'sharing' Tagged Posts (Page 2)
Daily Devotions: January 1, 2020
January 1, 2020 For full passage click: Psalm 147:16-20 … “He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the Lord!” vs. 20 As we begin a new year, some are putting together short lists of their resolutions. A few may even be so bold as to share them. They do seem more credible when they’re put down where others can see your intentions. A resolution kept to oneself will likely be the…
Daily Devotions: September 23, 2019
September 23, 2020 For full passage click: Amos 6:1a, 4-7 … “Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory–who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp–who drink wine from bowls–but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!” vss. 4a, 5a, 6a, 6c Amos was not impressed with the life-styles of the rich and famous in the Israel of King Jeroboam II. He was a non-credentialed prophet from an obscure village in the hill country of…
Daily Devotions: July 7, 2019
July 7, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 10:16-20 …“The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.’” vss. 17-18 The mission was a success! The seventy were not rejected. They’d been welcomed and the forces of darkness had been defeated. It was a good day for Jesus and those sent out to heal and proclaim the coming…
Daily Devotions: December 15, 2018
December 15, 2018 To read full passage click: Luke 3:7-14 …“In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’” vs. 11 The crowds were shaken by John’s pointed words. He wasn’t impressed by piety and good intentions and preached that true repentance required fruits. And when the people asked him what he thought they should do, he told them plainly. And it wasn’t rocket science!…
Daily Devotions: November 5, 2018
November 5, 2018 1 Kings 17:6-12 …“As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’” The people of Israel had a whole series of Elijah stories that they told and then preserved in writing. They wanted their descendants to know about this incredible prophet who dared to speak truth to power in the days of Ahab and Jezebel. In one of those stories, Elijah goes to a…
Daily Devotions: June 29 , 2018
June 29, 2018 2 Corinthians 8:7-15…“And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something—now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means.” vss. 10-11 Paul was not only an evangelist, he was the stewardship director in the early church. There had been a severe famine and Jewish Christians in Jerusalem…
Daily Devotions: April 19, 2018
April 19, 2018 1 John 3:16-20…“How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” vs. 17 As early Christians began to live together in community, one basic truth became apparent to them, a truth that came directly from the teachings of Jesus. They were convinced that a disciple’s actions and deeds revealed the state of their hearts. They could not believe that God’s love could…
Daily Devotions: April 17, 2018
April 17, 2018 Acts 4:8-12…“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” vs. 12 The disciples were ecstatic! They had such good news for their leaders…and for the entire world. Through the Holy Spirit they had come to believe that Jesus was the Christ and that through him God’s salvation had come to humanity. As they traveled about proclaiming that audacious message it seemed…
Daily Devotions: April 16, 2018
April 16, 2018 Acts 4:5-7…“When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’” vs. 7 When the religious authorities in Jerusalem heard that the disciples were preaching that Jesus had been raised from the dead and were actually healing the sick, they ordered them to be arrested. They weren’t an impressive group–just a few Galilean fishermen and some hangers-on. When the wealthy, well-educated priestly types saw…
Daily Devotions: April 15, 2018
April 15, 2018 Luke 24:44-48…“Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,” vs. 45 Being familiar with the scriptures wasn’t enough for the disciples to have a clue about what had happened in Jesus. Nowhere was there a straightforward indication that the promised messiah would suffer, be crucified as a criminal, and then die. One option would have been for them to completely abandon the Hebrew scriptures and focus on building a new faith tradition–something no one ever seriously…
Daily Devotions: April 14, 2018
April 14, 2018 Luke 24:36b-43…“While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’” vs 41 While the experience of resurrection had galvanized the disciples of Jesus, there were plenty of questions remaining. In Luke’s story, multiple appearances weren’t enough to convince them and they needed further proof that he was really alive. Two thousand years later we’re still dealing with those same feelings! It’s wonderful to be able to…
Daily Devotions: April 13, 2018
April 13, 2018 1 John 3:4-7…“No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.” vs. 6 Those who earnestly try to live by scriptural teachings can get tied in knots by what seem to be contrary messages. On the one hand we are told that all are sinners, and if we say we have no sin, we are liars. But the same writer then turns around and tells us that no…