'Repentance' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
He said, No, Father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’” vs. 30 Luke 16:27-31 In the second half of the parable, attention moves away from the rich man’s wealth, as he expresses concern for his five brothers, and asks Father Abraham to send Lazarus to testify to them. He believes that they will repent if they hear the poor man’s story. Abraham is not convinced. The brothers have heard the testimony of Moses…
Daily Devotions
Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall;” vs. 4 Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Amos wasn’t on a tour when he ventured north into Israel, so he was unimpressed by the stone fortresses of the capital Samaria and the trappings of wealth and prosperity. Like the rich of every time and place they spared no expense in furnishing their homes and they feasted on…
Daily Devotions
Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall;” vs. 4 Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Amos wasn’t on a tour when he ventured north into Israel, so he was unimpressed by the stone fortresses of the capital Samaria and the trappings of wealth and prosperity. Like the rich of every time and place they spared no expense in furnishing their homes and they feasted on…
Daily Devotions
I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.” vss. 12-13a 1 Timothy 1:12-14 Because the Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) differ in both style and substance from other Pauline letters, some have presumed that they come from an anonymous hand later in the first century. While it’s impossible…
Daily Devotions
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before your life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live…” vs. 19 Deuteronomy 30:17-20 Deuteronomy tells us that obedience for the Israelites was a binary choice: there were only two options regarding the Law. The people could either obey or not obey. Obedience would bring them life and disobedience meant death. Now it’s certainly true that choices are…
Daily Devotions
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator.” vss. 9-10 Colossians 3:9-11 It’s true, lying is not one of the Ten Commandments, yet there’s probably nothing more destructive to human relationships! And it comes so naturally to us. It’s one of the first things children learn how to do–and…
Daily Devotions
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” Luke 15:1-2 It wasn’t that Jesus was ghosting the Pharisees and the scribes. He appreciated their devotion to the law, and periodically he’d join them for meals in their homes. We can imagine that there were some fine conversations over the fine points of scriptural interpretation. They may…
Daily Devotions
He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” vss. 8-9 Luke 13:6-9 It’s always tempting to think that we’ve got plenty of time in life for repentance. It’s one of those things that we put off, mainly because it’s so hard. Once we’ve established patterns for relating with the world, we…
Daily Devotions
He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?’” vs. 2 Luke 13:1-5 News of atrocities committed by oppressive rulers has always traveled fast. Here Jesus refers to an especially egregious act of the Roman governor, Pilate, that had been all over the social media of the day. He asks the people if the Galileans had been murdered because they were worse sinners than anyone else. His…
Daily Devotions
Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.” vs. 5 Ezekiel 2:1-5 Ezekiel had been deported to Babylon along with thousands of other residents of Jerusalem and Judea. Sometime later, probably as a young man, he was grasped by the Spirit and told that he had been chosen to bring the Word of the Lord to the people living in exile. He was told…
Daily Devotions
As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” vs. 18 John 17:14-19 Even though the world can be dangerous and is continuously trying to confuse and entrap us with its seductive ways, this is exactly where followers of Jesus have been sent to love and serve. In fact, if it weren’t for the presence of people of faith it’s hard telling what dreadful conditions would exist. Moral corruption would be rampant and…
Daily Devotions
For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.” vs. 4 Isaiah 25:1-5 As a prophet Isaiah regularly took the people of Israel to task for behaviors unbefitting the people of God. He pointed out their sin and called them to repentance, but those words of judgment should not imply that he believed God to be angry and vengeful. Indeed, Isaiah…