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Daily Devotions
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.” vss. 8-9 Psalm 32:6-11 Portions of the psalms, the hymnbook of the Bible, can also be classified as wisdom literature, and are very much like passages found in the book of Proverbs.…
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 32:1-6 Because the world is both good and broken, humans have been conscious of their need for forgiveness from the beginning. And while it should be a relatively easy matter to offer an expression of remorse to the one we have offended, and then receive a…
Daily Devotions
And Nehemiah…and Ezra the priest and scribe,… said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.” vs. 9 Nehemiah 8:8-10 When the words of the long-forgotten law were read to the Jews of Jerusalem their initial reaction was one of deep sadness—and they began to weep. We can only guess that their sadness came with the recognition…
Daily Devotions
But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.” vs. 26b Hebrews 9:28-29 In this section of Hebrews, the writer is taking pains to convince his Jewish readers that in Christ the old sacrificial system has been replaced. This was an important message, particularly since the temple, the place of sacrifice, had been destroyed by the Roman armies. While not all Jews were willing to…
Daily Devotions
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.” vss. 3-4 Psalm 24 The psalmist had some high standards for those he adjudged to be fit for admission to the sanctuary of the Lord. His reasoning was logical. Since the Lord was the epitome of holiness, those who came…
Daily Devotions
For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” vs. 28 Romans 3:19-23 Paul believed that all people had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But he also held that they had all been justified by God’s grace as a gift, through the redemption that had occurred in Christ Jesus. He further adds that the benefits of this great gift are made effective in faith. Paul’s add-on has frequently…
Daily Devotions
Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.” vs. 19 Romans 3:19-23 At one time humans put a lot of trust in the law. They really believed that the brokenness of this good world could be resolved if people would be obedient to the extensive set of ordinances and commandments found in their sacred…
Daily Devotions
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” vss. 41-42 Matthew 13:36-43 The parables of Jesus were short, pithy descriptions of life in the kingdom. Generally they had one main point but were occasionally difficult to understand. In Matthew’s gospel, a few have allegorical descriptions attached…
Daily Devotions
But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” vs. 10 Romans 8:6-11 Through the centuries, humans all over the world have celebrated God’s indwelling presence in their various religions and have developed whole systems of thought devoted to the accessing of that Divine Spirit. Paul taught that this indwelling presence was Christ, and his words are a source of enormous good news to all who take them…
Daily Devotions
I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” vs. 15 Romans 7:15-20 There’s probably not a person on the planet who could not identify with what Paul says here, particularly if they’ve ever had a golfing experience! In that particular sport, athletes approach each shot with definite expectations, and again and again they are horribly disappointed. No matter how much they might want to make…
Daily Devotions
No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.” vs. 13 Romans 6:12-16 Paul implies here that the folks in Rome had an option to present themselves either to sin as instruments of wickedness or to God as instruments of righteousness. His words resonate with our own observations of the world and our…
Daily Devotions
But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” vs. 10 Romans 8:10-11 In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells them that they are both sinful and redeemed at the same time, and this side of the grave, that’s the way it’s always going to be. It’s not easy for us to get our heads around this paradox–essentially it means believing opposite things at the same time.…