Devotion.al

Feed Your Soul

  • Peace and Holiness

    Ezekiel 37:24-28, Romans 12:9-18, Hebrews 12:7-15

    “I will make a of with them…”
    Ezekiel 37:26

    “Live in harmony with one another…”
    Romans 12:16

    “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peach with everyone.”
    Romans 12:18

    “Pursue peace with everyone, and —without it no one will see the Lord.”
    Hebrews 12:14

    When God speaks to Ezekiel, the consequences of a life outside of and away from God are showing up to the Israelites, and it is not a pretty picture. Something to understand throughout Ezekiel is that while the consequences of not living life with God is bad, God promises hope. Especially a hope which cannot be earned. God makes the new covenant of peace.

    We, too, have a covenant with peace to live out. It is the covenant of peace with . In Romans 12, is talking specifically about the peace between members of the . However, this peace is supposed to also spill out into our outside of the church framily.

    The author of Hebrews, however, makes what can be chilling ties to peace with others: holiness and divine life. Mercifully, the author of Hebrews uses the word “pursue.” Other translations have it as “strive for” or “chase after.” As we read yesterday, peace requires effort.

    Peace and holiness are tied together by the author of the Hebrews. This is not unreasonable, as the ultimate peace is given by God who is holy. The importance of living at peace with one another—especially, but not exclusively, in the church framily—cannot be overstated. If the Children of God are not at peace with one another, what kind of peace can they with others?

    1) What does it mean to you that “no one will see the Lord” when it comes to being at peace with one another and holiness?

    2) Is being at peace with one another important to you? Why or why not?

    KD) We all struggle with being at peace with one another. Are you pursuing peace with others? What are you willing to give up to have peace?

  • Writings Valued

    Writings Valued

    Psalm 47; Exodus 24:15–18; Revelation 1:9–18 Holy scriptures have always been important. Note that the “s” wasn’t capitalized. This isn’t just the Holy Scriptures we define as the Bible (the 66 books of the Old and New Testament). This could include many things. The Apocrypha, for example, is a collection of books of Jewish origin…

  • Up and Away

    Up and Away

    Psalm 47; Ephesians 1:15–23; Luke 24:44–53; Acts 1:1–11 If you’re of a certain age, you’ll probably know the source of, “Up! Up! And away!” (Superman). If you’re of another age or particular family/church origin, you’ll probably know the song, “I’ll Fly Away”. Then there is the airline advertising slogan, “Wanna’ get away?” If none of…

  • Places for Scripture

    Places for Scripture

    Psalm 93; Deuteronomy 11:18–21; Mark 16:19–20 “Place these words…on your heart” and then fast forward to “…they went out and proclaimed the message everywhere.”One of the little truths about this passage in Deuteronomy is the very simple tool given that many turned into a soulless rule or merely room decor. God directed that God’s word…

  • The First Rule Isn’t One

    The First Rule Isn’t One

    Psalm 93; Deuteronomy 11:1–17; 1 Timothy 6:13–16 Our common reaction, even as we get older, is that “rule” was made to make my life harder, or limit my freedoms, or something else. Of course, in our current era, you may have immediately turned to face masks or even the potential of some sort of requirement…