'truth' Tagged Posts (Page 6)
Daily Devotions: February 21, 2020
February 21, 2020 For full passage click: 2 Peter 1:19-21 … “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” vss. 20-21 Interpretation of Scripture is a notoriously difficult enterprise. Some say it can only be done reliably by trained and skilled biblical scholars, men and women who understand fully…
Daily Devotions: February 13, 2020
February 13, 2020 For full passage click: 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 … “And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.” vs. 1 When Paul came to Corinth, he did not bring Christ to the people–Christ was already there–the Divine Spark that resides in every human. But he did see them as infants in Christ, a people unfamiliar with matters of the Spirit and fully…
Daily Devotions: February 7, 2020
February 7, 2020 For full passage click: 1 Corinthians 2:6-12 … “But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” vs 7 Whenever we try to wrap our heads around the Gospel it doesn’t take long to discover that there is a great mystery involved. What may have seemed simple at one point in our lives is actually deeper than we had ever imagined. It’s not that the message is enormously complicated–Paul…
Daily Devotions: January 28, 2020
January 28, 2020 For full passage click: Psalm 15:1-2 … “O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart;” vss. 1-2 Just so we don’t get the idea that Micah was the only person in ancient Israel who believed God cared about behavior and conduct, this Psalmist added his perspective. Who is a friend of God? One who…
Daily Devotions: October 20, 2019
October 20, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 18:5-8 … “And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?” vss. 6-7a Jesus was not above using examples from the world to give encouragement to his followers. His parable reflects one of the realities of our justice and political systems. Sometimes leaders who care nothing for God and have no respect for…
Daily Devotions: October 18, 2019
October 18, 2019 For full passage click: 2 Timothy 4:1-5 … “For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires…” vs. 3 Timothy, the young pastor, is advised in this letter to proclaim the Gospel with conviction in every season and to have patience in his teaching. He’s warned that there will be a time when his little flock would…
Daily Devotions: October 16, 2019
October 16, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 12 … “Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; the faithful have disappeared from humankind. They utter lies to each other; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.” vss. 1-2 It’s hard to overestimate the gifts that the various Psalmists have given us. They write from a variety of experiences and their words are a treasure trove for our reflection and meditation. Sometimes their laments…
Daily Devotions: August 17, 2019
August 17, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 12:49-53 … “From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three…” vs. 52 We’ve all become aware of the increasing divisiveness in our country as opinions have become polarized, and it’s been more difficult to find common ground. In some instances, life-long friendships have been threatened, family members have stopped speaking to one another, congregations have splintered, and we’re finding it harder and harder…
Daily Devotions: August 14, 2019
August 14, 2019 For full passage click: Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 … “The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.” vs. 13 In 1520, Pope Leo X quoted from this Psalm in a papal bull called Exsurge Domine in which he officially condemned Martin Luther and 41 of his teachings. According to Leo, Luther was a wild boar from the wilderness of Germany who was ravaging the Church, the choice vineyard of…
Daily Devotions: June 9, 2019
June 9, 2019 For full passage click: John 14:15-19 …“In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” vs. 19 The man, Jesus of Nazareth, did not have a long life. Hostile powers conspired to torture and kill him while he was, by our standards, a young man. But death could not contain him, and his followers soon reported his continuing presence. “He’s alive,” they proclaimed…
Daily Devotions: January 28, 2019
January 28, 2019 To read full passage click: Jeremiah 1:4-7 …“But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you.’” vs. 7 The story of Jeremiah’s call gives a perfect example of the special connection that some people of faith have to God. According to his own testimony, Jeremiah knew from his youth that God wanted…
Daily Devotions: November 25, 2018
November 25, 2018 To read full passage click: John 18:37 …“Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’” vs. 37 Pilate was having a hard time figuring Jesus out, and Jesus isn’t making it easy for him. It was being said that Jesus…