'love' Tagged Posts (Page 7)
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…
Daily Devotions
He answered, ‘I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’” vs. 25 John 9:17-27 The man who had been born blind had a simple testimony for the religious leaders who were questioning him. He didn’t know about the intricacies of their polemic against Jesus. All he did know was that once he had been blind but now he could see, and that was enough for him.…
Daily Devotions
As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’” vss. 1-2 John 9:1-7 It was natural for the disciples to have questions about the blind man. In their world, a person blind from birth would be an anomaly, and they wanted to know how and why things like this occurred. There had to be a cause, and they strongly believed that…
Daily Devotions
The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” vs. 8 John 3:5-9 The conversation with Jesus wasn’t going well. Nicodemus had been nurtured by a tradition that left nothing for granted. There was an ordinance or commandment for every situation–everything was black and white. So when Jesus said that it was…
Daily Devotions
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 20 Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus wasn’t interested in having his followers be “law-abiding citizens.” He wanted them to be better than that! There were already plenty of scribes and Pharisees in the land, and they were obsessed with keeping every commandment of law. They were known for their righteousness. There was no need for more people like them.…
Daily Devotions
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden… In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” vss. 14, 16 Matthew 5:12-16 There is a power in these words from Jesus that goes beyond human understanding, and we can only begin to grasp their significance as we realize that Jesus is talking about the light…