devotional
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. — John 1:1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. — Mark 1:1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. — Matthew 1:1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us, just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely…
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. — John 1:1 My eight year old brought up an interesting question the other day: "How was God there when there was no where to be?" Good question. Here in this verse we find the only reference to God before and outside of creation. The Word, we discover, as we keep on reading, was the expression of the Father. How do we know about God, that One who is so much bigger and greater than our minds can imagine? We experience Him, we embrace Him, we…
… but we had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel…. Luke 24:21 For years my wife sufferered from panic attacks. Things went from bad to worse until panic was 24/7 for her. Things got better when she finally went on medication. Then on September 13, 2001, she had a half hour prayer session with Steve Freitag of CrossCounsel. In that prayer session, she was miraculously delivered from panic. The next morning, she put away her medication, and lived virtually panic free for the next 18 months. She also began a journey of meeting with God in…
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all. — Psalm 34:19 When trouble comes, our misperceptions rush to the surface…. I’m trapped. God has forgotten about me. It will only get worse. God doesn’t like me any more. God is just punishing me for something I must have done wrong. God likes to see me squirm. Then God gives us an opportunity to replace doubt with faith. This is Divine work — we cannot do it on our own. We can only bring our deepest fears to Jesus and see what He wants to do with…
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. — Romans 8:18 At first glance, this is an odd arrangment of words. Let’s try it a different way: Our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the comfort and luxury we will enjoy in heaven. After all, no more sickness. No more pain. No more mean people. No more reckless drivers cutting me off out on the highway. No more loud parties next door keeping me up at night. Etc., etc. But wait! That isn’t what the verse says. It says our sufferings…
And God said, "Let …" — Genesis 1:3 … Jesus replied, "Let …" — Matthew 3:15In the Bible, God’s first word is "let." Permit. Allow. Give room for. Break free. God, the One who is so often characterized as the narrow-minded maker of restrictions, opens the universe with the word "let." God permits His plans to unfold. He allows His creation to take shape. He gives room for free moral agents to come into being, some to choose Him and others to reject Him forever.In the Bible, Jesus’ first word is also "let." "Let it be so now …" Allow…
[Solomon said,] "Strike him [Joab] down and bury him, and so clear me and my father’s house of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed." — 1 Kings 2:31 Joab did much good for Israel. He was one of the best military commanders Israel ever had. Again and again, he led his troops to victory and was used by God to transform a small struggling nation into the dominant power in the region. Yet all his good could not erase his core corruption — he was a man of reckless violence who put to death at least two…