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[While the CD Team enjoys a Christmas break, please enjoy these devotionals from December 2020 based on scripture readings and Christmas carols.] Mild He lays His glory by "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," Charles Wesley I imagine Charles Wesley was moved to write "Mild He lays His glory by" by Paul's observation that Jesus voluntarily set aside his status as God to becom...
Keep Reading"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are comingnot the realities themselves. Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart."Hebrews 10:1, 22a (This second week of devotionals from the book of Hebrews was originally published in March 2021 and aligned with the sermon series "Jesus, the Radiance of God's Glory.") Self-confidence is not something I've traditiona...
Keep Reading"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving,considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."James 3:17 (This week's devotionals, originally published in January 2021, aligned with the sermon series "Disagree Deeply, Love Deeper Still: True Unity." The writing team prays they will be an encouragement to you.)...
Keep Reading"He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations,that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross."Colossians 2:14b-15 (We pray you'll be refreshed and maybe even challenged as you read this week's devotionals, originally published in March of 2020.) Do you like to be told what to do? True conf...
Keep ReadingFor through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have beencrucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I livein the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me andgave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousnesscould be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!Galatians 2:19...
Keep Reading"I (the Lord) will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruitand become a noble cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it;they will find shelter in the shade of its branches."Ezekiel 17:23b [Originally published in August of 2020, this series combined with Pastor Alex's and Pastor Jaime's sermons to kickstart the Noble Cedar story that has become the vision for Ch...
Keep ReadingNow an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go" So he arose and went. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot. So Philip ran to him (the Ethiopian), and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading? Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him (A...
Keep ReadingNow Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all p...
Keep Reading...to Writing a Connect Devotional Dear Readers, Thank you for being a Connect Devotional reader! Whether you read occasionally or every day (or at all!), we're grateful for your attentive reading and thoughtful responses. We mentioned last week that the CD writing team will be taking a few weeks off over the summer. Never fear, we'll be back in August. Until then, ...
Keep ReadingMy dear friends, don't let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time (James 2:1 and 12-13 MSG). During the time I was pondering J...
Keep Reading"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27) [Dear Reader, this is my fourth attempt at writing a devotional this week. It has taken this many tries, including a nudge from my editor, to get to being honest. I think you may identif...
Keep ReadingBlessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12). Please take a moment to read this week's entire passage! NIV Please take a moment to read this week's entire passage! MSG This morning I was drawn to this story in my news feed: A college valedicto...
Keep ReadingJesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet" (Luke 5:27-29a). Please take a moment to read this week's entire passage! [chutzpah: (huts-puh) a Yiddish term meaning audacity, courage, or nerve] The old saying "Birds of...
Keep ReadingLuke 7:36-50 Here's a link to the entire passage! What's up with Simon the Pharisee? At first, he seems to be genuine. He did, after all, invite Jesus to the dinner party at his house. Yet there was evidence from the get-go of his disdain: no washing of Jesus' feet on arrival, no kiss, no oil on His head. Simon may have been a stickler for the Law, but he was obviously ...
Keep Reading(All the Athenians and the foreigners who live there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest idea.) Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said" Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you." (Acts 17:21, 22a, 23b). Here's a link to the entire passage! "As children we were good at joining som...
Keep ReadingAs Jesus was on his way (Luke 8:42b). Have you noticed how Jesus is often "on his way" when opportunities to be a good neighbor present themselves? I hope this encourages you as it does me. It means as we are "on our way," going about our business or pleasure, opportunities may present themselves to us, too. (Being immersed in a sermon series called "Won't You Be a Neigh...
Keep Reading(Jesus asked) "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Then Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:36-37). It seems I become uncomfortable whenever I approach the Good Samaritan parable. I recognize this is because I immediately think of the ways ...
Keep ReadingEditor's note: this week, a very different set of Connect Devotionals because this week is unlike all others. Each writer this week will invite you to explore a different passage: the "cleansing of the Temple" (Monday), the argument about paying taxes to Caesar (Tuesday), the "great commandment" (Wednesday), the Last Supper and Gethsemane (Thursday), and the culmination of...
