews were willing to…
Daily Devotions
Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.’” vs. 39 John 11:38-44 Ever the pragmatist Martha objected when Jesus ordered the stone to be rolled away. She knew how long Lazarus had been dead, and she knew that his body would have begun to decompose. The stench would have been overwhelming. That’s how it was with death and Martha…
Daily Devotions
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’” vs. 21 Mark 10:17-22 Jesus had been teaching about the cost of discipleship, and now the question of the good rich man gave him a vivid real life illustration. When the man heard Jesus’ words, Mark says, he was shocked and went away grieving. And…
Daily Devotions
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” vs. 14 Psalm 90:12-14 Some folks awaken in the morning with a song of thanksgiving on their lips. They’ve been refreshed in their sleep and are grateful to have yet another day in which to experience the steadfast love of God. It is really wonderful to be able to welcome another twenty-four hours, because it’s not inevitable. One day we’ll…
Daily Devotions
Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.” vss. 40-41 Mark 9:38-41 Jesus wasn’t nearly so fussy about boundaries as his disciples seem to have been. John had gotten all bent out of shape because he had seen an outsider casting out demons in Jesus’ name. It was as though this interloper was…
Daily Devotions
Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.” vs. 14 James 5:13-15 When we feel sick we will likely go to an Urgent Care Center or to an emergency room for treatment, and usually some sort of healing will follow, sometimes quickly, but often after a period of time. James presented his readers with another option. Since medical…
Daily Devotions
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.” vss. 9-10 James 3:6-12 As James continues his discussion of the tongue, he indicates that our use of it for both blessing God and cursing our neighbor is a travesty. And he’s right! And we would be hard-pressed to find…
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 helps me; therefore, I have not been disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame…” vs. 7 Isaiah 50:6-9a The prophet had likely been exposed to a shame-based culture, a society that seeks to regulate behavior by heaping shame and disgrace on any person who doesn’t live up to the cultural norms. Some of us know what that’s like too. For some perverted reason some…