Tag: hope
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Grace for the Askers
Luke 24:36–49, Matthew 28:16–20, James 1:2–18, Jude 20–25 So, this guy you’ve been hanging out with for three years dies a brutal death. A few days later, he’s alive. He was dead and buried, and now alive. Must be a ghost…except they could touch the wounds and he ate. They doubted. After some more time,…
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Heart and Purpose
Psalm 20, Isaiah 50:7–11, John 3:16–21 “May he give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose.” Psalm 20:4 What does your heart desire? What is your WHOLE purpose? Those are two questions that humanity has wrestled with since the eyes/hearts/minds of Adam and Eve were opened in the Garden of Eden. What…
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Significance Over Wealth
Psalm 49, 1 Chronicles 29:16–22, Acts 3:1–16 Wealth and prosperity have long been a source of strife, envy, pointless striving, overwork, and abandonment of others. In an achievement-driven culture, it became an even greater issue as an “achievement” of wealth is measured against those whose wealth is an astronomical amount (i.e., a person valuated higher…
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Monday after Pentecost
Joel 2:18–32, Acts 2:29–40,2 Peter 1:16–21 Joel is an interesting book in that there are no definitive elements to place. There are many events and practices that put it within a few centuries, but that the prophet does not define himself, nor does he seem to be responding to a particular king, it becomes open…
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7th Thursday after Easter
Psalm 104, Ezekiel 18:1-32, John 9:1–11 Original sin is the corruption of the God-given original nature of all the offspring of Adam. This corrupted base has an aversion to God, has no spiritual life, and is inclined to evil. Until the Holy Spirit fully cleanses us, original sin continues to exist even in the new…
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Household of Promise
Psalm 127, Ruth 4:9–17, Hebrews 3:1–6 If we were to judge life by Psalm 127, it would seem that God does everything, yet we know that it isn’t the case. “Unless God builds the house” is more along the lines of God building up or establishing, sustaining and encouraging, not God literally building the house.…
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6th Wednesday after Easter
Jeremiah 29:4–19, Jeremiah 40:1–6, Jeremiah 45:1–5 Jeremiah 29:12 is an oft-quoted verse: “For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the LORD’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” That verse is very comforting, and it should be. However, surrounding that verse is a whole…
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5th Friday after Easter
Acts 10:9–35, Acts 15:5–34, Romans 14:13-23 Rules are everywhere, aren’t they? Rules are a good thing. Often rules give us the freedom to act for we have a pretty good idea what others will do (assuming they know the rules). This is true in examples such as driving. We know (we hope) what the other…