Keep Reading2 Samuel 11 Ok, it's spring, and you probably don't want to think about snow. But please bear with me as I use the soft stuff as a metaphor for a hard reality. Remember what it's like to grab a handful of snow, pack it firm, then start rolling it in more snow, and more snow, until eventually you have a ball that's no longer budge-able? We're going to use that snowballing...
Keep Reading*Join in CCC's Season of Prayer! CLICK HERE for the prayer guide.* Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens,so that we may make a name for ourselves (Genesis 11:4a). Of all the Connect Devotional themes I've delved into, this Tower of Babel one saddened me the most. At least at first. Here is a scenario from the pr...
Keep Reading*Join in CCC's Season of Prayer! CLICK HERE for the prayer guide.* All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven (Acts 2:4-5). each one heard them speaking in his own language (Acts 2:6b). "--we hear them declaring the wonders ...
Keep ReadingSo I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knockand the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;and to him who knocks, the door will be opened (Luke 11: 9-10, NIV). And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him? (Luke 11:13b, MSG) I wondered: Are ...
Keep ReadingThis is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist (1 John 4:2-3a). After a prolonged tiring wrestle to understand the verb "acknowledge" in our 1 John passage, I took a break and watched t...
Keep ReadingAnd I (Jesus) will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you foreverthe Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17). Awhile back I told you that my relationship with Godfrom my perspective anywaybegan one night when I said, "O...
Keep ReadingHe (Jesus) gave them (the apostles) this command, "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about." (Acts 1:4) Can you think of any child who appreciates having to wait? (Didn't take long to answer that, did it?!) It takes a lot of living to come to an appreciation of wait. Living shows us that good things can happen...
Keep ReadingThis is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carriedinto exile from Jerusalem to Babylon (Jeremiah 29:4). I am coming off an eye-opening read of the entire book of the prophet Jeremiah. In it we get a vivid contrast between groupthinkwhich the inhabitants of Jerusalem, deceived by false prophets and diviners, had been swept up in for yearsand God...
Keep ReadingHe (Jesus) poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet (from John 13:5). Let's think about feet for a minute. Basically, feet enable us to stand and walk. Sometimes they hurtor are stinkyand need attending to. This week we are visiting Jesus and the Twelve as they meet for the Passover meal that begins Holy Week. John, the author, sees to it we learn ...
Keep ReadingJesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25). Have you ever had a little child look at you quizzically as you tried to explain something like why vegetables were good for him or why she couldn't play in the snow in her paj...
Keep ReadingI have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20). Dear Reader, I had no intention of writing a Connect Devotional just now. Although it is January, the month my 4-month "leave-of-absence" was scheduled to end, recuperating fr...
Keep Reading"And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14b) When parents go on vacation or do projects around the house, they include their children. When friends meet for lunch or to help others, they include their friends. When God planned a mass rescue of His people, He included His children and friends, the Jews Esther and Mordecai...
Keep Reading"By what power or what name did you do this?" (Acts 4:7b) In Acts 3, some days after the Pentecost crowd had dramatically encountered God, Peter and John healed a man crippled from birth. Acts 4 opens with the local powers-that-be "greatly disturbed" (Acts 4:3) by this. They wanted to know "By what power or what name did you do this?" (4:7). After all, they were the ones...
Keep ReadingAnd the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked,because I am pleased with you and I know you by name" (Exodus 33:17). God, knowing I would be going into a potentially challenging situation, recently moved a close friend of mine to pray for me. My friend, coming off a similar situation, also knew it would be challenging. Since she loves me, and has an ...
Keep ReadingI looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land (Ezekiel 22:30a). Are any of us under the illusion that the world is on track to achieve tranquility and human flourishing all by itself? In fact, was there ever a time in history it could have been saidtaking all f...
Keep Reading"In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to God. He answered me. From the belly of the grave I cried, "Help!" You heard my cry (Jonah 2:2 MSG). To get off on the right foot, I humbly acknowledge that just now I didn't know where to locate Jonah in my Bible. Although I knew the story didn't I? I'd heard it as a kid, I'd read it to my own kids, surely I'd heard sermons on it. I...
