'trust' Tagged Posts (Page 4)
Daily Devotions
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-9 “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.” vs. 8 Not everyone gets excited about Advent, especially not since it’s been swallowed up by the cultural expansion of Christmas. There may be occasional references to Advent calendars or Advent wreaths, but most folks put their energy into decorating, entertaining, and buying. And that’s true even for…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 138 … “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” vs. 8 It’s not unusual for the faithful to wonder about their purpose in life. Often our paths seem indistinguishable from those of the people around us–there’s a certain routine: education, career, marriage and family, and before we know it, we’re planning our retirement. And it’s possible to do all of that without an…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 15:25-28 … “Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.” vs. 28 Ironies abound as Jesus continues his ministry to the scattered Jews of the Gentile world. Matthew has carefully recounted the disciples’ melt-down on the Sea of Galilee where they are chastised for their miniscule faith convictions. Not only did Peter get scolded, the whole boatload got an earful from Jesus. And in…
Daily Devotions: March 28, 2020
March 28, 2020 John 11:17-31 … “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live…’” vs. 25 Contrary to what we might expect, according to recent polling, most people believe in life after death, even those who self-identify as atheists or agnostics. It’s not surprising then that almost all funerals or memorial services make reference to the continuing life the newly departed now enjoys. For the most…
Daily Devotions: March 4, 2020
March 4, 2020 Romans 4:1-5 … “But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.” vs. 5 Paul takes pains to remind his readers that their ancestor, Abraham, was made righteous, not because of his works, but because of his faith. And then, in the process of making his point, he defines faith as trust. We would do well to remember his definition! Too often we fall into the trap of thinking…
Daily Devotions: October 19, 2019
October 19, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 18:1-5 … “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” vs. 1 Far too often we run into intractable situations where we have little idea about what to say or do. Solutions are elusive and we can’t even give or get good advice or direction. These are prime moments for prayer, and Jesus would have agreed! In fact, he told a parable to…
Daily Devotions: September 24, 2019
September 24, 2020 For full passage click: Psalm 146:1-4 … “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.” vss. 3-4 The Psalmist knew nothing of elections or democracy. He lived in a monarchy and the king ran the country like it was his private estate, taxing as much as the people could bear to fund the varied…
Daily Devotions: September 4, 2018
September 4, 2018 Psalm 146:1-4 …“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.” vss. 3-4 Sometimes it’s interesting to see how people of faith can get caught up in the politics of our time. They will, of course, be voters, that’s one of our responsibilities as citizens. But sometimes they actually seem to believe that one of…
Daily Devotions: July 30 , 2018
July 30, 2018 Exodus 16:2-4…“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.’” vs. 4 The story of the Exodus, Israel’s defining historical narrative, was passed from generation to generation for hundreds of years. Every child knew that their ancestors had been released from…
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…