'Mystery' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’” vss. 12-13 Luke 17:11-14 There were several skin diseases endemic to the Holy Land, and those who suffered from them were known by the generic term “lepers.” It was believed that these diseases were spread by contact, and so anyone with a rash of any kind was considered contagious and subject to quarantine. Lepers evidently traveled in groups…
Daily Devotions
Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.” vs. 4 Habakkuk 2:1-4 Habakkuk has filed a complaint with the Lord and then settles back to wait for a reply. When he reports the answer, it seems cryptic, which is, from our own experiences with prayer, not all that unusual. But Habakkuk does receive some measure of assurance. God has not abandoned Judea, despite the external appearances. The key to an…
Daily Devotions
I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints.” vss. 25-26 Colossians 1:21-29 Paul doesn’t believe that he is presenting anything new to the Gentiles. He’s simply making the word of God fully known. He says it’s like a mystery that has been hidden from the beginning…
Daily Devotions
He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’” vs. 35 Mark 9:33-37 We can only imagine how disheartening it must have been for Jesus to pour out his heart to his disciples about the cost of discipleship, and then have them engage in a great debate about which of them was the greatest. They had completely missed the point of his teaching! The only…
Daily Devotions
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?” vss. 4-5 Job 38:4-11 The Lord takes Job and his companions to task for their presumptive knowledge, and tells them that they don’t know squat! In fact, almost everything is beyond their understanding. We live in a time when many assume that human knowledge knows no bounds, and it’s true,…
Daily Devotions
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.” vs. 16 2 Peter 1:16-18 When Peter and the other apostles began to proclaim the gospel throughout the Roman Empire, they were regularly accused of just making stuff up about Jesus. The Jews and pagans who were their audience likely thought that these new teachings were an adaptation of…
Daily Devotions
Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God….” vss. 8-9a Ephesians 3:1-12 Paul was well-versed in the scriptures and believed that he understood the nature and will of God, but an encounter with the Risen Christ wiped all that confidence from his…
Daily Devotions
Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” vs. 42 Matthew 24:40-44 As technology and science have progressed we have become more adept at predicting the future. We’ve even gotten pretty good at predicting the weather and can be fairly confident about when the next storms will be moving in. But there are some things that remain a mystery, and that happens most frequently as we try to figure out endings. Jesus’ words…
Daily Devotions
The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.” vss. 1-2 Psalm 97:1-2 A long time ago, as our faith ancestors began to articulate their image of God they were adamant in claiming that the Lord was greater than all the gods of the nations. They believed that it was foolish for people to worship idols made of…
Daily Devotions
Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’” vs 35 Luke 9:32-36 In the church calendar the Transfiguration has been situated on the threshold of Lent as a foretaste of what will be coming at Easter. In Luke’s recounting of the mountaintop vision there is a mixture of light, glory, and fear that anticipates the wonder of resurrection. But there is even more than that. Luke chooses words that echo…
Daily Devotions
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’” vs. 52 John 6:51-53 As John tells this story it’s pretty obvious that he has Holy Communion in mind–for him the story of the feeding of the 5000 was a prelude to the meal that would later become crucial for the life of believers. Even early on there were questions about what was happening as the bread and the wine were consumed in…
Daily Devotions
Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” vss. 11-12 1 John 4:7-13 Religious folks love to complicate matters of faith. We develop intricate rituals and profound doctrines designed to standardize worship practices and unveil the mystery of the Trinity. Not only do our efforts fail to draw us close to God,…
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