Keep ReadingNext Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test (Matthew 4:1 MSG). This week our third-grade granddaughter will be taken by her parents to her school where her teacher will administer the test that will determine her students' readiness for fourth grade. If Miriam passes the test, there will be two results. She will know she has learned what is needed to en...
Keep ReadingOn the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" (Matthew 26:17). Considering the contents of Scripture, God has chosen to communicate with us most often via story. The stories He has included there invite us in, speak to us, and then stick with us. Scripture...
Keep ReadingGod is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and matures in us. (The Message Bible paraphrase of the passage that includes I John 4:16-17a). The Hebrew language has this wonderful word: hesed. The trouble is, there is no succinct way to define it. Which, rig...
Keep Reading"He appointed twelvedesignating them apostlesthat they might be with him" (Mark 3:14a). Take a minute to think about how our eyes adjust to light after being in a dark room. Now imagine that the light we must adjust to is BRIGHT. Really, really BRIGHT. We would run back into that dark room to hunker down, wouldn't we? We would hide our eyes. We would whimperor scream "To...
Keep Reading"Jesus went up into the hills and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelvedesignating them apostlesthat they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons." (Mark 3:13-15a) The beginning of the Gospel of Mark shows Jesus establishing His plan to help the Hebrew peopleand, consequently,...
Keep ReadingMary stayed with Elizabeth (Luke 1:56a). Here at the Liu household we are treating ourselves to episodes of Call the Midwife on Netflix. This series follows the community of midwives and nuns of Nonnatus House in the Poplar district in London's impoverished East End during the 1950s and '60s. The small community of midwives and the larger community of Poplar show up befo...
Keep ReadingNear the cross of Jesus stood his motherWhen Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home (John 19:25a-27). You know, mothers don't necessarily like Mother's Day. (Apologies here to you mo...
Keep Reading"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). I am not a naturally take-charge person. If someone else wants to lead, I'm more than fine with that. Which is perhaps why the Holy Spirit has, at times, had to sneak up on me with His opportuniti...
Keep Reading"Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. "How can I,"he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" (Acts 8:30b-31a). After reading about Philip and the Ethiopian this morning, I went for a walk and racked my brain to see if stashed in there were any memories of me coming upon someone who asked what a particular scripture meant. Blank. (Btw, Blank is how Con...
Keep Reading" No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit (I Corinthians 2:9-10a). "Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgottena thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. The living word awakened my soul, gave it light, h...
Keep ReadingJesus' Parable of the Father and his Sons, Luke 15:11-32 The poet George Meredith wrote, "I speak of the unremarked forces that split the heart and make the pavement tossforces concealed in quiet people and plants." (Quoted by Eugene Peterson in his Introduction to Nahum in The Message Bible.) We have all been amazed at the way a simple plant can force its way up through...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! Some of the disciples said to one another, "What does He mean We don't understand what He is saying" Jesus saw that they wanted to ask Him about this... (John 16:17a, 18b, 19a). Children embrace their lack of understanding. Maybe this is one reason Jesus says we must become like little children to enter the kingdom. Children don't un...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles (Hebrews 12:1a, NIV) Prior to reading this scripture, I had watched one of those this is my term "Aw-w-w" YouTube clips sent by a CCC friend (Thank you, Susan!)that featured a gosling ent...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! The law is only a shadow of the good things that are comingnot the realities themselves (Hebrews 10:1). Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart (Hebrews 10:22a). Self-confidence is not something I've traditionally had a lot of. I could come up with reasons for that, but those reasons aren't why I'm bringing this up. The reason I...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! Then He said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the firstto establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holythrough the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:9-10). Efficacy. Probably not a word you expected to encounter in your Connect Devotional, right? In fact, it's proba...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it (Hebrews 2:1). Only in this way (by becoming a human being and dying as a human being) could he (Jesus) deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of death (Hebrews 2:15). We're in the anniversary monthif we can bear to use ...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being,sustaining all things by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:3a). You may have noticed that it's relatively easy to describe someone you don't know well, someone you've just glanced at. For example, a person who has held the door for you, you may describe as "kind...
