Devotion.al

Feed Your Soul

  • Who Is For You

    Amos 7:7–15; Psalm 85:8–13; Ephesians 1:3–14; Mark 6:14–29

    There are many people in the world who have a person they focus on. That person could be an they look up to. That person could also be a person who was the source of a lot of or conflict. When there is such a person in our lives, we will often not see as important as that person, even when that person is more significant to others.

    There was very little to commend Herod. He wasn’t known as the best ruler. He definitely had some difficulties seeing the next step. Herodias probably wasn’t the only one who had Herod wrapped around her finger.

    Herod’s to was to claim that John the Baptist was raised from the dead. That’s more than a little weird unless John the Baptist was that singular person for Herod.

    It makes sense. John the Baptist apparently spoke to Herod quite a bit. Herod liked listening to him, but couldn’t understand him. Knowing the language that John used (“you brood of vipers” comes to mind), either Herod was clueless or John spoke to him differently, which seems unlikely.

    Herod also didn’t seem to understand what was going on in his territory. John the Baptist? He knew John. Jesus? Nope. We know later Herod got a clue, but at this point, it was John over Jesus.

    There are times where one person is “the” person. For a time and a place, they are the person to lead or to influence. Then their time is over. Generally, we that the next person will be younger, but not always.

    Whose time and place will have the greatest impact upon us will usually not be figured out until the time has passed.

    Often the person we think was the most influential is not the person we think it should be. For each of us, we often think it is Jesus. We have a hard time imagining John the Baptist outshining John the Baptist. Yet, for Herod—at that time—it was John the Baptist.

    ※Reflection※

    Who have been the influential people in your ? Were they the “important” people of the world? How did they influence you?

  • Laying The Bread Down

    Laying The Bread Down

    Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 4:42–44; Ephesians 3:14–21; John 6:1–21 It is tempting to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We can look at society and even many churches (in particular, their leaders), and just give up. There is such a struggle against the darkness and against sin, that it can be overwhelming. At the…

  • Field Placement

    Field Placement

    Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 4:38–41; John 4:31–38 Flour has become a no-go for many people these days. The fight against gluten and carbohydrates is quite prevalent. Much of this has to do with how much our surroundings have changed. Most of us don’t need many carbohydrates. Those whose bodies are still their primary focus for…

  • Let ‘Em Fight

    Let ‘Em Fight

    Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 3:4–20; Colossians 3:12–17 It can be hard to be rid of wounds. Many physical ones heal with scars, though the deeper body ones may not heal well. For most of us, the emotional and spiritual wounds are the ones with deep and lasting effects. These are the ones that can hold…

  • Burning Call

    Burning Call

    Psalm 145:10–18; 1 Kings 19:19–21; Colossians 1:9–14 One of the issues that has come up in the last year in church-ish circles is the ordination of women. Saddleback took a bold step and ordained women which went against the predominant grain of their partner body (SBC). There was an unexpected explosion in certain circles against…