'Pain' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.” vs. 31 Matthew 27:26-32 Crucifixion, while seldom used to execute Roman citizens, was regularly used by Rome in occupied provinces to maintain order and punish criminals. Pilate’s soldiers would have been accustomed to the practice–for them it was all a part of their day’s work. And the more cruel their behavior, the better it was–they likely…
Daily Devotions
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” vs. 2 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Corinth was the San Francisco of its day, a bustling seaport full of immigrants from all over the Mediterranean area, and new religions were popping up about every other day. People were jaded, sophisticated, and wise in the ways of the world. When Paul showed up and connected with the fledgling Christian community, he decided to put the crucified Jesus Christ…
Daily Devotions
You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.” vs. 5 Psalm 80:1-7 Occasionally we can get some pretty bad cases of the “blues” during this time of year. Even though holiday music is on the air all through the day and neighborhood decorations lighten the darkness, a kind of malaise comes to visit, and it’s hard to maintain the requisite seasonal cheery smile. Sometimes we just feel like crying! Often…
Daily Devotions
For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away.” vs. 10 Psalm 31:9-16 We don’t know what was going on with the psalmist, he doesn’t give any details about whatever it was that had been tormenting him. We can only imagine–and make some guesses based on our own periods of dismal existence as we’ve made our way from spring to winter in the course of…
Daily Devotions
Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” vs. 5 Psalm 32:1-5 For some reason many people seem to love carrying the burdens of the past as they try to make their way through a life that can at times be horribly difficult. Maybe they’ve been told that “big boys don’t cry” or have the impression…
Daily Devotions: July 22, 2020
July 22, 2020 Psalm 119:133-136 … “My eyes shed streams of tears because your law is not kept.” vs. 136 As the psalmist surveyed the lives of those around him, his heart often overflowed with sadness at the mess some folks were making of the precious days that God had given them. We know that feeling! Sometimes it’s members of our own families who continually make wrong choices and who regularly experience brokenness in daily living. Sometimes those choices have…
Daily Devotions: July 16, 2020
July 16, 2020 Romans 8:12-18 … “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” vs. 18 Unlike many Christians of our day. the early followers of Jesus expected that there would be suffering along the Way. That’s what had happened to Christ Jesus and there was no reason to expect that it wouldn’t also happen for them. It isn’t that they enjoyed the suffering or looked…
Daily Devotions: April 5, 2020
April 5, 2020 Matthew 27:45-54 … “And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” vs. 46 Matthew and Mark report that Jesus’ only words from the cross echoed Psalm 22 and reflected his deep distress and sense of alienation. He felt deserted by God, a deep irony given his identification as the Good Shepherd, the one who leads us through the valley of…
Daily Devotions: November 2, 2018
November 2, 2018 Revelations 21:4-6a …“he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” vs. 4 We all know people who have, for one reason or another, absorbed more than their share of pain and sorrow in the course of their lives. Marriages fail, illness stalks, families disappoint, and one sad day is followed by another. And sometimes all this…
Daily Devotions: October 16, 2018
October 16, 2018 Isaiah 53:10-12 …“Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” vs. 11 The primary salvation stories of the Old and New Testament have suffering at their core. In each of them, the hero faces unparalleled pain and anguish. And in each of them there is ultimate light and forgiveness. That pattern has continued for the…