'Surrender' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
Philippians 3:8-14..“Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” vss. 13-14 Paul knew that no matter how much he had accomplished, he wasn’t yet what he one day would be. It wasn’t that he lacked perfection and somehow had to clean…
Daily Devotions
Philippians 3:4b-11..“Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.” vs. 7 Paul had impressive credentials. Not only was he a proud member of the tribe of Benjamin, he had the best education possible for an up and coming religious leader. He was a member of the Pharisees, the strictest branch of Judaism, and he’d made a name for himself by hunting down and terrorizing Christians. His zeal was unmatched! But a chance…
Daily Devotions
Philippians 2:5-13.. “Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;” vs. 12 Paul concludes this section with what seems at first to be an ominous imperative, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Some might even infer from these words that the whole matter of our salvation is up for grabs, that it depends not…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 18:21-27…“Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.’” vss. 21- 22 People who live by faith have come to believe that their relationship to God is totally dependent on God’s unconditional love and never-ending mercy. Even though we live in a broken world, by God’s grace we…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 14:28-33…“Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’” vs. 31 Whatever else might be said of Peter, Matthew wants us to know that he didn’t shy away from a challenge. When Jesus told him to get out of the boat and walk on the water, he actually did it. And what we often forget is that he was successful! He was able to imitate Jesus, and did…
Daily Devotions
Romans 6:12-16…“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. 132 As we live in this good and broken world, we will have daily encounters with brokenness, both in ourselves and in the world around us. Paul describes that brokenness as sin, a cancer that infects the whole creation, and says that…
Daily Devotions
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…” vs. 5 Philippians 2:5-8 The Philippians hadn’t gone through confirmation or participated in new member classes. Some of them were Jews, many were Gentiles, and they had no common traditions or doctrines. So it’s not strange that there was confusion in their community about their new life in Christ and what that meant for daily living. Paul wasn’t living with them any longer and he didn’t know if…
Daily Devotions
But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.” vss. 14-15 Psalm 31:9-16 The psalmist doesn’t specify which terrors were plaguing him at this period of his life. It could have been almost anything: illness, persecution, depression, aging. The list of those things which bring us to our knees in the course of a lifetime is endless. But we do know that he…
Daily Devotions
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?” vss. 4-5 Job 38:4-11 The Lord takes Job and his companions to task for their presumptive knowledge, and tells them that they don’t know squat! In fact, almost everything is beyond their understanding. We live in a time when many assume that human knowledge knows no bounds, and it’s true,…
Daily Devotions
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” vs. 27 John 14:25-27 World peace has proven to be elusive. There’s a dismal rhythm in human history–devastating wars are fought, peace conferences are held, participants are hopeful, some years pass… and then we’re ready to fight again! Tens of millions of casualties in one…
Daily Devotions
Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’” vs. 23 John 14:23-24 It’s obvious from the gospel of John that loving Jesus is synonymous with loving others in the same way that he poured out his sacrificial love on us. Most of us have discovered, however, that his commandment is easier said than done. We tend to have the…
Daily Devotions
O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.” vs. 7 Psalm 130 The psalmist was at the end of his rope! Overwhelmed by a deep sense of sin and alienation from God, with all religious resources exhausted, he poured out his heart. Speaking for himself and for his nation, he reminds his readers of two things: with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with the…
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