Keep ReadingClick here to listen to this post! Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters (Romans 14:1). let us stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:13a). If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love (Romans 14:15a). The center, circumference, essence, magnetism of our faith is the love of God ...
Keep ReadingTo listen to this post click here! No good tree bears bad fruit nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the ove...
Keep ReadingTo listen to this post click here! No good tree bears bad fruit nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the ove...
Keep ReadingWhen Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was in the wrong (Gal. 2:11). When you look back on your life, do you see that some of the worst times ended up serving a greater purpose than you could have dreamed? My friend lost his job on the day he and I met for a long-planned reunion. This was two years after we had briefly known each other at grad ...
Keep ReadingActs 15:1-21 The United States has the Constitution. Christianity has the Holy Bible. Whenever a question arises for either politicians or Christians, they each have a jointly accepted document to turn to for clarity. Even with these foundational documents, however, both politicians and Christians can find themselves in conflict with others in their group. The conflicts ...
Keep ReadingBut the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (James 3:17). She threw a fruit I couldn't dodge; I giggled at the blow. I picked one up and tossed it back; The fight began to flow. He stood by, watching, wondering; And I just couldn't resist. Before he knew...
Keep ReadingRemember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: "The Lord your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land (Joshua 1:13). You are to help your brothers until the Lord gives them rest (Joshua 1:14b). Please pause here and picture a sleeping baby. Did you smile? They are so sweet when they're sleeping, aren't they? Yet their way to dreamland ofte...
Keep ReadingMy people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water (Jeremiah 2:13). One of my early childhood memories is of my brother and me drinking water from an artesian well. Over the years that memory faded. Then came the daysixty years later--when my mother and I re-visited ...
Keep ReadingIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). In Him was life, and that life was the light of men (John 1:4). The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world (John 1:9). Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace (Silent Night) Abba, I come to be settled down. ...
Keep ReadingHe comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found (Joy to the World) Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And t...
Keep ReadingMild He lays His glory by (Hark the Herald Angels Sing, by Charles Wesley) I imagine Charles Wesley was moved to write "Mild He lays His glory by" by Paul's observation that Jesus voluntarily set aside his status as God to become one of us (see Philippines 2:6-7). Being demoted from a position of honor is a big step down. Perhaps it happened when you were an only child a...
Keep ReadingHe knows our need, to our weaknesses no stranger,Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend! ("O Holy Night"). Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Weary gets us to the fork in the road. From one direction despair beckons. From the other direction desperate striving beckons. Weary requires that we stop. We have to sto...
Keep ReadingO come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer/Our spirits by Thine advent here, O drive away the shades of night/And pierce the clouds and bring us light. ("O Come, O Come Emmanuel," 12th century Latin hymn.) Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.He was waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him (Luke 2:25). L...
Keep ReadingIf ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things upon the earth, for ye are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3 KJV). During one season in my early years as a believer I participated in a small group who worshiped God to the ac...
Keep ReadingJeremiah 29:4-14 It's a rather strange saying, isn't it? "Bloom where you're planted." After all, how could you bloom in a place you aren't planted? Which is the point God is making in Jeremiah 29 to those exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon. If the people didn't put down roots in Babylon, they couldn't and wouldn't bloom. Right there it sounds like God had a plan to prosp...
Keep ReadingLive such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (I Peter 2:12). Peter was writing to Kingdom of God people living "as aliens and strangers in the world" (v.11). That's us. We once felt at home in the world. Now, with our new identity, we have a new perspective. Now the...
Keep ReadingJesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place" (John 18:36). It started when I started to question the limited gospel I'd heard for the beginning twenty years of my Jesus-following life. I remember driving home from church back then, intent on digging into the Ne...
Keep ReadingFor through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Galatian...
Keep ReadingI consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Philippines 3:8). As soon as we're born, people start to clothe us. After a few years, we learn to clothe ourselves. I think this is how it is with identities. First others put them on ...
Keep Readingthat we might receive adoption to sonship (Galatians 4:5b). Picture a city inhabited by scads of street kids. These poor miserable urchins run rampant through the streets, dig through garbage cans for food, pick pockets, bully and are bullied, cower in dark alleyways and whimper in the night. Why is this happening? Because they are orphans with no one to parent them. To...
