'suffering' Tagged Posts (Page 3)
Daily Devotions
Psalm 126:4-6 … “Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.” vs. 6 The psalmist had amazing insights about the journey of life, and he didn’t even have access to Dr. Laura or self-help books. There weren’t theologians or psychologists available for consultation–he had only the stories of his people and assorted wisdom sayings gleaned from various Hebrew sages. But those sources and his own observations inspired his…
Daily Devotions: July 16, 2020
July 16, 2020 Romans 8:12-18 … “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” vs. 18 Unlike many Christians of our day. the early followers of Jesus expected that there would be suffering along the Way. That’s what had happened to Christ Jesus and there was no reason to expect that it wouldn’t also happen for them. It isn’t that they enjoyed the suffering or looked…
Daily Devotions: June 11, 2020
June 11, 2020 Romans 5:1-5 … “And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…” vss. 3-4 Most of us can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for Africans to have been sold into slavery and hauled across the seas to spend their lives in hard labor on American plantations. Not only were beatings and abuse common, husbands, wives, and children…
Daily Devotions: April 5, 2020
April 5, 2020 Matthew 27:45-54 … “And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” vs. 46 Matthew and Mark report that Jesus’ only words from the cross echoed Psalm 22 and reflected his deep distress and sense of alienation. He felt deserted by God, a deep irony given his identification as the Good Shepherd, the one who leads us through the valley of…
Daily Devotions: January 30, 2020
January 30, 2020 For full passage click: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 … “For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles…” vss. 22-23 For many decades, the followers of Jesus struggled to put together a coherent testimony for what they had experienced. They were agreed that Jesus was the Messiah, but their message didn’t make any sense to outsiders. The expectation had been that the Messiah would be…
Daily Devotions: December 28, 2019
December 28, 2019 For full passage click: Hebrews 2:10-18 … “Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.” vs. 18 Suffering is one of the realities of life in the world. No matter how much we might want to avoid it, sooner or later it’s going to come to us or someone we love. We might even know that it’s coming, and still find ourselves totally unprepared for the…
Daily Devotions: June 14, 2019
June 14, 2019 For full passage click: Romans 5:1-5 …“and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” vs. 5 Paul is able to tell the Romans that people of faith can even boast in their sufferings, not because they are masochists, but because God’s love, the very presence of God, has been poured into their hearts. His insight has stood the test of…
Daily Devotions: May 18, 2019
May 18, 2019 For full passage click: John 13:31-33 …“When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.’” vs. 31 Typically, the word “glorified” is used to describe something that has been elevated beyond its natural state. To achieve glory, to be honored and acclaimed in the sight of our peers, and is something that many of us seek. John tells us that Jesus was glorified by…
Daily Devotions: April 19, 2019
April 19, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 22 …“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?…Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” vss. 1, 3 When we get a good dose of suffering on the discipleship trail it’s not unusual to feel as though we’ve lost touch with God. We wonder why rotten things are happening in our lives and, even…
Daily Devotions: December 13, 2018
December 13, 2018 To read full passage click: Philippians 4:4-5 …“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” vs. 4 Most of us believe that rejoicing is something we do when wonderful things happen in our lives. Our team wins the big game, a long awaited child is born, we get the raise we’ve been waiting for–the list could go on. There are many occasions for pure joy in the course of a lifetime. But Paul told the…
Daily Devotions: November 2, 2018
November 2, 2018 Revelations 21:4-6a …“he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” vs. 4 We all know people who have, for one reason or another, absorbed more than their share of pain and sorrow in the course of their lives. Marriages fail, illness stalks, families disappoint, and one sad day is followed by another. And sometimes all this…
Daily Devotions: October 20, 2018
October 20, 2018 Mark 10:35-40 …“James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’” vs. 35 When James and John decided to follow Jesus, leaving their father sitting in the boat, they weren’t nearly so altruistic as we sometimes think. Judging by this text, they had given up the family business for the sake of personal gain–they were hoping to get…