Devotion.al

Tag: life

  • Sacrifice of Living

    Isaiah 1:10–18, Psalm 50, Romans 5:20–6:11 The problem with the Law was the human ability to think out the payment schedule, particularly the wealthy. What the wealthy did, it seems, was to commit the sin, then pay the penalty. In other words, the payment for the sin was considered as part of the “cost of…

  • Remember the Gone

    Matthew 22:23–33, 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Romans 8:26–30 All Saints Day was established to honor the saints of the church. As we talked about yesterday, it is also a good time to reflect upon those that helped shape your faith. By so doing these people were doing the work of saints. Now, let us be clear,…

  • All the Saints

    Luke 20:27–40, Hebrews 11:32–12:2, Revelation 7:9–17 Veneration of the Saints has a long history in the church. Due to misunderstandings (cultural, interpretive, arrogance, ignorance), it has often been a source of claims of heresy and idol worship. It has been abused and misshapen into disguised pagan worship. In addition, there is also the practice in…

  • Power of Service

    Mark 10:42–45, John 21:15–17, 1 Peter 4:7–11 Power to control. That’s what Jesus is talking about in the passage in Mark. The Gentile “rulers” (though the same applied to many of the Pharisees and scribes, as well) lorded their power, influence, and wealth over others, and controlled them. When this passage is used, often we…

  • Work to Death or for Life

    Acts 6:1–7, James 2:14–26 In his book, With Unveiled Faces, Kieth Drury writes, “Serious Christians get into lifesaving boats and go to sea to rescue people in need, refusing to sit in our warm lighthouses waiting for the shipwrecked to wash up on shore.” As we talk this week about connecting with God through the…

  • Witnessing Falsely

    Jeremiah 5:1–3, Mark 11:12–14, Mark 13:28 Bearing false witness is a known problem. Isn’t it? Maybe not. In Jeremiah, those that bore false witness refused discipline (no matter how loving and grace-filled). In fact, the implication is that they took their behavior and made it a way of life, rather than an incident in life.…

  • Looking and Not Turning Back

    Genesis 19:15–26, Deuteronomy 17:14–20, Proverbs 26:11, Mark 13:14–20 Looking back to see how far you’ve come is a good practice. One of the gifts of doing so is seeing where God had been moving when you were unaware. It is also good to see what decisions you made that you will be able to make…

  • The Mission Vocation

    Matthew 10:5–15, 1 Corinthians 15:1–8, Ephesians 3:8–14 What is your mission? What is your calling? In the Christian world, these can be powerful questions. If we let ourselves get wrapped up in them, they can bring us down. However, if we don’t see, or choose not to see that we have a calling, then we…