THE STORY OF JESUS: Isaiah 36-39 “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.” (Isaiah 39:8) Hezekiah starts off humble and dependent on God for life. He prays for Jerusalem’s protection, and for his health to be restored. But when Babylon’s envoys come, he is boastful and proud. When God warns of coming judgment, he is…
Category: daily meditations
Choosing the way to get there!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Isaiah 34-35 “The Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way.” (Isaiah 35:8) Isaiah is prophecying a day of wrath and judgment (Isaiah 34:2,8). He will allow the nations to experience the consequence of their wickedness. But He will also provide a way out through that wilderness. It will…
Eating with sinners?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 15:1-7 “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” (Luke 15:2) Jesus is getting in trouble for being gracious to sinners. Notice what Jesus does not do, He does not join in with them in their sin. Jesus treats them as real people who need God’s grace to return home. Yes they…
The cost of following Jesus!?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 14:25-35 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate… cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26) How can Jesus want us to hate anyone, most of all our family? But then He adds “even our own life”, which gives us a clue what He means. Jesus is using hyperbole – an extreme…
Invited to join in the festivities!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 14:15-24 “Not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.” (Luke 14:24) In this parable, those who were first in the invite list make excuses. They are not interested enough in the banquet, their own lives matter more. And so the invite goes out to the needy,…
Do what Jesus says… too radical???
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 14:7-14 “Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” (Luke 14:13?-?14) As Jesus followers, we march by the beat of a different drum. The people we focus on are the weak, the outcasts, those who struggle. We see them as God sees them, as His much…
At home with God in the world!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 90 SCRIPTURE: Psalm 90 “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.” (Psalm 90:1) For Moses, life was anything but stable and secure: — born of an enslaved people, adopted by the Pharoah’s daughter — raised in Egyptian wealth, on the run for saving a Hebrew brother — hiding in the…
Life to the full!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Isaiah 31-33 “Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode that will not be moved.” (Isaiah 33:20) What would this world look like, if it were paradise? Imagine if there were no violence, hatred, abuse, illness, loneliness, sin. This is the dream that God holds out to Israel through Isaiah. But He holds…
Strength through stillness!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Isaiah 28-30 “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength. But you would have none of it.” (Isaiah 30:15) God created us to enjoy His ‘very good’ creation rest. Not ‘rest’ as in doing nothing, but a sense of peace in what we do. A quiet confidence…
A love that goes beyond the law!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 14:1-6 “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” (Luke 14:3) When I read a law in the bible, I want to explore WHY that law is there. Some laws are harder than others, and some I cannot figure out. But as I reflect on most of the laws, I…