Keep Reading"Didn't your forefathers do the same things, so that our God broughtall this calamity upon us and upon this city?" (Nehemiah 13:18a). Sanballat and Tobiah. Do those names ring a bell? (It would be totally understandable if they didn't!) These two showed up in Nehemiah 2 "very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites." Shortly after th...
Keep ReadingFor all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law (Nehemiah 8:9b). The thing that most intrigues me about Nehemiah 8 is the intensity of the Israelites' interest in and reaction to the reading of the Law. What, I wonder, accounted for this? As I write, wildfires rage across our Pacific Coast states. Millions of acres are destroyed and thousands...
Keep ReadingNehemiah 5:1-12a As disconcerting as the disturbance in Nehemiah 4 was, in Nehemiah 5 an even more troubling disturbance occurs. This time the actors causing the disturbance are not from outside the community, but from inside. Having an outside enemy can unite a community. Consider the unity in America after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Having an enemy within, however, c...
Keep Reading"what my God had put in my heart to do" (Nehemiah 2:11) and Nehemiah 4:1-6 Have you ever embarked on a new challenging endeavor? (Writing these devotionals counts as that for me!) Nehemiah and Co., all those years ago, embarked on a new challenging endeavor. Let's look for the similarities in our experiences. Starting out by sensing God's direction, and having an inner ...
Keep Reading"went to workbuilt the adjoining sectionrebuiltrepaired the next sectionmade repairsrestored" (excerpts from Nehemiah 3). Up until Jerusalem was sacked and its leading citizens taken into exile the city was central to the practice of the Jewish faith. It isn't a surprise; therefore, that descendants of those exiles would long to return and rebuild. Nehemiah was one of the...
Keep ReadingI went to JerusalemI set out during the nightthen I said to them (excerpts from Nehemiah 2:11-18) Nehemiah had become a wise man by the time he entered Jerusalem that day. His was a wisdom honed by focus on the One True God who got him there. Contained in that wisdom was a treasurethe mission God had entrusted to him. Nehemiah didn't know these inhabitants of Jerusalem;...
Keep ReadingI (the Lord) will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches (Ezekiel 17:23b). Twenty birds were perched on a telephone wire. One of them was shot. How many birds remained on the wire? None. (Since the remaining nineteen were instantly up in the air.) ...
Keep ReadingHe has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). Jesus said to him (Zacchaeus), "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:9-10). Scripture tells us of two...
Keep ReadingAnd what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). ...one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus...fell at (Jesus') feet and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." So Jesus went with him... And a woman...who had bee...
Keep ReadingHe has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). Jesus gave them this answer, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does" (John 5:19). He was standing alo...
Keep Reading...there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb (Revelation 7:9-10). "Th...
Keep ReadingThis proposal pleased the whole group ... So the word of God spread (Acts 6:5a, 7a). I was in my second year of teaching. My students were third graders and we were off to a good start. One day a new girl joined our class. I didn't know why, but the kids didn't welcome her as I expected they would. Trying to make up for their cold shoulder, I paid extra attention to her. ...
Keep ReadingBut a Samaritan, as he traveled, came to where the man was;and when he saw him, he took pity on him (Luke 10:33). Samaritans were a people the Jewish faithful had despised for generations. So it is ironic that their name has become forever paired with "good." That has happened because, with this story of the Samaritan, Jesus shows us what good looks like. The Samaritan ...
Keep ReadingAt that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-40).Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home (Luke 1:56). Who is your go-to person, or persons? Say you have gotten good news...or bad news. You are confused or overjoyed. You need someone to ...
Keep ReadingThen the LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." So Abram left, as the LORD had told him... (Genesis 12:1, 4a). Sometimes the harder thing is when God's word is "Stay," as in Stay and I will bless My people with a better recovery from this virus. In Abram's case, God's word was "Go." We wo...
Keep ReadingWhen Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith" (Matthew 8:10). Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would" (Matthew 8:13a). Small children have astonishing faith in their mothers and fathers. Why? Their little beings have s...
