Devotional

Read the Word: 1 John 2:15-23 Meditate on the Word: The early church had a problem. Gnosticism, or the idea that people were redeemed by a special secret knowledge. Those with this knowledge were superior to those without. The problem: this knowledge was a lie. Most gnostics did not believe that Christ was fully man,… Read More »

Read the Word: Hebrews 10:19-25 Meditate on the Word: In my very small hometown growing up, we were still privileged to have a daily newspaper. It was one sheet of newsprint, folded into a way that gave four pages of local, national, and international news. If you did almost anything in town, you would be… Read More »

Read the Word: Isaiah 43:10-13 Meditate on the Word: Witnesses are important. They have a story to tell. In a court case, witnesses make it possible to convict or acquit the accused. On the evening news, they tell the story of the traffic accident they witnessed, the fight that broke out at the city council… Read More »

Read the Word: Isaiah 43:1-2 Meditate on the Word: When the Interstate Highway System was built, many difficult roads were bypassed, along with towns, scenery, and a slower speed that let one take it all in. Now, it is possible to get to places at breakneck speed while seeing almost nothing as you whiz by… Read More »

Read the Word: 2 Kings 4:1-7 Meditate on the Word: Financial pressure is a fact of life for many, and the problem is not getting better. The continually rising cost of everything from food to utilities and taxes make it increasingly difficult to keep body and soul together. Many struggle with managing debt, whether through… Read More »

Read the Word: 2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2 Meditate on the Word: We live in a very divided time. It seems that nobody has tolerance for those who think and believe differently than they do. Insults and cursings are traded back and forth like an elementary school playground. Threats are being made and returned impulsively. Seemingly, nobody wants to… Read More »

Read the Word: Psalm 53:1-6 Meditate on the Word: We want to think that people are basically good. It provides us comfort if we think that people are not basically selfish and serving their own interests. Of course, we may have a false perception of what “good” actually is. I remember often as a child being told… Read More »

Read the Word: Numbers 16:41-50 Meditate on the Word: Immediately before this, Korah and his group decided to rebel against Moses. They did not like Moses being their leader and got a large group together to presumably remove him from power. God was not having it, and showed his power. He clearly demonstrated who He… Read More »

Read the Word: Numbers 21:4-9 Meditate on the Word: We must make no mistake-the sin behind the Israelites’ grumbling against God and Moses in this case was ingratitude. They were not thankful that God, using Moses, had led them out of slavery in Egypt. They were not thankful for the crossing of the Red Sea.… Read More »

Read the Word: Numbers 25:1-9 Meditate on the Word: It can be difficult to read a passage like this with our contemporary sensibilities. The punishment for these men’s idolatry can seem very harsh to us. The killing of the Israelite man and the Midianite woman seems brutal. We can find ourselves asking why what these… Read More »