'presence' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’” vs. 33 Matthew 13:31-33 Jesus was not only familiar with the ways of farmers; he evidently knew his way around the kitchen too. At least he knows the properties of yeast and uses this simple single-celled micro-organism to teach an important lesson about the kingdom of heaven. So often as the…
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
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” vs. 3 John 10:1-5 There are echoes of Isaiah 43 in these beautiful words from Jesus. Centuries before, the prophet had written, “I have called you by name, you belong to me,” and now Jesus restates this magnificent truth in a way that each believer can understand. For some it’s a reminder of baptism, that rich…
Daily Devotions
But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.” vss. 7-8 Matthew 17:5-9 The disciples had been blown away. It had been a spectacular vision, with both visual and aural elements, and it terrified them. But when it was over Jesus was there, not to explain the vision, but to give them comfort. And that’s what they needed, not an explanation, just…
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: July 25, 2020
July 25, 2020 Matthew 13:31-33… “He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’” vs. 33 From time to time we’re blessed to get a glimpse of how other people live in our world. It could happen in the course of travel but most of the time it happens randomly as we navigate between television, social media, movies, and…
Daily Devotions: June 9, 2019
June 9, 2019 For full passage click: John 14:15-19 …“In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” vs. 19 The man, Jesus of Nazareth, did not have a long life. Hostile powers conspired to torture and kill him while he was, by our standards, a young man. But death could not contain him, and his followers soon reported his continuing presence. “He’s alive,” they proclaimed…
Daily Devotions: May 4, 2019
May 4, 2019 For full passage click: John 21:1-14 …“Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” vs. 4 There was nothing about the appearance of the man on the beach that reminded the disciples of Jesus; but when their nets were filled with fish after following his instructions, one of them shouted out, “It is the Lord!” When they came ashore and found the man preparing breakfast they were…
Daily Devotions: March 2, 2019
March 2, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 9:28-32 …“And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.” vs. 29 Jesus had invited the inner core of his disciples to join him on the mountain for prayer, but it appears they came more as observers than participants. The kind of meditation that Jesus practiced was intense and involved more than going through a list of friends and family that were having problems.…
Daily Devotions: August 18, 2018
August 18, 2018 John 6:51-53…“The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’” vs. 52 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 5,000 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…
Daily Devotions: August 12, 2018
August 12, 2018 John 6:45-51…“I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.” vss. 48-49 In the first century there had been a struggle between those Jews who had embraced Jesus as messiah and those who clung to the old traditions. Ultimately, that conflict led to a split and the separation of church and synagogue. As John writes his gospel, he wants his readers to know that in Jesus they will find…
Daily Devotions: June 23 , 2018
June 23, 2018 Mark 4:35-48…“But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’” vs. 38 Even though the Sea of Galilee wasn’t very large, barely four miles from one side to the other, it could be a scary place when the wind began to blow. Undoubtedly, those who lived in the little fishing villages along its shore had many stories of…
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