Keep ReadingSo Naaman left... (2 Kings 5:5b). So he went down... (2 Kings 5:14a). Then Naaman...stood before him (the man of God) and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel" (2 Kings 5:15). Naaman had three problems. The first was obvious. The second was too close for him to see. The third was too foreign for him to comprehend. Naaman's first pro...
Keep ReadingJesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side But the boat was already a considerable distance from the land, buffeted by the wavesbecause the wind was against it But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I.Don't be afraid" Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying,"Truly you are the Son of God" (Matthew 14...
Keep Reading"Unless I (Thomas) see...I will not believe it."Then Jesus told him (Thomas), "Because you have seen me, you have believed;blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:25, 29). Have you ever felt a bit sorry for Thomas? After all, he's gotten a bad rap all these years as the guy who didn't have the faith to believe Jesus was alive when the others in...
Keep ReadingAfter they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison...About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,and the other prisoners were listening to them (Acts 16:23a and 25a). In the movie A Walk to Remember, Landon takes Jamie to the Virginia/North Carolina state-line and asks her to stand with one foot in one state and one in the other. ...
Keep ReadingAnd the word of the Lord came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (I Kings 19:9b and 13b). A few weeks after saying my life-transforming "Yes" to Jesus, I sat in a church service where I Kings 19:3-18 was being preached. Although that was forty-plus years ago, I can still hear that pastor's reading of "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He put strong emphasis on the...
Keep Reading... they were on their way to the tomb... "Don't be alarmed, "he (the young man dressed in a white robe) said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here... But go, tell his disciples..." Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb.They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid (Mark 16:2, 6a, 8...
Keep ReadingJesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now,but you will know after this" (John 13:7). I had never participated in a foot-washing ceremony until 2007 when I began attending a small historic church in NJ. Their custom was to do this on Maundy Thursdaythe night commemorating the Last Supper. Never since have I read the account of Jesus wash...
Keep ReadingI have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20). The tension in the operating room was palpable as the chief surgeon resolutely pushed the gurney carrying the heart donor through the doors. Waiting inside lay the terminal pa...
Keep ReadingConsequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God's peopleand members of God's household (Ephesians 2:19). My husband Tony immigrated to America from Asia in 1969. I've wondered if this is why photos of grateful immigrants becoming US citizens tug at my heart. When I read this verse, however, I see that maybe my spirit identifies with im...
Keep ReadingHe forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14b-15). Do you like to be told what to do? True confession: I don't. Okay, that's not always true. But when as a teenager I pushed back at my mother's list of Saturday morning chor...
Keep ReadingAnd He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselvesbut for Him who died for them and was raised again (2 Corinthians 5:15). God is Love. Love exists in relationship, and God is all about relationship. God is, therefore, all about reconciliation when there is relationship break-down. The archetype of relationship break-down is found in the Genesi...
Keep ReadingDo not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's (2 Chronicles 20:15b). Some Old Testament stories are grim, but they were preserved because each has a lesson for us. Often we can go for years not-getting-it, then one day our eyes are opened to its relevance for our life. In 2 Chronicles 20 Jehoshaphat and his people are ...
Keep ReadingFor our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12) A good first step in recognizing our enemy is discerning whom our enemy is not. Thankfully Paul tells us up front that our enemy is not people. Yes, it ma...
Keep Reading"but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom" (2 Kings 6:12b). On October 7, 2010 I got to be God's messenger girl. I was driving through Netcong, NJ when I glimpsed a woman standing on the corner smoking a cigarette. Into my awareness came this message: "My Sweet One, you need never smoke a cigarett...
Keep ReadingGood Tree, Bad Tree Lana Waters Liu By their (the false prophets') fruit you will recognize them. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit (Matthew 7:16, 18). If the idea of a good tree and a bad tree sounds familiar to you, you may be remembering the two trees in the Genesis garden. We were told way back then that the bad tree is the...
Keep ReadingSErmon on the mount...
Keep ReadingSermon on the Mount...
Keep ReadingThe way Jesus is talking, that way is upside-down. It sounds like He's saying showing up and being with Him is the right-side-up way. Or even just longing to show up and be with Him....
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