'Peace' Tagged Posts (Page 5)
Daily Devotions
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” vs. 13 Romans 15:7-13 One of the signs of God’s presence in our lives is the appearance of hope in the most unlikely times. Hope confounds us with its elusiveness. It comes and goes with maddening irregularity and resists our most determined manipulation. Paul tells us that hope has a connection with…
Daily Devotions
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” vs. 9 Isaiah 11:6-11 Having lived through a virtual two-year shutdown of our country, and now, another contentious election, hope is a precious commodity. For some reason leaders of all kinds have been led to sow a message of fear and distrust that has found its way into too many hearts.…
Daily Devotions
He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks…” vs. 4a Isaiah 2:1-5 In reading the Hebrew scriptures, it’s easy to get the idea that God was an advocate of war and encouraged the people of Israel to engage in ferocious combat in defense of their land and to subjugate their enemies. More than that, it’s often implied that the Lord assisted in those…
Daily Devotions
He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” vs. 17 Colossians 1:17-20 Early Christians came to believe that the Christ who had been made visible in Jesus of Nazareth was the incarnate Word of God, described in the prologue to John’s gospel. Through the Christ, present in the Beginning, all things had come into existence, and the writer of Colossians adds that, “in him all things hold together.” In other words, Christ is the…
Daily Devotions
In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” vs. 6 Jeremiah 23:4-6 In the midst of uncertainty and upheaval, Jeremiah dared to dream of peace and stability, a time when Judah and Israel would live in safety under the rule of a good shepherd king. The name of this new leader gives a clue to his identity. The one…
Daily Devotions
The Lord has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.” vs. 2 Psalm 98:1-6 Tonight, millions of households will be anxiously awaiting the results of this midterm election, and in the midst of the elation and disappointment there will be some who say that the Lord has given victory to the winners. They will sing praises and give glory to God for this very visible triumph over the forces of evil. We…
Daily Devotions
In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.” vss. 13-14 Ephesians 1:11-14 As we observe the lives of fellow saints and sinners in our congregations, we are often touched by the serenity and peace that accompanies some…
Daily Devotions
Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples…” vss. 6-7 Psalm 149:6-9 In the psalmist’s apocalyptic vision, those heavenly choirs would do more than sing praises to God. It would be their pleasure to take two-edged swords and execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples as God’s chosen instruments of judgment. That kind of language has long had…
Daily Devotions
So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” vs. 36 John 8:34-36 In his treatise, “The Freedom of the Christian,” Martin Luther famously wrote, “A Christian is the most free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is the most dutiful servant of all, subject to everyone.” Those words sum up the paradoxical nature of our life as followers of Jesus, and provide a corrective to those who believe that being free in Christ means…
Daily devotions
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” vs. 1 Luke 18:1-5 Jesus knew that prayer can often be a disheartening experience, mostly because there seems to be no response from God. So he tells his disciples a parable about an unjust judge who neither feared God nor respected people. But when a poor woman kept coming with a plea for justice, the judge finally granted her request just to keep…
Daily Devotions
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe…” vs. 28 Hebrews 12:25-29 As the writer to the Hebrews continues his argument for the centrality of Christ, he makes frequent references to interpretations of the scriptures that are bewildering to most of us. His images and worldview don’t resonate with what we have come to believe and know. Many times his…
Daily Devotions
Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” vs. 51 Luke 12:49-53 Not everything that we read in the gospels brings joy to our hearts. Oh, there is much that is beautiful and inspiring, but Luke wasn’t in the business of censoring Jesus. Even when his words were disquieting and disturbing, Luke included them because they were a true reflection of what life in Christ is like. Jesus…